Round 19 vs. Parramatta Eels

[Big Pete]

Parramatta Eels vs. Brisbane Broncos
Bankwest Stadium, Friday 18 September 2020
Kick Off 7:55pm
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1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Michael Jennings 4. Waqa Blake 5. Blake Ferguson 6. Jai Field 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Junior Paulo 11. Ryan Matterson 12. Shaun Lane 13. Nathan Brown

Interchange: 14. Will Smith 15. Andrew Davey 16. Kane Evans 17. Oregon Kaufusi

Reserves: 18. Haze Dunster 19. Stefano Utoikamanu 20. George Jennings 21. Daniel Alvaro

1. Darius Boyd 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Richard Kennar 6. Tyson Gamble 7. Tom Dearden 8. Joe Ofahengaue 9. Issac Luke 10. Ben Te'o 11. David Fifita 12. Alex Glenn 13. Patrick Carrigan

Interchange: 14. Cory Paix 15. Jamil Hopoate 16. Xavier Coates 17. Ethan Bullemor

Reserves: 18. Kobe Hetherington 19. Pride Petterson-Robati 20. Sean O'Sullivan 21. Jesse Arthars

 

[DeeJ]

It's amazing how far off Brodie Croft has dropped. Unless he has some mystery injury that hasn't been reported.

 

[Big Pete]

Only two more weeks and the Broncos can finally move on from one of the worst seasons in history. In a lot of ways, this is where the nightmare started for the Broncos where they turned in the worst showing in a final to lose by a then record margin 58-0.

By rights, the Eels should go close to challenging that record if not setting a brand new record. The Broncos team is much weaker than the one that took the field over a year ago and they have very little to play for.

In team changes, both prop forwards Rhys Kennedy (Grade 1 Crusher) and Payne Haas (personal leave) are out and Tyson Gamble has come in for Sean O'Sullivan who was dropped after last week's performance. Brodie Croft was the original choice, but he suffered an injury at training so Brisbane went with Gamble.

Tyson was actually the player I wanted to come into replace Croft after Brodie was clearly struggling with the pressure. It remains to be seen whether he can handle this level, but in QCup he's a very composed big body 6 who can do a job no fuss. I thought that's what the Broncos needed instead of O'Sullivan who can be brilliant on his day, but very inconsistent on others.

Interesting to note that Corey Oates has been given a reprieve after his disappointing effort against the Gold Coast Titans. Oates owes the team big time and he really needs to get his hands on the ball. Hopoate has also come onto the bench which suggests Carrigan will push up into the prop role where he's actually best suited. I would have preferred to have seen another forward there instead of Coates on the bench, but I guess it shows where Petterson-Robati is rated by the brass at the club.

Like I said, two more weeks, hopefully they give the fans something to cheer about.

 

[Big Pete]

It's amazing how far off Brodie Croft has dropped. Unless he has some mystery injury that hasn't been reported.

He was due to come in, but suffered an injury at training.

 

[DeeJ]

That must be our 7th injury at training this year.

 

[Nerd]

Just two more games to go and the horror show that is 2020 is over.

 

[GoTheBroncs]

Must be the worst non-origin affected Broncos side of all time?

I can't watch, it will be too painful.

I see we are outright last now. To be honest, it's where we deserve to be. Our only shot is an unlikely win over the Cowboys next week.

 

[GoTheBroncs]

Check out this from Renouf. Does he know something we don't?

6. Anthony Milford
Anthony is the million-dollar man and he has to step up next year. I don't see him injecting himself in the game enough but he is a far better player than what he has recently shown. The Broncos need him at his best and under Walters as coach, I believe he will thrive.

https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/09/17/renouf-how-the-broncos-team-should-line-up-in-2021/

 

[Big Pete]

Check out this from Renouf. Does he know something we don't?

