Round 18 vs. Bulldogs Discussion

[Big Pete]

NRL 2019 - Round 18
Brisbane Broncos v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Suncorp Stadium, Milton (TICKETS)
Thursday 18 July 2019

1. Anthony Milford
2. Corey Oates
3. Kotoni Staggs
4. Herbie Farnworth
5. Jamayne Isaako
6. Darius Boyd
7. Jake Turpin
8. Matthew Lodge
9. Andrew McCullough
10. Payne Haas
11. Alex Glenn
12. Tevita Pangai
13. Thomas Flegler

Interchange
14. James Segeyaro
15. Joe Ofahengaue
16. David Fifita
17. Patty Carrigan

Reserves
18. Rhys Kennedy
19. Izaia Perese
20. Xavier Coates
21. Keenan Palasia

1. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
2. Nick Meaney
3. Marcelo Montoya
4. Will Hopoate
5. Reimis Smith
6. Brandon Wakeham
7. Jack Cogger
8. Ofahiki Ogden
9. Michael Lichaa
10. Dylan Napa
11. Josh Jackson
12. Corey Harawira-Naera
13. Adam Elliott

Interchange
14. Jeremy Marshall-King
15. Renouf To'omaga
16. Danny Fualalo
17. Chris Smith

Reserves
19. Raymond Faitala-Mariner
20. Fa'amanu Brown
21. Kerrod Holland
23. Kayne Kalache​

 

[Big Pete]

Oates returns in place of Coates who is set to be rested this week. Gillett has failed to overcome the groin injury he sustained in the State of Origin camp but is expected back next week.

At today's training session, Alex Glenn lined up at left centre outside of Corey Oates. No word on who filled the other spots, but don't be surprised if there's a late change there and either Isaako or Farnworth are dropped.

 

[THE CHAMP]

Go the broncos.
Expect a big win tonight ffs

 

[THE CHAMP]

Hopefully napa doesn’t kill anybody

 

[DeeJ]

Hopefully napa doesn’t kill anybody

I like Macca but if Napa wanted to give him some sweet chin music again we probably stand a better chance of winning.

 

[THE CHAMP]

I like Macca but if Napa wanted to give him some sweet chin music again we probably stand a better chance of winning.

If he’s going to get macca he has to promise to get Boyd as well

 

[THE CHAMP]

I wonder how jack bird is going

 

[DeeJ]

If he’s going to get macca he has to promise to get Boyd as well

Boyd first then. At least Macca tries.

As for Jack Bird, I don't think he will play another full season ever again and will probably retire next year. Before he signed they said he had a shelf life of 3 years and his arthritis will make his joints more prone to injuries.

 

[Nerd]

Good win over a fairly average Bulldogs. Boyd did some good things with the ball but was woeful in defence. He needs to hit with his shoulders not grab and try to hang on till the cavalry get there. Still too many unforced errors. A top 8 side would have cut us to pieces in the first half.

 

[Big Pete]

I thought the forwards laid a terrific platform. Pangai, Fifita, Lodge and Haas proved a real handful for the Bulldogs defence and laid a nice platform for the backs to play off of. I thought the spine players could have been more adventurous in the first half. It seemed as if Turpin and Boyd were content to give it to their edge second row with very little variation in the play. I know he came off for an HIA, but I didn't think Milford got enough touches near the line. He's the Broncos most potent attacking option, he needs the ball in hand well before the last tackle.

Pangai once again proved how much of a threat he is on that edge. Three of the five tries came off the back of his hard work and he was the only player looking to spark something. That chase to start the second half set the tone and he was desperately unlucky not to be awarded an assist. I thought Staggs had some great touches, but he also came up with a few errors and that was one of them.

McCullough and Boyd both played really well. I actually thought Boyd's defence was the highlight of his performance. I can see where Nerd is coming from in terms of technique, but he's getting off the line and making good reads. There were a few times where the Dogs tried to take advantage of that edge and Boyd not only shut it down, but won the ruck which is something you rarely see when Milford plays there.

Meanwhile Seibs must have had a word to Macca after his effort on Green in the lead up to Luke's try the week before. Macca left nothing to chance this time and made sure to get plenty of kick pressure on Cogger, even if he ran the risk of getting penalised. The 40/20 was a big play in the context of the game and put the Broncos on the front foot after a fairly even start.

I'm not going to get too carried away, but it was a relief to see the Broncos ice a game with 20 to go. It was a nice change of pace from the Broncos either losing the game by half-time, or having to sit through the dying stages of a game. Usually these were the type of games where Brisbane were their own worst enemy, so it was nice just to see them get through their sets.