Round 5 vs. Titans Discussion + Voting

[gUt]

Good all round team effort, no one really stood out with an amazing show but some players really lifted and it was surprising.

What a merkin I am for tipping the other team.

Hope Hodges doesn't miss too many games...

 

[austyphoon]

Fantastic effort tonight. That defense was monumental in the second half. I'm becoming more and more optimistic about our efforts as time goes on. Lets be honest, we should really be 3 from 5. If it weren't for that bullshit with Thaiday being held in the scrum last week, who knows how the game would've turned out. And how about that left hand attack? Reed and Hoffman are quickly becoming our sharpest fangs.

The only thing I think we missed out on to put icing on the cake was getting to watch Hodges belt the shit out of that bleach blonde merkin.

It's looking pretty good. I thought bringing Hodges into the play on that left side, as another option, was good BUT I did think it cost us a try with Reed and Hoffman having the overlap. It will at least keep the defence guessing, especially if we keep going down that side. Teams will start coaching for that.

Agree about Maranta, great kid but doesn't have that X-factor. Doesn't seem to have the footwork that Hoffman/Norman/Gillett have. Was watching some Broncos tries on youtube and it reminded me how explosive Kemp was. Still love that try he scored against Melbourne in 08. He has had a few injuries in the past couple of years and if that has affected his speed then obviously he wouldn't be as dangerous.

3- Gillett
2- Hodges
1- Hoffman

 

[Country Bronco]

Agreed better performance. I thought Thaiday really stood up last week so I don't agree with saying underperforming last 2 games. Ultimately I agree his best position is on the edge rather than the middle. Position names are just for team lists nowadays. Often you'll find a player will facilitate a role in a team as per middle, edge, first receiver and second receiver rather than front row, second row, halfback and five eighth.

Much better performance this week. The past two games have really shown how badly Thaiday has been underperforming for us both positionally and in his leadership as well as the importance of the forwards laying a decent platform.

I think Hala was solid last night. Due to our injury crisis it was necessary to play him "under prepared" but it was encouraging to see him back on the field.

3 Hit ups, 3 tackles, 3 missed tackles and Hala comes off? If that's all he can handle he's obviously not fit enough, put him back in QLD cup for a few weeks.

Totally agree.
I like the way you speak "bleach blonde merkin" Classic. It was a good dirty fight between Hodges and bleach blonde merkin. Pity Maranta got slapped high by bleach blonde merkin cause Hodges had irritated him and vice versa. It goes to show you "What a coward? bleach blonde merkin is when he then smashes "Slinky" Lachlan Maranta when really he should of just fought Hodges if he had the guts and nuts.

Fantastic effort tonight. That defense was monumental in the second half. I'm becoming more and more optimistic about our efforts as time goes on. Lets be honest, we should really be 3 from 5. If it weren't for that bullshit with Thaiday being held in the scrum last week, who knows how the game would've turned out. And how about that left hand attack? Reed and Hoffman are quickly becoming our sharpest fangs.

The only thing I think we missed out on to put icing on the cake was getting to watch Hodges belt the shit out of that bleach blonde merkin.

Great signs nothing is bleak about our past.

True, it's not as bleak as some (even myself) have been making out, while our win/loss isn't great, atleast we haven't been blown off the park by anyone, never more than 8 points in our 3 losses.

AHAHA just saw the photo of Dave Taylor in the Broncos dressing room having a beer after the game..gotta love the guy.

They missed Sezer as to what extent we'll never know. I thought Kelly was outstanding in attack for them and had been great in previous weeks. Our left hand side combination is lethal atm. I think Norman's ability to sum up a situation and act accordingly has improved and a talent at fullback which like most I'm guilty of saying he shouldn't play there. Norman can choose to run or also which opposition are aware of. Reed has bag full of tricks but I think he due to his trust in Hoffman has encouraged him to pass more and use his skills rather than being a battering ram. Hoffman is a sensational finisher and tryscorer has excelled since being put on wing and combined perfectly with Reed.

On Maranta, I don't think he's put a foot wrong. He does have speed "a noted sprinter at high school" but has bulked since those days and needed to play nrl. Still Slinky as I call him cause he was like a stick in size in under 20's has some encouraging signs for the future. I keep thinking of his dad (Brett Plowman) cause in his face their is so much resemblance but in size there is a vast resemblance.

We got some luck with Sezer being ruled out, the Titans attack looked terrible. If it wasnt for a bad missed tackle and a crash over from dummy half we could have kept them to 0.

