Kodi Nikorima's teammates have lauded the nimble playmaker's ability to dance through the flood of criticism, and warned it may never stop as long as he wears the Brisbane No.7 jersey.
The halfback and his five-eighth Anthony Milford have copped the lion's share of criticism for the Broncos' inconsistent 13-9 NRL season that has seen them regularly topple premiership contenders, though fall to bottom-eight sides.
But hooker Andrew McCullough said, fairly or unfairly, that criticism came with the territory occupied by halfbacks at Red Hill.
"Once you play in that position at the Broncos it is never going to stop, so it's how you handle it," McCullough said.
"If you get a win you get the accolades, but with a loss it puts you very much under the spotlight.
"I think it is a good learning curve for Kodi ... it was never going to be smooth sailing for him in that position."
However, captain Darius Boyd said the 24-year-old had the right temperament to survive the critics' barbs, and importantly had the support of his teammates.
"The negativity is not the nicest thing to hear and it's hard to get past it," the fullback said.
"But from what I've seen of him this year, I think he handles things really, really well ... everyone loves him and he knows how much we respect him in this group and that's all that matters."
On-field communication and an ability to control the game even when his forwards aren't dominating were two areas Nikorima had identified himself that needed work.
He believes he has taken strides forward and, with a finals berth all but sealed and a testing assignment against Sydney Roosters No.7 Cooper Cronk on Saturday, now has a platform to prove it.
"I think we have improved in that area and Milf's (Milford) really stepped up as well," Nikorima said.
"At the start of the year I took my role for granted a little bit, thinking it would just all happen again like last year.
"That's not the case. I realised I had to change my game, talk a lot more and that's what I've started to do."
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