Round 5 vs. Wests Tigers Discussion

[Big Pete]

Brisbane Broncos vs. Wests Tigers
Suncorp Stadium, Saturday 1 April 2023
Kick Off: 6:35pm (AEST)

1. Reece Walsh 2. Jesse Arthars 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Selwyn Cobbo 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Thomas Flegler 9. Billy Walters 10. Payne Haas 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan

14. Cory Paix 15. Keenan Palasia 16. Corey Jensen 17. Martin Taupau

18. Deine Mariner 19. Brendan Piakura 20. Kobe Hetherington 21. Jock Madden 22. Brendan Frei

1. Adam Doueihi 2. Charlie Staines 3. Brent Naden 4. Asu Kepaoa 5. Junior Tupou 6. Brandon Wakeham 7. Luke Brooks 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. David Klemmer 11. Isaiah Papali'i 12. John Bateman 13. Fonua Pole

14. Jake Simpkin 15. Alex Twal 16. Justin Matamua 17. Starford To'a

18. Shawn Blore 19. Joe Ofahengaue 20. Tukimihia Simpkins 21. Daine Laurie 22. Alex Seyfarth​

 

[Big Pete]

Dangerous game this, Brisbane haven't lost a game, the Tigers haven't won a game but the Broncos haven't beaten the Tigers since 2018. Considering the referee's boss determined the Broncos won that game off the back of a dubious penalty, you can almost take it back to 2017 when Ben Hunt was a Bronco and Mitchell Moses was a Tiger.

They're a genuine bogey team the Tigers and while they haven't won a game this season, they haven't been completely blown away in matches either. With Bateman starting to step up, I'm expecting a very similar game where the Broncos had to go the distance before they could run away with it.

We'll find out tomorrow once the players return to training if there are any injury concerns. Kobe Hetherington did complete a successful return in Wynnum's demolion of Ipswich. Young gun Deine Mariner scored four tries and has been very impressive in his second year of QCup.

 

[Big Pete]

Brisbane are 1-17. There are some concerns over Jordan Riki with talk that Tom Flegler could move to the edge at some point during the game. The Broncos are confident Riki will be right, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Flegler run wide of the ruck like he did against the Dragons.

Wests have named John Bateman after he was cleared of rib fractures. Bateman missed training on Tuesday but recent reports suggest he will line up for the Tigers.

The Tigers have largely named a new look bench with Simpkin, Matamua and Toa coming into the line-up.

This is the type of game I'm holding my breath over. Even at their best, the Broncos would always play to the level of their opponent and some weeks they could upset the eventual premiers. Only to get spanked by a bottom four side the following week. While they've been undefeated, they haven't been overly convincing across the entire 80.

The Tigers are a difficult team to get a read on with all the new recruits and team changes. Clearly the players haven't settled into their roles and the combinations haven't had time to gel. From what I've seen, Koroisau's captaincy has seen the Tigers take a more direct approach. Doueihi has been their most likely player down the right and the players can't afford to plant their feet with his foot-work.

Bateman gave them another attacking option and players will have to shut him down when he goes darting across the line.

I'm curious to see how the Broncos attack. I still feel like they're forcing plays because they're not getting the ball to the right places for their structures. The halves will have to be better with their pass selection and I'd like to see some change of angles as well as teams are sliding too easily with the Broncos.

 

[Big Pete]

Brisbane Broncos 46 (Jordan Riki 2, Kotoni Staggs 2, Kurt Capewell, Payne Haas, Selwyn Cobbo, Herbie Farnworth tries; Adam Reynolds 7/8 goals) def. Wests Tigers 12

5-0

It wasn't the flashiest win, but the Broncos still managed to rack up a score against a struggling Tigers side.

The Broncos threw the ball around with reckless abandon just trying to get it to their strike players. It worked for the majority of the match, albeit they blew plenty of chances as well.

I think the most pleasing aspect is that the Tigers actually had more attacking opportunities inside the 20, but the Broncos line largely held up. In particular the edge defence weren't afraid to rush the Tigers and it led to a lot of errors, including a run-away try for Cobbo.

With a 28-0 half-time lead, the Broncos had all but wrapped the game up.

Once again, Reece Walsh a stand-out on the edges and caused the Tigers plenty of headaches. Payne Haas continued his strong form for the season, with some skillful second phase and even a barge over effort from dummy half. The rest of the team played well off the back of that, with Riki in particular having his best attacking performance of the year. Jordan scored a double for his 50th, a good reward for a player who has improved defensively and is making some very impressive effort plays with his kick-chase.

Despite the 34 point win, the Broncos weren't satisfied with their performance and recognised they'll have to make plenty of improvements in the weeks ahead. Still their undefeated start, their best since 2003 has given them plenty of confidence.