But don't take anything away from the Broncos, it was a very impressive display indeed. Hoffman is really making the wing spot his own (and this is important as we are lacking depth in the area). Norman is proving some right (not me by the way!) that fullback is his better spot for the team. He is handling the backline movements much better than what Hoffman would. But his kick returns was something that impressed me tonight, but seemed to run back with more heart and more urgency.

Reed and Gillett starting to stand up again.

3. Norman
2. Gillett
1. Hoffman

If I had to say some bad comment (and this could be a little unfair), it would be that the more I see of Maranta the more average I think he is. Sure he hasn't been given much space, but he hasn't even shown any footwork, like, for example Hoffman who at least manages to poke his head through the line with his footwork. Doesn't have blistering pace, no real footwork, not a big strong guy, not a great leaper for the high ball, not sure what he has going for him.... I mean, he is doing his job, so keep him there for the moment, but it's an area that we should really look to improve on. Hope Yow Yeh comes back one day...

Now my votes:

2 Gillett
2 Hannant
1 Norman
1 Parker

P.S I'm really sick of Ray Hadley.

 

[Boy]

As a maranta fan this is hard to say but
YOU CAN'T COME OUT TO THE MEDIA SAYING YOUR FAST AND CAN'T WAIT TO SHOW IT
THEN PLAY LIKE YOU DID

and as a team hate Wallace and Hoffman there making it hard to hate them
Yes Wallace isn't cronk level hell not even carney level but he's real consistent ATM
And Hoffman has made that wing spot his own
Throw kemp on hodges side till yow yeh is back then move him to fullback

 

[whykickamoocow]

As a maranta fan this is hard to say but
YOU CAN'T COME OUT TO THE MEDIA SAYING YOUR FAST AND CAN'T WAIT TO SHOW IT
THEN PLAY LIKE YOU DID

and as a team hate Wallace and Hoffman there making it hard to hate them
Yes Wallace isn't cronk level hell not even carney level but he's real consistent ATM
And Hoffman has made that wing spot his own
Throw kemp on hodges side till yow yeh is back then move him to fullback

Why would you put Kemp at fullback when Norman is going well there. He's gotten better each week, our attack is improving because the Prince, Wallace and Norman combination is starting to gel. The last thing you want to do now is mess with that. I just through up in my mouth a little with that last sentence because I'm on team hate Wallace too and long term I want him gone.

Parker 2
Hannant 2
Norman 2

Thought Anderson had his best game for the Broncs and Gillet was very good also.

 

[Mr Fourex]

3. Norman
2. Hannant
1. Parker

Two things we still need to look at. Maranta and McC ......both too fu*cken slow!

 

[Chainshada]

Anyone else notice the couple of times Wallace went to dummy half he provided very fast and clean service?

 

[Country Bronco]

I think you all are being a bit harsh on Maranta considering he's just a replacement until a time when Yow Yeh will make his return. Still I am quite happy with his performances he's hardly cost us a game or continual points. Fair call he's not being scoring tries but with the other side doing so well the lack of opportunities is clear. Mahe Fonua, Billy Slater and Kevin Gordon are no slouches when it comes to speed and Lachlan has covered and tackled all of them over the previous weeks.

 

[jakepearce94]

Cory Norman again shows us why he will be the best home grown talent we've ever lost at the Broncos

i reckon shaun berrigan is the best home grown talent we have lost. used to love watching him score tries playing in the centres.

 

[Big Pete]

What a relief.

Just good to get a nice comfortable win. The late scratching of Sezer was just the break we needed but I still feared that the boys wouldn't go on with it Glad to see them dispell those fears, especially in the second half.

Turned out to be a very controlled performance from the boys. They went back to the 2012 game plan of kicking to corners and turning the pressure on the opposition which worked a treat. Thought the halves sucked in the first half, but they were very tidy in the second. Also credit where it's due, Wallace is organising that second man play quite well down the left.

Forwards were great I thought. Hannant, Parker & Gillett were extremely busy and managed to out-play a star studded Titans pack. Sanderson was very solid starting, gave away two unlucky penalties but otherwise thought he was very strong in defence.

Bench didn't get to make much of an impression but were fine in their cameos. Really appreciated that kick behind the line for Hunt - sign him up Gee Gee!

What other players can we talk about?

Norman was my MotM but I still don't regret the decision to let him go. He had one of those nights where the Titans just couldn't contain him and his kicks all turned out fantastic but somehow his flaws still shone through. I'm happy for him to remain at fullback but I hope he's capable of more than this.

Maranta is a crappy finisher but I like how he involves himself and believe he's very safe at the back. Reminds me a lot of a young Boyd minus that annoying crabbing.

