R2 | Sea Eagles 32-0 Knights @ Brookvale | Sun 6.30pm

[Joker's Wild]

lol Please. When Thaiday is playing in your front row you cant say your pack is "one of the best in the comp"

The Broncos lack size upfront. Hannant and McGuire are good but thats where your depth stops and that would and has been a concern for most Broncos fans.

Stop kidding yourself

 

[Rolla]

There is nothing wrong with our pack plenty of of class and experience in that 2nd row and front row probably could say on paper one of the best in the comp its just our halves and outside backs are just shocking besides Hodges the rest are all QLD cup standard its going to be a long year it really is for us.

That said I think we played very well in the first half against manly who can be flat at times like they where in the first half but once they got in to the grind they so much like we where done and the halves are all class.

So if you guys can control most of the ball and not let their halves control the game you should be in for a chance.

I agree that your pack has talent, however what it lacks is size and ruggedness. Your pack is too light across the board and is full of flair players with speed and mobility.

I'm not just trying to pick on your team, I rate most of your pack as individual players. I just don't think as a whole they are big/tough enough. Your pack needs more balance than it had in round one. Leave the flair for your backs (though that will be a problem in itself).

And I am a knights fan so I know an out-gunned pack of forwards when I see one.

 

[Rolla]

And I will add that Thaiday is not a prop at all.

 

[Jobdog]

In the paper today it said if McKinnon plays tomorrow he won't be 100% recovered from the calf cork he got on Monday night.

Fa'alogo probably a more than even chance of coming onto the bench?

 

[Chicken_Hunter]

We need all our guys fit for this. No point taking McKinnon into this game, plus I reckon faalogo will be more suited to face the manly pack that has bashed us over the last 3 years

 

[The Showstopper]

This game is tailor made for Fa'alago's aggression. I would bench Houston if that is how they want to go. Scott, Smith and Fa' alago to take it to Manly in the first 25 mins would be a sign of intent. Houston can just be efficient when he runs on from the bench. Complete tackles and work hard as he always does. I just see him struggling to hold Fa'alago and McKinnon out of the team. He feels out of place now House. Weak link for me.

 

[Serc]

For those thinking of going to the game, its unlikely to rain at all (just a slight chance) however more importantly there is going to be quite a strong southerly breeze at Brooky, so don't bring things that might become airborne easily I guess! It will most certainly be fun for Stewart and Boyd at the back with some of the kicks that will come their way.

Think not too dissimilar to the last home game in 2012 - though the winds should be not quite as strong as on that occasion.

 

[Rolla]

Well it is game day lads, and a real chance to gauge where we are currently at.

Not so much for the season, as i think our new look team will improve as the season goes, but we are playing a team that is similar on paper but has had the core playing group together for some time. They are an established team who will be sniffing around the top 4. There are plenty of individual battles too.

We will see how much the 'old heads' our team has picked up negate the effect of travelling to intimidating arenas like Brooky.

We will see how our pack can match it with a decent pack (there are a couple better than the manly pack too).

Our halves are coming up against the most balanced halves partnership in the comp IMO. While Kurt and Jarrod have experience, the cocmbinations won't be there straight away.

Boyd was great last week, and another polished/dominant display against a decent fullback will get people thinking his form is where it belongs this season, and that is good news for us!

Our weaknesses will be hooker and our left edge. Waddell/Roberts need to be solid again and Quinn will have to up his game. I think Jimmy will really need to bring it in defence and make the right decisions like we know he can.

Given our attacking strength on the right we might become a bit predictable so we need to go left still to balance things out and keep them stretched. Kicking high to Jimmy and Boyd cutout passes will be the way to go when going left (and i'm not only saying that because they cut out Quinn lol).

As mentioned our right edge is good, dam good! and we might need a bit of flair out there for a couple of tries because manly will be a different beast to the tigers defensively. It is true that the Broncos scored a couple without really throwing much at them. But outside Hodges they didn't look like scoring at all so it was flair on the right that got them their points too. That also wasn't at brooky.

So if you haven't guessed i'm pumped! Is it game time already?

 

[Spot On]

Quinn is in for a very tough day.

 

[Serc]

It is true that the Broncos scored a couple without really throwing much at them. But outside Hodges they didn't look like scoring at all so it was flair on the right that got them their points too. That also wasn't at brooky.

Yeah it was mostly Hodges, though Prince and Gillett threw some nice flick passes in the leadup to the 2nd try (which still needed Hodges to poke his head through 2 defenders and offload to Maranta from there). So yes as a team they didn't throw a lot at them, but Hodges threw a fair bit at them, if you get what I mean, lol

 

[Rolla]

Quinn is in for a very tough day.

It is a worry. The optimist in me says that he was a bit rusty last week and he should be reliable defensively and make a few hit-ups.

If not, well he has a very strong defender either side of him so lets hope they can hold out.

 

[Jono078]

I think Quinn would know he didn't have a great game and would want to make up for it, especially up against Manly.

 

[Rolla]

I think Quinn would know he didn't have a great game and would want to make up for it, especially up against Manly.

I agree 100% that he would want to. It is whether or not he will/can that worries me.

On a positive note, while Lyon will throw a lot at him, he won't likely be using pace and slick footwork (which is where Quinn looked a bit outdone last week).

 

[Frederick]

Waddell out (hamstring)
Hilder in

 

[Frederick]

Well f**k

 

[Nuffy]

Geez manly are dogs, gang tackle on Gagai, and whatmough wraps his legs around him and they look to have hurt him, no wonder he lost the ball.

At some point karma is going to catch them out.

 

[Jono078]

Shit start.

 

[RABK]

We love playing some ill disciplined footy at brookvale and giving them big headstarts.

 

[Jono078]

Very early to call it quits, but all of a sudden I have a shit feeling about this game.

 

[Frederick]

Gagai's gone. f**k