PRE-GAME Round 9 - Broncos vs Bulldogs

[Super Freak]

The Bulldogs are up against a heavily depleted Pennies side and are still making it look difficult. We should get them pretty comfortably.

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard this and the Bulldogs cause an upset at Suncorp.

They are a side that we can't take lightly, especially at Suncorp. We have a knack of playing them into form and they have a real knack of causing a boil over at Suncorp.

 

[Jason Simmons]

The Bulldogs are up against a heavily depleted Pennies side and are still making it look difficult. We should get them pretty comfortably.

Thinking about a line-up made me think about how much cattle we are missing.

The constant changing of positions in our team through injury, poor performance or selection indecision isn’t helping much either, I suspect...

Not sure we’ll do it so easy next week. We may well beat them, Dogs seems to have about 6-12 points in them at best most weeks, but I don’t see us necessarily putting a score on them...

 

[I bleed Maroon]

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard this and the Bulldogs cause an upset at Suncorp.

They are a side that we can't take lightly, especially at Suncorp. We have a knack of playing them into form and they have a real knack of causing a boil over at Suncorp.

I need a dollar, dollar, a dollar is all I need, hey hey....

 

[BroncsFan]

Thinking about a line-up made me think about how much cattle we are missing.

The constant changing of positions in our team through injury, poor performance or selection indecision isn’t helping much either, I suspect...

Not sure we’ll do it so easy next week. We may well beat them, Dogs seems to have about 6-12 points in them at best most weeks, but I don’t see us necessarily putting a score on them...

Dogs style has changed and they are more attacking this year with mbye at the back. They are pretty poor defensively though.

Their attack relies on sweeping around the back which we're typically good at defending. Can see a 24-14 type of score line.

 

[Wolfie]

Thaiday was named there last week. Offa would probably be fine, TPJ at lock seems to work alright. Bring Taga onto the bench.

I’d start Glenn at hooker and move Nikorima off the bench into the role when the Dogs forwards start to tire.

Sims and Su’a in the second row. Oates can go to the bench as a back-rower / outside backs cover. It’s a patched up team and not at all ideal, but what choice do you have with as many injuries as we’ve got? We almost have a whole pack on the sidelines...

1. Boyd.
2. Kahu.
3. Jimmy.
4. Oppa.
5. Isaako.
6. Bird.
7. Milf.

8. Sammi.
9. Glenn.
10. Offa.
11. Sims.
12. Su’a.
13. TPJ.

14. Niko.
15. Taga.
16. Oates.
17. Haas.

It's certainly a dilemma. Dargan at 7 and Bird at Lock is one option I guess unless we blood Fai or Carrigan.

 

[ZTop]

I need a dollar, dollar, a dollar is all I need, hey hey....

Thanks for some reason I've had that in my head all of today and had just got ridden off it

 

[Rico]

Thaiday was named there last week. Offa would probably be fine, TPJ at lock seems to work alright. Bring Taga onto the bench.

I’d start Glenn at hooker and move Nikorima off the bench into the role when the Dogs forwards start to tire.

Sims and Su’a in the second row. Oates can go to the bench as a back-rower / outside backs cover. It’s a patched up team and not at all ideal, but what choice do you have with as many injuries as we’ve got? We almost have a whole pack on the sidelines...

1. Boyd.
2. Kahu.
3. Jimmy.
4. Oppa.
5. Isaako.
6. Bird.
7. Milf.

8. Sammi.
9. Glenn.
10. Offa.
11. Sims.
12. Su’a.
13. TPJ.

14. Niko.
15. Taga.
16. Oates.
17. Haas.

I’d be reluctant to shift Glenn from the left edge. He’s in close to career best form and a rock on that side and actually getting us some metres. It’s a decent go though as I can’t come up with a better option and can’t expect Kodi to last longer than 50 mins in the middle

 

[Jason Simmons]

It's certainly a dilemma. Dargan at 7 and Bird at Lock is one option I guess unless we blood Fai or Carrigan.

Agreed, but again more positional changes than just injury replacements. We are bemoaning a lack of structure yet we have players that seem not to have played the same position for 2 games in a row...