Macca was a mixed bag once again. At times, he looks like a marquee players as he skips out of dummy half and puts Brisbane on the front foot. Other times he looks completely lost and kills whatever momentum we're building either by slowly scampering around the ruck or throwing hospital passes to the straight runner when we don't have enough momentum to do anything with them. Finished strongly but...let's be honest, the game was well and truly won.

 

[Mr Fourex]

Anyone else notice the couple of times Wallace went to dummy half he provided very fast and clean service?

Noticed it during the positional switch around vs the Dragons. He's been getting in there on and off since.

I stop bagging Wallace when he plays there. I'm not sure if that's because of how shitfull McC is going or what, but IMO we could do a lot worse then having this;

1. Norman
6. Prince
7. Hunt
9. Wallace

 

[Mr Fourex]

Macca was a mixed bag once again. At times, he looks like a marquee players as he skips out of dummy half and puts Brisbane on the front foot. Other times he looks completely lost and kills whatever momentum we're building either by slowly scampering around the ruck or throwing hospital passes to the straight runner when we don't have enough momentum to do anything with them. Finished strongly but...let's be honest, the game was well and truly won.

^^^ THIS ^^^

He is so obvious in the way he telegraphs his passes......

 

[Chainshada]

Noticed it during the positional switch around vs the Dragons. He's been getting in there on and off since.

I stop bagging Wallace when he plays there. I'm not sure if that's because of how shitfull McC is going or what, but IMO we could do a lot worse then having this;

1. Norman
6. Prince
7. Hunt
9. Wallace

14. McCullough

Macca seems a lot more dangerous when he comes back in around the 60min mark, when markers start to get tired, and he can/does find them napping often.

 

[Big Pete]

On Wallace to hooker, like Fourex said we could do worse but I'm not completely sold on it either. Wallace basically goes there when we have a bit of broken play which makes life a lot easier.

He's certainly capable though and if things don't work out in the coming weeks I wouldn't mind him seeing him there.

Still wouldn't pay him his marquee contract to be a bench utility though

 

[unbreaK]

I don't mind the Wallace to hooker idea, but I don't think it will happen, ever. Especially after McCollough got Broncos player of the year last season.

 

[Leagueaddict]

First game I've seen us play in a long time where I'm struggling to find 1 bad Broncos player out there. We were running onto the ball all night and being behind never put a damper on us.
Think you're all a bit harsh on Maranta though. The guys still pretty green but never puts a foot wrong and will only get better with time. Saying that I am looking forward to getting Yow Yeh back eventually along with our old pros next week but the stand in's last night did us proud. Also looking forward to the cows next Friday night. Being in Mullborne haven't yet gotten to see the cowboys play this year so have got no idea what form they're in.
Great win boys - keep it comin'


3 Hoffman
2 Norman
2 Parker

 

[DeeJ]

3 Parker
2 Gillett
1 Norman

 

[00digger00]

Parker 3
Hodges 2
Hoffman 1
Pretty happy again with the effort. It was good to go on with what we started building last week. It certainly didn't hurt having Sezer out, but you can only play the hand your dealt. .

 

[W.Smith]

good stuff from the Broncs, i was surprised so many tippers were going with the Titans especially after the way Brisbane played v Storm

love how Matt Gillett is going

 

[Country Bronco]

Cowboys have been scrappy over the last couple of rounds until last night where they were better. It should be another classic game if both teams show up to play to potential. Cowboys have had the wood on us the last few games so bring it on. As with previous seasons I always attend Cowboys home game , it'll be my first game watching broncos at suncorp for 2013. I'm looking forward to it.

First game I've seen us play in a long time where I'm struggling to find 1 bad Broncos player out there. We were running onto the ball all night and being behind never put a damper on us.
Think you're all a bit harsh on Maranta though. The guys still pretty green but never puts a foot wrong and will only get better with time. Saying that I am looking forward to getting Yow Yeh back eventually along with our old pros next week but the stand in's last night did us proud. Also looking forward to the cows next Friday night. Being in Mullborne haven't yet gotten to see the cowboys play this year so have got no idea what form they're in.
Great win boys - keep it comin'


3 Hoffman
2 Norman
2 Parker

As co captain Nate Myles implied in post match conference that there's been people talking up the titans when in truth they haven't been playing that good. It was a reality check. Although the titans have been good to start the year IMO just not great.

good stuff from the Broncs, i was surprised so many tippers were going with the Titans especially after the way Brisbane played v Storm

love how Matt Gillett is going