It was a relieving win more than anything else.
The decision to move Pangai to the middle worked well. He struggled defensively on the edge and he struggled to pace himself across the 60-80 minute workload. He was far more impactful in his 40 minutes and that appears to be his mark moving forward. Oates finally broke his drought on the edge and threatened to split the Bulldogs on a few occassions, so that move into the second row should be persisted with.
The Broncos still fell off the game late in that first half and they were lucky the game unfolded the way it did. The Bulldogs didn't capitilise on their chances and they nearly scored early in that second half through To'omaga. As fate would have it, To'omaga couldn't get to the bouncing ball, instead Niu took up off-field and moments later, Isaako did extremely well to chase down a kick that gave Brisbane a comfortable 16-4 lead.
Then from there they were able to coast to a comfortable 26-8 win, the final try to Isaako sort of summed it up. Any other game, Pangai Jr gets shown the sideline, but given his effort leading up to the play, he earned the right to be selfish.
1. Fanitesi Niu - His best performance in first grade to date. Did well fielding kicks at the back, was in the contest through out and he's starting to become a real threat with that second man play. Still came up with a couple of mistakes, there was a chance in that first half for Brisbane to rack up a score and his pass went to nobody. Later on he failed to run onto a Milford pass, it was a good ball and should have seen him at pace.
2. Jamayne Isaako - A mixed if not poor performance from Isaako. I thought he redeemed himself to an extent with his brilliant chase on Milford's kick, I've never seen him run that fast before. However, three costly errors and a few nervous moments really hurt his team. On the back of last week's effort against the Warriors, I just don't think he's a winger.
3. Herbie Farnworth - I like the way Herbie tackles, sometimes he gets his reads wrong, but for a relatively skinny winger he makes good contact and he isn't afraid to go after the forwards. I still think wing is his position and he's struggling for impact in the centres, but it's nice to know he can do a job there if needed.
4. Darius Boyd - One of his better performances. The play that really impressed me was how he defended that horrific bounce that should have seen the Dogs score. He didn't panic, he just got back there, made a play on the ball and somehow miraculously Niu was able to come away with it. Brisbane made a couple of quick play the balls which brought him into the game more. I didn't mind when he took them off the kick off because all you want to do is get to your kick, but I don't want to see him do it on play four or five too regularly since those are typically your make or break plays for the set. Otherwise, a solid performance from Darbs, the pitchforks can come down for a week.
5. Xavier Coates - I would have thought going into the game, he'd be a real chance of leaping over Meaney but he really only got two plays on him all game. Came close once then every other time, it was more or less a defensive kick aimed to get the Dogs working it out of a corner. In the end Meaney ended up scoring two tries on him, so that's an area of his game he needs to work on. For whatever reason, the Broncos wingers have a real habit of coming off their wing, I'm not sure if it's a numbers issue or what but they've got to fix it.
6. Anthony Milford - Like last week, came up with a couple of nice touches but still struggling to really put his mark on the contest. I keep seeing positive signs but I still think with Brisbane there is this obsession with the middle. A couple of his kicks got good results, the try to Isaako in particular gave Brisbane some much needed breathing room, but still not one of those performances he can put on his CV. Was somehow the Maccas Man of the Match which was a bit absurd.
7. Brodie Croft - Similar story as Milford. I saw some good signs with his short kicking game and his defence, but then he has these really costly errors in him and he just struggles to really conjure up anything. Hopefully now that it appears Oates has settled as his second row partner, they can form a combination and he finds some stability in his game.
8. Tevita Pangai Jr - Best game of the season and got Brisbane off on a right note with a try and an assist. I thought he made a real difference when he came on and generated a lot of momentum through the middle with his offloads and quicker play the balls. Had a good running battle with Luke Thompson who he got the better of. Also threw that miracle offload which belongs on his highlights reel. It was actually an awful play, but he was having one of those nights where he could salvage it.
9. Issac Luke - I liked how he was used in this game as well. Took less selfish options this time, went to his left more often and came up with a great kick in his second stint just to keep the Broncos on top.
10. Payne Haas - Another strong performance from Haas, his first stint in particular was brutal and the Dogs couldn't contain him. Looks like he's found his mojo again.
11. Alex Glenn - Was disappointing to see him tear his MCL, he's had horrible luck all season and just can't catch a break. Otherwise it was another solid Glenn performance, just a good solid player you can rely on to do his job.
12. Corey Oates - Did it the hard way, but he finally broke the drought. I thought he nearly butchered it going for the big dummy and step instead of just backing himself, but you could see the relief as soon as he scored it. I think he runs some good lines, I'd just like to see him double his work-load with the ball and for Brisbane to really play off the back of it. He's a genuine weapon for them down that right.
13. Patrick Carrigan - Was in everything and wasn't half-hearting it either. A really impressive performance from Patty, his contact was great and he kept putting his hand up with the ball in hand. I thought he came out of Covid a little rusty, but since the brain fade on Pearce has started playing the type of footy he was at the start of the year.
14. Cory Paix - Came in with a bit of pressure after dislodging Dearden out of the team, but I thought he was one of the better players on the park. One key theme last week for me was energy and I thought Paix brought that onto the field, coming off the line hard and just popping up across the field. His first stint in first grade was a real baptism of fire, but I think the pec strain gave him time to regroup, see what the team needed from him and he applied it. I'm just waiting to see him come up with a big play, that will be the making of Paix.
15. Thomas Flegler - Frustrating night for Big Tom, he's a handful with the ball but just came up with some costly errors. For mine he needs a stint outside the 17 just to get his head into the game, it looks like he's just trying to do too much out there.
17. Ben Te'o - Received some more game time this week including a stint on the edges. Actually made some real in-roads out-wide and came close to scoring another try. Looks like a potential turning point for Ben and he may really step up in Glenn's absence.
18. Jamil Hopoate - Came on late in the second half and was a real handful in the middle, mixing it up with good hard runs through the middle and the odd shift. Like Pangai, I think playing him on an edge and expecting 80 minutes was too high a demand. This role suits him better and he can actually be a really handy mobile lock forward type.
