Round 11 vs. Sydney Roosters Discussion

[Big Pete]

Sydney Roosters vs. Brisbane Broncos
Sydney Cricket Ground, Saturday 22 May 2021
Kick Off: 5:30pm

1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Josh Morris 4. Joseph Manu 5. Matt Ikuvalu 6. Lachlan Lam 7. Sam Walker 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Ben Marschke 10. Isaac Liu 11. Angus Crichton 12. Sitili Tupouniua 13. Victor Radley

Interchange: 14. Adam Keighran 15. Daniel Suluka-Fifita 16. Nat Butcher 17. Siosiua Taukeiaho

Reserves: 18. Naufahu Whyte 19. Fletcher Baker 20. Egan Butcher 21. Joseph Suaalii

1. Jamayne Isaako 2. Xavier Coates 19. Dale Copley 4. Jesse Arthars 5. David Mead 6. Albert Kelly 7. Tyson Gamble 8. Matthew Lodge 9. Jake Turpin 10. Payne Haas 11. Keenan Palasia 12. Tevita Pangai Junior 13. Thomas Flegler

Interchange: 14. Kobe Hetherington 15. John Asiata 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Rhys Kennedy

Reserves: 3. Herbie Farnworth 18. TC Robati 20. Brendan Piakura 21. Danny Levi​

 

[Big Pete]

A tough road trip coming up for the Broncos. They will have to do it without Jordan Riki who has accepted a two week suspension for his crusher on Olakau'atu. Alex Glenn, Ben Te'o, Kotoni Staggs and Brodie Croft are unavailable through injury as well. In good news the Broncos can use their extended squad from this round on so they can experiment with combinations as they ride the rest of the season out. At 2-8 you can effectively put the red line through them so it's just a matter of who earns their place for the 2022 season.

On Channel 9 it was reported that Kobe Hetherington will make his debut. Hetherington has been a stand-out in the QCup since making the transition from 9 to 13. He's more like a modern style lock and while he isn't a flashy player he could prove to be a very handy cog in that pack.

It was also reported either Anthony Milford or Tyson Gamble will make way for either Karmichael Hunt or Albert Kelly. On form you'd have to say that Kelly would be the most likely to come in but don't be surprised to see both named in the extended squad.

Brendan Piakura is also firming for a debut as well, so it appears that there will be a response after that disastrous 50-6 drubbing from Friday night.

 

[Big Pete]

There you have it both Hetherington and Kelly will make their club debuts while Palasia will play his first NRL game since his knee reconstruction.

It's shaping up as a tough night for the Broncos I just hope we can see a few players put their hands up for the club. It appears that Walters has rightfully viewed this stretch as an opportunity to experiment with different combinations and get some experience into his players. The key is to not lose any heart during this stretch and get the players up for the more winnable games against St George and the like.

I thought Oates was hard done by. Yes he should have been better against the Cowboys and Sea Eagles but I don't think Mead would have done better in either game, in fact I think he would have been worse.

Finally it's good to see TC Robati recognised for his form for the Seagulls. I still think he's a raw prospect but he's been out-playing Piakura so far and is more deserving of a taste in first grade.

 

[Bronco18]

There you have it both Hetherington and Kelly will make their club debuts while Palasia will play his first NRL game since his knee reconstruction.

It's shaping up as a tough night for the Broncos I just hope we can see a few players put their hands up for the club. It appears that Walters has rightfully viewed this stretch as an opportunity to experiment with different combinations and get some experience into his players. The key is to not lose any heart during this stretch and get the players up for the more winnable games against St George and the like.

I thought Oates was hard done by. Yes he should have been better against the Cowboys and Sea Eagles but I don't think Mead would have done better in either game, in fact I think he would have been worse.

Finally it's good to see TC Robati recognised for his form for the Seagulls. I still think he's a raw prospect but he's been out-playing Piakura so far and is more deserving of a taste in first grade.

You’re an absolute trooper following this closely amid the shit show of a year Big Pete.

 

[Big Pete]

Farnworth was ruled out on Wednesday, Dale Copley will play his first game for the Broncos since 2015.

