2012 in review

[Big Pete]

Feels like yesterday I watched Manly eliminate us in an anti-climax of a prelim. final yet here we are sporting a bruised ego after our boys fell flat for basically three months.

How Season 2012 went down...

at least according to this man.

This season was utterly frustrating.

Even when we won 7 of our first 8 it was typical early season football riddled with matches where we should have won by more. The typical line was 'oh he should have passed it! he had 2 players unmarked outside of him' and as fans of just good football we were all annoyed to be watching such dour play.

It was tough but we succeeded because we played to our strengths - our quality pack. Hannant, Glenn, Parker, Gillett, Te'o & McGuire were all performing while Thaiday, Civo and Macca would have their moments.

Unfortunately the bulk of that pack was involved in Origin and those who weren't were forced to carry the side through out the Origin period.

We faced a similar situation in 2011 but we were more fortunate that year. We faced lesser opposition during the rep. weeks (2011: 16th & 14th vs. 2012: 13th & 6th), had more experience (Anderson, Carlaw, Kenny etc.) and our captain didn't have an injury that prevented him from backing up after Origin. I also think it proved to be a blessing in disguise that the likes of McGuire, Gillett & Te'o missed this period, it kept them fresh for our charge into the finals and they starred.

By the time Origin was over we had a pack troubled with niggling injuries and forced into backline roles to cover the sides eroded depth. This period was particularly difficult to watch as we lost three games we should have won quite convincingly. From that point, the writing was on the wall.

When the backs finally returned we were just a side playing without confidence. We would work so hard to put ourselves in a game only to undo it with silly errors that are just typical of a young side. Our forwards no longer could dominate their opposites and our one and only advantage of the season was gone.

We ended up scoring a very unconvincing win against Penrith to end the regular season. It was a brief moment of joy but did little to restore confidence and the Cowboys always loomed as tough opposition.

Which honestly, I think the boys believed. Despite containing them in the early stages the boys conceded far too many cheap errors to hand Cows control and they had the class to take full advantage. In fact, 3/5 Nth Qld tries came from silly errors with the 4th coming from a poor kick and 3 bad miss tackles.

It was a tough thing to cop but at this stage hardly surprising.

Aside from a few media personalities hoping to hop on the bandwagon early, I don't think anybody expected the Broncos to win a premiership this year but they did expect us to be in a better position come 2013.

Let's be negative

Based on what occurred this season, there wasn't a lot to like moving forward.

Thaiday didn't raise his hand as captain. Whether it was because of an injury remains to be seen but Sam rarely put his hand up when the boys needed somebody to get them going forward. In fact, Sam's signature play seemed to be getting the ball, stopping and either accepting the tackle, or throwing it so Wallace could take the tackle. He's capable of so much better but right now he could very well become our worst captain.

Norman didn't improve at all this season. He's the typical one step forward, three steps backwards player who will make 3 bad mistakes for 1 good play. No one expected him to play like Lockyer in his first season, but they definitely expected progress and aside from one promising performance against Manly he seldom delivered.

Players went backwards. Look injury may have played apart and it might just be a hiccup but fact is some players didn't play as well as they did in 2011. Among those were Hoffman, Reed, Thaiday, Parker & Gillett. (Civo & Beale did too but that doesn't matter moving forward) Players like Hala, Kahu & Yow Yeh suffered season ending injury and it remains to be seen whether they'll be able to play to their ability by 2013.

NYC had their least successful season in their short history and while all 3 QCup affiliates made the finals it remains to be seen whether they can provide the players who can step up for next season.

Similar story on the signing front with the Broncos fare-welling 4 players and replacing them with nobody of note. It's a very bitter pill to swallow.

Positive TIME!

However, it wasn't all doom and gloom. Glenn & Te'o asserted themselves quite nicely on the left & right fringe scoring 23 combined with Glenn's 13 being a Broncos record for a forward.

Ben Hunt's stint at halfback was promising, particularly his short kicking game which could come in handy if Hook does decide to give him a chance in 2013.

While the form of the much maligned Copley improved over the season to the point where his work on kick returns and from dummy half was quite noticeably absent.

Finally, while I'm weary about how well they'll make the fulltime transition depth players like Maranta, Whitchurch, Gibb, Slyney & J. Wallace did show enough signs to point that they could come in handy next year.

Overall, not our best season and it feels like we've been left with more questions than answers but it wasn't a total loss. We still made the final & despite a horror period we were never as embarrassing as say our lows in 09 & 2010.

