2018 Broncos NRL Matches Discussion

[THE CHAMP]

We have plenty of options it's whether or not Bennett has the guts to pull the trigger

 

[Nerd]

Everyone keeps banging on about Milford and Nikorima but Jack Bird for the bucks he's on needs to start pulling his weight. I know he's only 3 games into his time at the club but in one on one situations he doesn't even look like breaking the line. Just yet again way too many unforced errors. We must have bombed 3 tries against the Knights. At some stage Bennett is going to have to have a serious look at Darius Boyd. He put on a try tonight but obviously can't or won't run at full speed. It's only round 5 but our season is starting to look cooked. Thankfully Thaiday is retiring at the end of the year and if we miss the eight surely the axe has to fall on Darius Boyd and Alex Glenn.

 

[DeeJ]

Darius Boyd starts off each set at a disadvantage, it's no wonder we can't get any metres going forward then get dominated by opposition defense. I know he can't run full tilt, but why does he have to sit on his arse every time he catches a bomb?

I know it's hard, but if you are a premier fullback you should be swallowing those all day. The next guy taking the hit up already has his markers in his face and we can't even get out of our 10.

 

[renouf]

That was woeful last night, attack is slow, disjointed, boring, way to go wayne.. let's coach some more structure/boringness into the team for next week. In some ways I wish Griffin was still coaching, at least we had some entertaining play.. but we couldn't win enough.

 

[Showtime]

The thing that worries me the most is the brand of footy we play. I know it falls in line with most teams but it's incredibly boring to watch.... the last 3 games I've found myself flicking between the Broncs games and other sports.

The broncos need to identify that this roster isn't a premiership winning roster and rebuild. The only backs worth persisting with are Kahu, Milford and Oates but I'd move him into the fowards before he gets sick of the wing and signs with another club.

 

[Life's Good]

Which players can dig you out of this hole? Milford did look good last night but there didn’t seem to be anyone willing to go with him.
And what was Thaiday thinking with his post game comments?

 

[some11]

Can't win games without an organising half that can kick, Nikorima is the embodiment of Wallace's long kicks that got swallowed every time and Norman's bombs that landed 20-30m out every single time.

And that's just one of the issues, the most obvious one being Bennett always focuses on defence early and works on attack later except our right edge of Nikorima-Roberts-Isaako is way too fragile.

Our forwards are doing a job but they just get put down too easily against better packs or even average packs that just decide to run harder on the day. All of this relates back to retention and recruitment decisions - the timing was off for Taylor, realistically he wasn't going to unseat Hunt especially with how conservative Bennett is about blooding rookies, but the thing that irks me the most is letting go of Wallace, Arrow (and Ese'ese) who were all considered the future of the club.

There's no real workhorse or leader apart from McCullough (McGuire and Gillett have been quiet) in the pack to take the reigns when the opposition goes up a gear.

 

[MILEY CYRUS]

Jai Arrow already better than cyclops McGuire. Bennett has lost his marbles.
Why don't the Broncos just play second phase football. Get all the forwards offloading. That way it will play to the strengths of Milford and Nikorima. Still need someone who has a kicking game to control the game and no one at the broncos seems to have that.

 

[renouf]

Despite all the usual problems with our halves, they were playing OK last year while Hunt was out. Something isn't right.. Blair is a huge loss. Is the Matt Lodge thing having an effect on the overall team?

 

[gUt]

Individually Lodge seems to be contributing pretty well.

I'm baffled that we didn't make a play to sign either Hodkinson or even Carney, who are exactly the types of players we need.

 

[MILEY CYRUS]

Despite all the usual problems with our halves, they were playing OK last year while Hunt was out. Something isn't right.. Blair is a huge loss. Is the Matt Lodge thing having an effect on the overall team?

Did you see the teams they played last year while Hunt was out?
Blair is useless. You just don't have the cattle. It's really that simple. No ball player, no kicking game, and paid overs for players.

 

[GoTheBroncs]

I wonder if we will see this at some point down the track:

8. McGuire
10. Lodge
13. TPJ

McGuire and Lodge complement each other perfectly, with the former being the workhorse allowing the latter to pick his moments better with some potential ball play and offloads. TPJ at lock will give our attack so many more options.

 

[Showtime]

Just read that Gillett is out for 8-10 weeks about after fracturing 3 vertebrae in his neck....playing with the injury since round 1 which would explain his form.

 

[Life's Good]

Just read that Gillett is out for 8-10 weeks about after fracturing 3 vertebrae in his neck....playing with the injury since round 1 which would explain his form.

Lucky boy by the sounds of it. I hope he recovers well. One player that has been ok for you guys this year.

 

[GoTheBroncs]

Nikorima out too. Don't have a good feeling about the game. There is very little impact off the bench too.

POSSIBLE BRONCOS NRL TEAM

1. Darius Boyd

2. Corey Oates

3. James Roberts

18. Tom Opacic

5. Jamayne Isaako

6. Anthony Milford

4. Jack Bird

8. Matt Lodge

9. Andrew McCullough

10. Tevita Pangai

11. Alex Glenn

17. Jaydn Su’A

13. Josh McGuire

Interchange:

14. Sam Thaiday

15. Joe Ofahengaue

16. Korbin Sims

20. Sam Tagataese

Coach: Wayne Bennett


https://www.broncos.com.au/news/2018/04/13/team-update---broncos-v-warriors/

 

[renouf]

That was one of the best wins I can remember, Bird in the halves worked well.

 

[DeeJ]

Just read that Gillett is out for 8-10 weeks about after fracturing 3 vertebrae in his neck....playing with the injury since round 1 which would explain his form.

What's been wrong with his form? I think his attack has been the strongest it has in years. Last two games he was making really penetrating runs.

Hope he can come back 100%.

Bird in the halves was good, better than Nikorima but I'm not convinced on it long term. His kicking game was decent and was especially impressed by the pinpoint bomb he put on with barely any space near the end of the game. Oates had a great game.

 

[Nerd]

For once we hung onto the ball and with the lack of unforced errors we looked like a different team. Hopefully Bennett leaves Bird at 5/8 and Milford as the 7 and Nikorima can go back to the roll of super sub. That was easily McGuires best game of the season and Oates had an absolute blinder. Leaving Thaiday on the bench for so long was a master stroke by Bennett.

 

[gUt]

Good to see the Jet get involved effectively

 

[Bronco18]

Bird looked too confident and involved as a half to move him.

TBH I think our best team is still Bird in the back row, and a real half (MAYBE DARGAN?), but unless Dargan kills it in reggies it's too risky.

Su'a seemed to show why we've persisted with him this game, bit of aggression and speed.