Years of hard work is finally paying off for Anthony Milford after Wayne Bennett toasted the Brisbane five-eighth's "outstanding" effort in their NRL win over Cronulla.
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The Broncos playmaker's usually maligned kicking game came to life in the 12-10 victory at Suncorp Stadium, helping Brisbane clinch their seventh win in nine games and move up one spot to sixth on the ladder.
Brisbane mentor Bennett has been reluctant to heap praise on his halves in the past but was quick to throw his support behind Milford before giving a rare insight into the pivot's progress.
Bennett revealed a kicking game had not come naturally to Milford when he made the switch from fullback to the halves upon his arrival from Canberra in 2015.
However, he believed Milford and halves partner Kodi Nikorima were finally finding their feet with a top four finish and the NRL finals on the horizon.
"I thought Anthony's kicking game was outstanding (against Cronulla)," Bennett said.
"That's come from three years of hard practice. Kodi is in the same boat.
"They are not natural kickers. They weren't when they started. The way those guys train, it is a credit to them.
"I am proud of what they have done."
Brisbane's halves Milford and Nikorima have felt the heat in the past for their lack of impact or unfortunate tendency to drift in and out of games.
But Bennett reckoned they were no longer at sixes and sevens in their halves.
"If I am not defending my halves I am telling you (media) they are a lot better than you think they are," Bennett said.
"I don't know what you watch sometimes because those guys have been on for ages, our halves.
"And if you look at some of their stats compared to other halves in the competition it would be a bit of an eye opener to you.
"They are just improving all the time."
Brisbane skipper Darius Boyd said he was most pleased with their wall-like defence against the fifth-placed Sharks.
Finals football appeared to come early in their round 20 clash with Brisbane digging deep to hold out three straight Sharks sets late in the clash to claim the arm wrestle.
"All we have been focusing on is defence," Boyd said.
"We know we can score points but we are not going to do anything in the competition if we don't defend well."
Australian Associated Press
