Round 2 vs. South Sydney Rabbitohs Discussion

[Big Pete]

Brisbane Broncos vs. South Sydney Rabbitohs
Suncorp Stadium, Thursday 14 March 2024
Kick Off: 7:00pm (AEST)

1. Reece Walsh 2. Jesse Arthars 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Selwyn Cobbo 5. Deine Mariner 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Corey Jensen 9. Billy Walters 10. Payne Haas 11. Brendan Piakura 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan

14. Tyson Smoothy 15. Fletcher Baker 16. Kobe Hetherington 17. Martin Taupau

18. Corey Oates 19. Xavier Willison 20. Tristan Sailor 21. Jock Madden 22. Jaiyden Hunt

1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Alex Johnston 3. Isaiah Tass 4. Richard Kennar 5. Jacob Gagai 6. Cody Walker 7. Lachlan Ilias 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Damien Cook 10. Sean Keppie 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Tallis Duncan 13. Cameron Murray

14. Siliva Havili 15. Davvy Moale 16. Shaquai Mitchell 17. Thomas Burgess

18. Michael Chee Kam 19. Taane Milne 20. Jye Gray 21. Peter Mamouzelos 22. Dean Hawkins​

 

[Big Pete]

Brisbane will be looking to open their account at home when they take on South Sydney. It appears the Broncos will name an unchanged line-up with Adam Reynolds shrugging off a knee injury and Piakura set to pass the concussion protocol to line-up.

It all went wrong for the Broncos in Las Vegas so it'll be interesting to see if it was the occassion and some early season rust or if these issues run deeper. Two things I'll be keeping a close eye on - their exit sets and their red-zone attack. Neither were up to scratch against the Roosters so we'll see what adjustments are made if any.

If Kevie does name an unchanged line-up, expect to see some frustrated Broncos fans. Fans want to see Xavier Willison in the team either at the expense of Martin Taupau or Fletcher Baker. They also want to see Jaiyden Hunt if only to provide some security if either Piakura or Riki go down.

I think these fans need to understand how dire the situation is and watch Hunt's performance against the Hunters.

 

[Big Pete]

Broncos 1-17 which is largely good news given the injury cloud over Brendan Piakura, Adam Reynolds and Patrick Carrigan. Fans are upset that Xavier Willison has been overlooked but it should only be a matter of time before he gets his opportunity.

Brisbane will go in as favourites and following the injury to Arrow deservedly so. Still, Souths have plenty of quality in that line-up in Murray, Latrell, Cook and Walker so if the Broncos attack doesn't click there could be a real boil over and it would be panic stations at the club.

 

[Big Pete]

Brisbane Broncos 28 (Deine Mariner 2, Reece Walsh 2, Jesse Arthars tries; Adam Reynolds 2/4, Reece Walsh 2/2 goals) def. South Sydney Rabbitohs 18

1-1

The Broncos are off the mark after recording a scrappy win against a disappointing Rabbitohs outfit. Both teams struggled to complete their sets and were guilty of ill discipline. Souths appeared to have the Broncos measure in the arm wrestle, but the kicking game made a massive difference with Brisbane scoring points and forcing turn-overs with the strength of their boot.

It was a skiddish performance from the Broncos who created plenty of opportunities but either telegraphed the play or the players didn't execute the play and allowed South Sydney off the hook. After Mariner's try, it looked like Brisbane had run out of ideas when Walsh simply took the middle on, skipped past a few would be tacklers and scored to give them a commanding lead.

Brisbane were entitled to go on with it, but bad options and errors kept South Sydney in the game. It appeared for a brief moment South Sydney were about to run away with the contest when they levelled up the scores before Brisbane had even held the ball, but Brisbane were able to force a turn-over and their outside backs took control.

The game was a good showcase of Reece Walsh warts and all with his youthful exuberance in full display. A couple of errors and his defensive effort at the death on Latrell was laughable, but he was always in the contest and the most dangerous player on the field. Cobbo made some big inroads and his ability to link with Jesse Arthars has become a real feature early in this 2024 campaign for the Broncos. Finally Patrick Carrigan was tireless in the middle. He just got the Broncos heading in the right direction all night and recorded 222m according to the Channel 9 stats.

One concern coming out of the game is the Broncos bench. When Jensen and Haas came from the field, the Broncos looked noticeably weaker and South Sydney were able to make some very easy in-roads. Fans are begging Kevie to unleash Xavier Willison against the Panthers.

Brisbane will need to up the ante, especially with Adam Reynolds knee injury. Reynolds failed to complete the game and appeared to be in some discomfort through out the contest.

 

[gUt]

Good to get the win. Most pleasing thing for me was Cobbo's concentration in defence. He was great on both sides of the ball. If he can keep that up he could become a premier centre.