17 year old sensation Joseph Suaalii is set to make his debut against the Broncos as well.

You’re an absolute trooper following this closely amid the shit show of a year Big Pete.

I just like to set the record straight for the neutrals or any Broncos fan who happens to come across the forums. Even if it only attracts a hundred views I'd like to make sure this community is still represented.

 

[gUt]

Best Broncos poster by a mile apart from my good self.

 

[Bronco18]

I’ll take the win.

 

[Nerd]

How bloody good was that win especially over a top 4 team. What a difference Kelly made playing like a proper half with long raking kicks to the corners instead of the pointless mid field bombs that we regularly saw from Milford. Our forwards just ran over the top of the Roosters pack and if they can match that intensity going forward we should be a handful for the rest of the season. Walker will be having nightmares about Pangai running at him and this looks like the blueprint most other teams will follow when playing the Roosters from now on.

 

[Big Pete]

That was the biggest upset in over ten years. The last time the Broncos produced anything of that nature was against Melbourne in the opening game of AAMI Park. On that occasion you had Lockyer, Folau and Thaiday lead a very young and inexperienced win against a disenfranchised Melbourne outfit who had just been penalised for their salary cap rorts.

On this occasion, the result was on the back of the head high crackdown that had an indelible impact on the contest. The Roosters plan to bash the Broncos backfired spectacularly and Brisbane to their credit kept their composure. Even when the Roosters came racing back into the contest, Mead backed himself and came up with the play of the game to take that length of the field intercept.

I thought Matt Lodge, Tevita Pangai Jr and John Asiata were the other stand-outs for the Broncos. Lodge had his best game since the Panthers contest and he was extremely unlucky to be sin-binned. Especially when you consider that Joseph Manu made two similar shots and yet remained on the field. I thought Lodge just ran smarter, constantly running over Marschke and creating momentum through the middle.

Pangai was the focal point of the attack but I thought it was his gamesmanship that got under the skin of the Roosters. He baited them very early on when he milked a tackle from JWH. That led to a confrontation after Pangai Jr's try was denied and eventually led to Radley's attempt at a big hit going wrong. It felt like a full circle moment for TPJ who had a similar implosion against the Dragons in the 2018 Elimination Final.

Finally it was Asiata who sealed the win for the Broncos with his try and later try assist for Palasia. The latter was definitely forward, but it still highlighted how effective his ball-playing can be through the middle and gives the Broncos some much needed options. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come from Asiata.

Copley, Kelly, Palasia and Hetherington all played their first game of the season. I thought Copley was very solid and came up with some real effort plays. He was unlucky not to have set up the first try, but he did eventually draw first blood simply through staying alive for Pangai and did a simple draw and pass for the second. For me the highlight was the tackle of Lam when Sydney had the numbers which led to the Mead try.

Kelly played as well as you could expect considering how long he's been away from the game. He had a few fortunate moments like Ikuvalu taking his grubber dead and Asiata's chase was better than his kick but he also came up with a 40/20 as well.

Palasia had his best game of first grade. He didn't make any mistakes and while he was fortunate to score it was a great line. It was a great reward for somebody who has suffered the setbacks he's had. He certainly earned himself another opportunity and I'm keen to see how he responds.

Finally I thought Kobe's versatility came in handy. He was able to relieve Turpin when he had to come off for the HIA and then later on played a bit of lock where I think his pace caught Manu off guard which is why he gave away such a loose penalty.

I'd say it's the biggest upset since the aforementioned Storm game and the sweetest win since that Round 16 2019 clash against Cronulla.

 

[XXXX Cap]

Palasia had his best game of first grade. He didn't make any mistakes and while he was fortunate to score it was a great line. It was a great reward for somebody who has suffered the setbacks he's had. He certainly earned himself another opportunity and I'm keen to see how he responds.

He's a good player with a big heart. Never had a bad game for Wynnum in 2019 or this year. Unlucky to get a head knock in the 2019 GF which probably proved the death knell for the Gulls in that game.