6. Anthony Milford
Anthony is the million-dollar man and he has to step up next year. I don't see him injecting himself in the game enough but he is a far better player than what he has recently shown. The Broncos need him at his best and under Walters as coach, I believe he will thrive.

https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/09/17/renouf-how-the-broncos-team-should-line-up-in-2021/

No, he also made a point to select Kevie as the coach moving forward so the rest just falls under that umbrella.

 

[Nerd]

Shit game but we fared better than I thought we would. I doubt the new coach would have missed how ordinary Oates, Ofahengaue and Isaac Luke were. Our attack picked up the second Isaac Luke was replaced and Paix should start against the Cowboys. Tough luck for Fifita after scoring a try and worrying times for the Titans with him having yet another leg injury. Thought Alex Glenn really stiffened up our defence and another game under his belt will help against the Cows. Carrigan at the moment is giving away 1-2 6 agains a game and someone really has to get in his ear about it or maybe start spelling him after 30 minutes or so.

 

[DeeJ]

Considering all the players we had out and how we've performed this year, I think they did well to hang in the game and not let it blow out so there is one positive. Everything else was terrible though.

I think we had maybe 3 dominant sets all night. We are getting out muscled up front every game and poor Dearden is kicking from our 40 and getting smashed while doing it. I think his long kicking in general is something he will have to work on during the off season.

Oates shouldn't play in the backs anymore - he has shown he doesn't have the hands for it. I hope he can transform into a backrower and when given the opportunity for it this year I think he done alright.

Isaac Luke's form is mystifying but I think it's all down to game fitness. He makes some great impact with his defense and kicking out of dummy half, then he loses all his gas. I'd still persist with him for the final game in lieu of other options but take him off at 30 min.

 

[Big Pete]

3-16 and as it currently stands the Broncos find themselves with a wooden spoon.

It was a shame Tyson Gamble got injured during the Broncos opening tackle of the game. I was looking forward to the composure he could bring and whether he could make the step up from the Queensland Cup. When it became clear that Milford wasn't going to be right and Croft was mentally shot I wanted Tyson in the team because I feel he's one of those players who is good in a crisis.

Last year the Dolphins couldn't beat anyone, they sign Gamble from the Tigers and suddenly they're beating the high flying Falcons and actually made a decent run into the finals. He was a huge piece in that and in his rightful position, I thought he could have taken some of the pressure off Dearden.

It was something of a blessing because it brought Staggs into the 6 jersey. Staggs was the Broncos best in their win against the Rabbitohs in Round 2 and that was playing in the halves. It took him awhile to get involved, but the Broncos looked more likely than they had in weeks with him in that position. It's certainly nice for the Broncos to have that versatility and the option to move Staggs into 6 if there was an injury.

It was the usual story for the Broncos. Their opposition struggled to put anything together for 20 minutes, but they were under no threat themselves because the Broncos weren't putting together anything meaningful footy. Once the Eels scored a couple of soft tries it appeared that it was going to get ugly, but they continued to make some unforced errors which got the Broncos back into it.

The Broncos actually found some success targeting their A-defender, both Dearden and Hopoate came up with good plays and Staggs put in a smart kick in the conditions to force Gutherson in-goal. Nice shape to get Fifita 1-1 with Moses to score a relatively simple try.

It should have got them back into the contest. Instead Dearden put up a pedestrian bomb, Gutherson was able to return it to the 30m and from that set the Eels force a goal line-drop out. Next set Gutherson scores a fluke try and it's all Parramatta again. They score one more try before the break and at 20-6 it's all over.

Even when the Broncos came up with a try early in the second half it was off the back of an injury to their main strike weapon and only moments later Luke ruined it by throwing it to Jai Field for an easy try.

Not a whole lot else to write home about. Oates once again was disappointing and didn't reach the fairly conservative 15 hit-up mark he should be hitting every match. He should be the Broncos Maumalo, instead he's close to their worst player. It was nice to see Bullemor come up with a bust. The Broncos need some of these young guns to come up with some good plays and we're starting to see that from Riki and Bullemor. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come.