 

[Jason Simmons]

I’d be reluctant to shift Glenn from the left edge. He’s in close to career best form and a rock on that side and actually getting us some metres. It’s a decent go though as I can’t come up with a better option and can’t expect Kodi to last longer than 50 mins in the middle

Yep me too, but Niko himself said he can’t last 80 minutes in the role and if it needed any more confirmation, the Rabbits game showed we are stronger when we inject him into the game after the early exchanges, when forwards are starting to tire a bit.

Against the Dogs massive pack, Glenn in the middle is an infinitely preferrable to Nikorima. Fairly sure Wayne was thinking the same thing against the Burgess brothers led Souths pack with McGuire at hooker...

 

[Super Freak]

Gameplan for next week.

Get under Klemmer's skin, and then smash the **** out of one of their halves.

 

[ivanhungryjak]

Gameplan for next week.

Get under Klemmer's skin, and then smash the **** out of one of their halves.

Klemmer v Lodge. Drool.

 

[Super Freak]

Who comes in if Lodge doesn't play? Those ribs must be really affecting him.

While I don't rate him as highly as others, surely Fai will be next in line to take a bench spot?

I would keep TPJ at lock, Taga to start at prop and Fai on the bench.

 

[Rellum]

Only while Kahu is out.

it actually might be a blessing for Kahu to come back soon and replace Isaako in the starting side, as this would allow Isaako to go back to the ISC and work on a couple of things (in particular his positioning in defence).

We would just need Bennett and the club to use every influemce they have to ensure that when he does go back down, it is as a winger and not a fullback, given that him playing fullback won't help him work on his wing game, which is what we need.

I certainly rate Isaako though.

With Allen at fullback, if Isaako did go back he might end up on the wing.

 

[ZTop]

Who comes in if Lodge doesn't play? Those ribs must be really affecting him.

While I don't rate him as highly as others, surely Fai will be next in line to take a bench spot?

I would keep TPJ at lock, Taga to start at prop and Fai on the bench.

Mago has been on extended bench a number of times this year

 

[Super Freak]

I wouldn't mind Niko becoming a permanent hooker.

If he can improve his tackling technique then he can be quite lethal in the role, much like Damien Cook for the Rabbitohs. We got better once Kodi came on the field.

He doesn't have to worry about organizing or guiding the team around the park, and he did a good job getting the forwards rolling forward.

I don't think he is a halfback. He just won't be the halfback we need.

But at fullback or hooker, that's where he can serve us best.

 

[Foordy]

Can someone please tell Bennett playing front rowers at dummy half is....I will be nice, an incoherent idea. Just play Niko for the 80 mins there.

because Niko can't handle 80 minutes at hooker ... it takes years to be able to handle the demands of playing hooker for 80 minutes.

BTW Niko even says he can't last at hooker for the full 80

 

[Alec]

Based on Bennett's quote from one of the recent articles about McGuire at hooker, it seems like he expects it to be a mostly defensive position - 50+ tackles a game. I don't think it necessarily has to be, it's such a key area of your attack, I'd prefer them making 10 to 15 less. Have your front rowers pick up the slack a bit. I've also always liked having an impact player off the bench who can scoot from dummy half too.

McGuire was actually pretty serviceable there, didn't overthink things and got the ball out quickly, but I think pretty much every other forward we've tried there has been a disaster. I'd be looking to bring in Murphy or something, and have him play about 30, and Niko 50.

 

[Thelmus]

Hooker is a concern for us. Knik doesn't have it in him to do 80 minutes. He goes missing at half now.
There's also the huge problem of his defence. Like it or not he's a liability as a defender. We had the ability with gillet to cover for him but now i'm not so confident. Coming in after 20 or so he can put the blowtorch to opposition forwards and is unlikely to be targeted.
I'm not sure what the answer is as the potential replacements don't exactly inspire me. Murphy? Thaiday 2.0? Glenn?
If glenn played hooker you could push oates into the second row for 20 minutes and have pearson on the wing. Another option would be to use murphy in the role. The problem with that is you are still short 80 minutes from a single player and murphy is a bit limited in what he can do.