If nothing else, 2012 could be the year we scored one of our most bizarre tries. Glenn in R14 after Maranta being called played on, nobody knew what the hell went on there!

 

[I Bleed Maroon]

In with a shout, out with a whimper. That's the 2012 season in a nutshell.

 

[Steve_oneskie]

The Forwards

Glenn was easily the stand-out player this year closely followed by McGuire, Hannant started very well was close to the best prop in the league in the first few rounds, i still remember him chasing a run away try the length of the field to stop the player coming around. That was the attitude that was missing in the final months of the season. I think next season those three boys will be leading the pack, hopefully Parker can now go off have his shoulder and leg surgery or whatever else he needs done and can come back better than ever. Not to say he had a bad season just he was injured and wasn't at his best.

Thaiday needs to improve big time!!!!!!

I was pretty happy with Macca's performances throughout the year, although he needs to work on his fitness and endurance, hopefully next season he is playing 80 minutes a game because he is good enough to. I like that he seems to be looking to run the ball from dummy half a bit more now, still needs to get rid of the shitty little grubber kick in behind the line, a least until he perfects it.

The Backs

Where to start, apart from Beale and Copley i was pretty suprised with how poor they all were especially in the last few months of the season. Beale is going to be a big loss, especially if Yow Yeh doesn't come back as well as he once was. Its a real shame to be losing a player like Beale who can cover so many key positions in the backline and good luck to him at the dragons hopefully he is played at fullback. Copley, after much slating of him (Not by me), turned out to be one of the best back line options he was strong at running the ball back and out of dummy half, and he was missed when he wasn't playing. He still needs to work on his handling in some cases but he looks like he will turn into a solid player.

Hodges was pretty average all season especially in defense, too many arm grabs and not enough shoulder. Reed was solid for most of the season, good work in the air and good defense and kick chase, but will need to improve his consistency in the future.

Norman started off solidly, but never improved. Reminds me of a young John Sutton, but lacking the natural strength that he has, he likes to take the ball into contact but if he wants to do that he needs to improve his strength and power. Wallace, started the season well, go injured and was pretty average after that, hopefully Hunt has a good season and is able to put pressure on the Norman and Wallace

The Rest:

Teo - Why of Why are we letting him go, he was playing really really well at the end of the season, such a shame for us to part, hopefully he can do well at Souths, and really make a play for the Origin team, by God he deserves it off the back end of this season.

Gillett started off well and ended the season in average form, He was shocking around representative time, he refused to use his shoulder in tackles, instead like hodges went with his arms looking for jerseys. Needs to improve his consistency big time.

Maranta covered well, and looks like a solid player for the future, needs to bulk up a bit to have a real impact in the league though.

I was really impressed with Gibb from the games i saw of him and look forward to see a lot more of him in the future.

Dodds - More of the same from Dodds great defense but his hit-ups not quite good enough, but he is improving and will continue to play a part at the club next season

Looking forward to Next Season:

Hala - hopefully Hala can come back better than this season and avoid anymore injuries, he has the potential to be one of the most damaging front-rowers in the game, and with Hannant and McGuire able to play big minutes, he can be used in short bursts to give a real impact next season.

Yow Yeh - Hopefully he can recover fully, next season maybe to soon for him to regain his best form but hopefully in the following seasons he can reclaim his best form. So unlucky for such a talented player.

 

[Nightward]

I think promoting Thaiday to the captaincy was a grave error. Parker would have been the better choice, but I suspect contract negotiations were behind that decision. Hopefully this is rectified in the off-season; preferably by making Sam the vice captain, but since that is seriously unlikely he needs some mentoring. I believe he is going in for shoulder surgery, so the time will be available.

Corey Norman had an OK season. He is in a position where his every error is scrutinised to the nth degree; the reality is that he is a young player in a demanding slot. I believe he would be better off as fullback now that he has been tempered in the NRL, with Hunt leaving the bench to join Wallace in the halves.

Hunt has impressed me this season. I am still not a fan of McCullugh being removed to bring him on as this disrupts momentum, but he has won me over as a player. He would be a better partner to Wallace in the long term, as we saw earlier this season when Norman was required to play fullback to cover injuries.

Wallace, despite the criticism, had a solid year. He's not a game-breaking super-star, but he is entirely reliable. If partnered by Hunt in the halves, either could play 6 or 7 given the roles are pretty much the same these days.

Yow Yeh... we'll have to wait and see. It is no coincidence that the downward spiral started with his injury.

Hoffman did himself few favours at the back end of the season, especially last night. His unreliability at fullback is a bit of a concern, but we have at least one wing slot up for grabs.

