Round 25 vs. St George Illawarra Discussion

[Big Pete]

St George Illawarra Dragons vs. Brisbane Broncos
Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Saturday 3 September 2022
Kick Off: 5:30pm

1. Cody Ramsey 2. Tyrell Sloan 3. Mathew Feagai 4. Zac Lomax 5. Tautau Moga 6. Talatau Amone 7. Ben Hunt 8. Jack de Belin 9. Jayden Sullivan 10. Blake Lawrie 11. Josh Mcguire 12. Jaydn Su'A 13. Jack Bird

Interchange: 14. Tyrell Fuimaono 15. Jaiyden Hunt 16. Jackson Ford 17. Aaron Woods

Reserves: 18. Jack Gosiewski 19. Andrew McCullough 20. Poasa Faamausili 21. Joshua Coric 22. Josh Kerr

1. Te Maire Martin 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Delouise Hoeter 5. Selwyn Cobbo 6. Tyson Gamble 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Thomas Flegler 9. Jake Turpin 10. Payne Haas 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan

Interchange: 14. Billy Walters 15. Keenan Palasia 16. Corey Jensen 17. Zac Hosking

Reserves: 18. Tesi Niu 19. Jordan Pereira 20. Cory Paix 21. Ezra Mam 22. Rhys Kennedy​

 

[Showtime]

Hard to get excited for this one but I wouldn’t be surprised if they ran up a score on the dragons.

I’m not exactly sure of his club form but I would’ve liked to seen Piakura get a game considering as every time I’ve watched him he got injured.

 

[League guru]

This is a game in which Staggs and Haas really need to stand up, or just concede that they are overpaid and overrated. That is overall a fairly weak side.

 

[renouf]

Was going to say thought Haas was overrated, but wasn't sure.. the previous 2 weeks of floggings were pathetic, for a top 8 side to get smashed like that at this time of the year is very telling, especially the annual Melbourne flogging. Reynolds picked the wrong club, I doubt we'll make the 8 next year, although hopefully some will be better for the experience and build on it next year.

 

[THE CHAMP]

See ya kevvie

 

[Nerd]

Moving Lodge and TPJ helped the club reboot and maybe moving Haas along will also help? All on big money and all had massive ego's and thought they were bigger than the club.

 

[League guru]

Moving Lodge and TPJ helped the club reboot and maybe moving Haas along will also help? All on big money and all had massive ego's and thought they were bigger than the club.

Lodge is killing it at the Roosters. TPG is a lost cause, even the Dogs are trying to off load him.

 

[renouf]

And they probably got him for nothing, right as they were starting their run, yet we couldn't afford him.. what a joke.

 

[League guru]

And they probably got him for nothing, right as they were starting their run, yet we couldn't afford him.. what a joke.

Plus there's more to come. They haven't got a 6 or 9 that's any good but they will throw decent money at resigning Oates. Then Kev will through lack of funds resign Billy.

 

[Big Pete]

St George Illawarra 22 def. Brisbane Broncos 12 (Hoeter, Walters tries; Reynolds 2/2 goals)

13-11

Season over.

It was the story of their season. They started slowly and conceded opening points after a spate of errors and some very soft defence. Life got harder when Flegler was sin-binned for an unfortunate tackle on Feagai. Feagai was folded by Hosking and by the time Flegler made contact, Feagai dropped his body considerably.

The Broncos did well to hold off the Dragons and appeared to getting on top. They enjoyed some success down the left hand side but couldn't capitilise as much as they would have liked. Capewell dropped the ball cold three times and it halted all their momentum.

The game once again changed on both sides of half-time. St George were struggling to get any field position before Hunt kicked a fantastic 40-20. The Dragons went for a quick shift and targeted the Broncos problematic right edge and hit pay-dirt. Then in the early stages of the second half, Te Maire Martin lost the ball as the Dragons defence was peeling off him.

Hunt once again stood up for the Dragons. The Broncos presented a staggered line, Hunt skipped past Walters and Hoskings before firing an offload to his outside men for an easy Dragons try.

It was always going to be an uphill battle from that point and the loss of Te Maire Martin didn't help. Te Maire suffered a collapse lung in the 20th minute but played on till the 47th. Cobbo shifted to fullback and had some nice touches, but the change in structures just made the Broncos even more disorganised. In the end, it was Billy Walters catching the Dragons out from dummy half that got them on the board.

However the Broncos just bumbled along from there. When Piakura spilled the ball, heads dropped, the team switched off and Feagai was allowed to run some 50 odd metres as he beat 9 defenders to score. Then to add insult to injury, Staggs hit McCullough in the head as Macca fell to the ground to claim a short-kick off finding himself in the sin-bin.

They just didn't gel as a team. Most of the players did their individual job but when it came to support, getting numbers in the attack, maintaining a defensive line, playing to a set-plan they were all at sea.

Neither Staggs or Flegler were charged by the MRC. Martin is currently in a Sydney hospital being treated for his collapsed lung and the fanbase are all kicking rocks. Despite a positive record, the Broncos found a new way to disappoint their fanbase during the club's most difficult time period.

 

[Big Pete]

And they probably got him for nothing, right as they were starting their run, yet we couldn't afford him.. what a joke.

It's not a matter of whether they could afford him, they didn't want him.

It is a joke that a club like the Roosters are allowed to fit in a prop forward worth upwards of $800,000 but that's just the way it is.

 

[League guru]

It's not a matter of whether they could afford him, they didn't want him.

It is a joke that a club like the Roosters are allowed to fit in a prop forward worth upwards of $800,000 but that's just the way it is.

Isn't the Joke the fact that they didn't want him and now he is killing it else where.

 

[Big Pete]

Isn't the Joke the fact that they didn't want him and now he is killing it else where.

No, because Lodge was a fine player when he wasn't playing on one leg. The issue is the amount of money he took up on the cap and the expectations that come with being a senior player. That isn't an issue when he can just come into a top team that's reportedly struggling to fit all their players into a salary cap. Typically players of his stature are given a nominal value that clubs have to abide by.

Regardless, it wasn't a case of whether or not they could afford the contract - rather that bridge had been burned.

 

[League guru]

No, because Lodge was a fine player when he wasn't playing on one leg. The issue is the amount of money he took up on the cap and the expectations that come with being a senior player. That isn't an issue when he can just come into a top team that's reportedly struggling to fit all their players into a salary cap. Typically players of his stature are given a nominal value that clubs have to abide by.

Regardless, it wasn't a case of whether or not they could afford the contract - rather that bridge had been burned.

The amount of money that he took up on the cap. Which is the amount of money the Bronks offered him from the start. As for the expectations that come with being a senior player. Is there also an expectation that a player provide value for money. If that's the case, then Staggs, Haas and plenty of others aren't living up to expectations.

 

[Big Pete]

The amount of money that he took up on the cap. Which is the amount of money the Bronks offered him from the start. As for the expectations that come with being a senior player. Is there also an expectation that a player provide value for money. If that's the case, then Staggs, Haas and plenty of others aren't living up to expectations.

Well, the previous coach and CEO offered him and look where that got the club. They've since improved, but there's still plenty of room for improvement as Nerd alluded to.

 

[ALX25]

I know the Devils were below par today but I was expecting more from Piakura. Needs a big preseason on defence.