Thaiday has been week all year. Ivan had something over him, and we all know how Bennet told him to sod off back to the Clydesdales until he was ready to play Origin-style games week in, week out. Stripping him of the captaincy may ignite that fire again, but regardless of how he does it Griffin must turn Thaiday around.

McGuire is a dead-set freak and we are blessed to have him.

Gillett suffered the typical second-year syndrome many rookies face after the opposition have an off-season to analyse their play and come up with ways to blunt their effectiveness. It is unfortunate that due to the over-abundance of centres and back-rowers we have at the moment that he cannot play more minutes.

Te'o will be a big loss. Unfortunately, when we have to cram Thaiday, Parker, Glenn, and Gillett in every week it is difficult to keep carrying another back-rower. Sad to see him go, but it does at least offer Glenn and Gillett more opportunity.

The rest of the squad more or less did as was expected; Copely has more potential than initially shown, though Maranta may be better in the long run. Hala's injury came at a bad time for both him and the team. For next year, hopefully the team looks like this:

1. Norman
2. Yow Yeh/Hoffman*
3. Reed
4. Hodges
5. Hoffman*/Copely/Maranta
6. Hunt
7. Wallace
8. Hannant
9. McCullough
10. McGuire
11. Glenn
12. Thaiday
13. Parker (c)

14. Gillett
15. Dodds
16. Hala
17. Baptise/Lui

*Wing slot determined by Yow Yeh's availability.

 

[GoTheBroncs]

Positives

- Glenn took another step forward this season. I'm tipping he will win LUs Broncos POTY in 2013
- Josh McGuire has really stepped up. I think his eye affected him the last couple of weeks as he has been a bit more quiet.
- Justin Hodges almost playing a full season. As long as he is on the field, he will make a difference to the Broncos line up. With another good pre-season, his injury-prone days might be behind him. If that is the case, there is the possibility of him going to fullback.
- Dale Copley. After coming onto the scene seemingly pretty useless, he has made it clear that he could really grow into a quality player. If he has a good off-season, I reckon he deserves a crack at centre over Reed (or if Hodges plays fullback)

Negatives Unfortunately there is a few of these...

- After a WHOLE season, we are no closer to answering the halves question. This is the biggest disappointment of the season imo.
- Sam Thaiday. Yes I understand he was injured blah blah but he needed to show more ticker and lead from the front. I've always disagreed with his captaincy appointment, but I doubt Griffin will take it off him now.
- Matt Gillett has gone from a potential game breaker to a below average player who misses tackles. He has the talent so deserves another season.
- Josh Hoffman - wow, what a bad year. If he can't get over the Greg Inglis thing then GTFO.
- Jack Reed had an up and down year, mostly down.
- Civo. I know this won't be popular, but Civo was a shadow of himself in 2012 compared to 2011. I am not alone here, he was not in the top 3 Broncos players as voted by us for ANY game this year year. It is quite possible that the pec injury he had ruined his 2012.
- Losing Teo. Beale I can live with, he is only any good when playing fullback. Although it does leave us with a hole in the backline

Dead weight we need to drop

Dunamis Lui - this is a no brainer
Nick Slyney - he goes ok but won't crack it at NRL level imo.
Scott Anderson - although may need to hang onto him for depth after losing civo
Luke Capewell - great QLD cup player but doesn't have the attributes to step up
David Hala if he gets another serious injury
Jordan Kahu if he suffers another serious injury
Matt Smith - who the f**k is this guy?
Daniel Wallace - watched him play a few times and don't see anything particularly special. Could be wrong

 

[Big Pete]

Thought I'd borrow the same format last year to highlight a couple of other thoughts...

Best player: Ben Hannant. He may never have broken the line too often or put on too many big hits but I didn't think there was a harder worker than polar. His work with and without the ball was first class and he was often in our top 3 for hit ups & tackles. Also had a very nice passing game on him which came in handy through out the year. After a somewhat flat 2011, it was good to see Ben realise some of his best form for us this year.

Worst Player: Corey Norman. It's tough to crucify a rookie stepping into the shoes of one of the game's greatest players but the reality is that in a nut-shell Norman was our worse. When the Broncos needed structure and shape, Norman rarely did anything about it and when the play was to go wide he'd often ignore it in the hunt of his own personal glory. There is certainly talent there, but he's got a lot of work infront of him before he can gain the trust of his supporters.

Most Improved: Ben Te'o. Could be a bit of contention about this one but after an injury plagued season last year Te'o came back with a vengeance to finally work his way into the Maroons line-up. Benny really cemented himself as one of the best fringe runners in the competition this year and his ability to make something out of nothing was a rare highlight for us Broncos supporters.

Best Game: R4 vs. South Sydney. To watch the boys come back from a disheartening 12-0 scoreline and a gruesome injury to Yow Yeh really filled me with a lot of optimism. Gillett was huge in the back-end of the first half, landing big hits and scoring a well earned try to give us something to smile about heading into half-time.

Second half featured plenty of highlights too with Hannant chasing down Reynolds, Hoffman scoring one of our best tries of the season & Beale giving us the lead after Hunt was rewarded for a determined chase. It was one of the few times I felt proud about my footy team and probably the only time the boys got to sing their victory song.

Worst Game: R20 vs. Titans. I know the week after was much worse on the scoreboard but at least they had an excuse of missing players. Our performance against the Titans really started the rot and just exposed how out of it our boys were. Nothing seemed to go right either, Mead scored off a huge forward pass, Hoffman tried hitting the ball and ended up smacking Bailey conceding an 8 point try & players went down injured left and right...it was really a night to forget.

Memories

Don't think I've ever been so frustrated with a season from start to finish now that I think about it. I remember being mighty cranky even after our first win of the season against a Hayne-less Parra where we threw it around like headless Chooks and I was still that angry on Saturday night when Norman decided to throw the ball to thin air after Macca kicked us another 40/20.

Hodgo was certainly a highlight this season. Had a rough patch around Origin but otherwise was a bunch of fun to watch. Obviously enjoyed where he poked his tongue at the Newcastle defence but always liked his ability to milk us a penalty or two. Hopefully he pulls the pin on his rep. career and the Broncos get the luxury of his services for an entire season.

Will admit some of the freakish tries Norman pulled off were fun to watch. The set up for Hoffman against the Titans, pin-point cross field kick for Beale against Manly and freakish try against Souths off a ricochet were mighty good. Also liked it whenever he swung right, still think it might be worth swapping him on that side of the field. I'm fairly sure that's where he played in the 20s.

Civoniceiva himself would admit 2012 was one of his worst seasons, but it was still great to see the big fella retire a Bronco. Being on the field to farewell him at Suncorp was brilliant and the farewell at Origin was pure class. He might be a Storm player, but Cam Smith earned my eternal respect for that.

McGuire chipping for Gillett against Manly. He had a poor end to the year, but god damn there is a lot to like about Moose and I really hope his eye doesn't suffer anymore injuries. It'd be a damn shame if had to retire at 23.

Glenn & Te'o 23 tries between them. Pretty much sums up how valuable those two were for us and why we sucked when they had to move to the centres.

 

[GoTheBroncs]

Best player: Josh McGuire. Alex Glenn next.

Worst Player: Josh Hoffman. After seemingly being the answer to our fullback position post Hunt, all of a sudden we are thinking about throwing Hodges back there. Relative to $$$ I think Gillett and Thaiday are up with the worst as well.

Most Improved: Dale Copley.

Best Game: R14 vs. Roosters. Winning games without origin stars is always the best.

Worst Game: R22 vs. Raiders. I think we made every school boy error possible that day.

 

[00digger00]

Best Player: Hannant and Mcguire. Hannant as he did last year have a slow end to the season, but those times he was chasing down line breaks and closing the gate in the middle were pretty good for a big fella. Mc was huge during origin. He gets his chance next year to be a starting pig.
Worst Player: Hoffman. He was average all year, and he was making a nac of killing our attack from 20 out!
Most Improved: Teo. Real same to see him go. He made the grade for QLD this year and I would have hated to see the score line without him come the end of the year.
Best Game: Sunday afternoon against the knights. Its always nice to get one up on Wayne.
Worst Game: Parramatta at Suncorp. I dont want to talk about it.

 

[diddi kong]

Players who impressed/improved -- Mcguire, Hannant, Hodges, Teo, Glenn!
Players who didnt perform/went backwards -- Wallace, Parker, Gillett ( I think he went downhill when he started being talked about for origin and I think he tried to fit in to the 'origin player' mould), Anderson, Hoffman, Beale ( I expected as much though)
Players who I thought plateaued -- Reed and McCullough. Thought these two could have stepped up. Bit rough on McCullough who got players player, but I really think he cemented himself as a player who does his job consistently as opposed to a match winner.
Players who showed potential -- Copley, Hunt, Norman (but needs to be used in a specific role).
Players I want to see next year -- Yow Yeh, Hala, Kahu