POST GAME Round 8 - Rabbitohs vs Broncos

[Wolfie]

It wasn't on before? :confundio:

Yep, lol

 

[broncsgoat]

Nope, I think we would absolutely be playing better if he was coaching right now because we would be playing with a simple style. I also think we wouldn't actually be improving and working towards the next step which any semblance of structure is required for. I think if Bennett was still coaching we would be at about 4 and 4 or 5 and 3 for the season so far and our basic gameplan would have us going along ok like last year, just for us to get into the 8 and be embarrassed again by the real contenders.

So being the worst team in the league is a step forward?

 

[kat00]

It started with MILF a few years ago.
Lack of intestinal fortitude with him I said, it has now spread through virtually the entire team.
If they smell a weakness they go for the jugular but when it starts getting tough they go missing in action.
The obvious game plan last night was to attack the middle, that was never going to work against souths and there was no plan B.
Personally, I think the coach is way out if his depth. To make matters worse our forwards are either too old or too soft.
Tony Carroll used to ride shotgun for locky, had a couple of enforcers up front and hodgo was the enforcer in the backs. When some inspiration was required he showed them the way, that was the culture of the place.
Unless it is a bully taking out a half I dont see much enforcing going on these days and as for inspiration..........

 

[Finbar]

Why was a four-forward bench required if they were only going to get limited minutes? Surely having Staggs to cover Roberts in case he gets injured/doesn't want to be out there is more important. What happened to the days when a coach would hook a player because they were offering nothing or making too many errors?

That offload by TPJ on the Bunnies' line was one of the worst I've seen. If there is one thing these boys are good at, it's throwing away any built up pressure. We go over the side-line a lot it seems. I know Seibold "likes to play footy" and throw it around, but it doesn't seem to be working at the moment.

 

[Aldo]

Why was a four-forward bench required if they were only going to get limited minutes? Surely having Staggs to cover Roberts in case he gets injured/doesn't want to be out there is more important. What happened to the days when a coach would hook a player because they were offering nothing or making too many errors?

That offload by TPJ on the Bunnies' line was one of the worst I've seen. If there is one thing these boys are good at, it's throwing away any built up pressure. We go over the side-line a lot it seems. I know Seibold "likes to play footy" and throw it around, but it doesn't seem to be working at the moment.

Good post. I haven't really seen any of the bolded yet.

 

[broncos4life]

When are people going to realise it’s seibolds inadequacy that’s the issue?

When that is actually apparent and the other issues that you continue to turn a blind eye to are addressed.

 

[Chewed]

This is a team where the boys play like men and the men play like boys. All the young guys are having a red hot go and aren't being rewarded for it with starting spots. The men (Lodge excluded) are hands on hips, chin down waiting for Wayne to come pop his withered teet out and give them a sip of confidence and whisper sweet nothings in their ears and tell them it's alright.

One error is all it takes to kill this team.

Running the same play over and over and over again, sweeping out to Oates....against the guy who taught you that was dumb as hell too, that's on Boyd and Milford.

 

[Viti]

This is a team where the boys play like men and the men play like boys. All the young guys are having a red hot go and aren't being rewarded for it with starting spots. The men (Lodge excluded) are hands on hips, chin down waiting for Wayne to come pop his withered teet out and give them a sip of confidence and whisper sweet nothings in their ears and tell them it's alright.

One error is all it takes to kill this team.

I thought we were easily the better team in the opening stages last night, then the Rabbits get a fluke try and it all turns to shit.

 

[mrslong]

Matt Lodge's stats looked poor, and so did Alex Glenn's. It appears they're playing too many minutes and being rested at the wrong times. Bringing Fifita on at the 60 minute mark is insanity.

I thought Anthony Griffin was the worst bench manager, but Seibold makes the Anthony Griffin bench look balanced.

 

[Finbar]

One error is all it takes to kill this team.

Yes, anytime an error is made it seems likely that we will let in a try.

 

[cento]

Just ready fatty recons the jets not playing first grade standard and bird needs be moved to full back i agree time for changes is now

 

[broncos4life]

Just ready fatty recons the jets not playing first grade standard and bird needs be moved to full back i agree time for changes is now

I agree and he had me until he suggested Boyd to 5/8 with Milford. Nope.

 

[Matheos]

Why does it seem like we are the only side that doesn't deal with pressure well and have a weak mentality?
For a such a youthful and inexperienced side that relies on it's senior guys... we have got to have the worst leadership group in the country.
Absolute joke how it consists of Macca, Boyd, Glenn and Gillo.

The Broncos teams that I have grown to love have never displayed such profound flaws.

 

[winslow_wong]

I thought at times some of the guys seemed too intent in looking after Deardon. It got so bad that they forgot their own jobs. All in all the wee guy didn't need much 'chaperoning' he looks like he can handle himself just fine.

I thought it was the opposite at times. The kid cleans up a loose ball looks around for a runner and absolutely no one wanted it. So he ended up taking the hit himself.

 

[winslow_wong]

Sadly will probably take 2-3 weeks, but the transition to get Darius out of the side would be for Seibold to announce a co-captain - ie. Matt Gillett. He can spin something to the media like it "will take some pressure off Darius", "get him focused on his own game", etc.

We all on here know that nothing will change - same performances, lack of desire and inept movement. Once this continues, then there is a clear pathway to drop him whilst still maintaining whatever reputation we have left in this league...

“Darius has a bad cork”

 

[Culhwch]

That offload by TPJ on the Bunnies' line was one of the worst I've seen. If there is one thing these boys are good at, it's throwing away any built up pressure. We go over the side-line a lot it seems. I know Seibold "likes to play footy" and throw it around, but it doesn't seem to be working at the moment.

Man, that was a killer. But it happens again and again. If it's not a dumb offload, it's getting pushed into touch, or kicks on the third, or short hospital passes that have no chance of being caught. Or just wasting tackles running back and forth across the field because there's no structure, or no one willing to straighten up.

This team just has no concept of building pressure, but it's been the same for years. When they get the ball inside the twenty it's like they freak out and think they need to score on every play, because they might not get another chance. The way they get bogged down coming out of their own end sometimes, maybe that's not a surprising outlook.

The attitude and conviction is just not there, and honestly hasn't been for years. Not since Hodges retired, in my opinion. That's why the team has been consistently inconsistent for the last few seasons. Bennett could get them up for the occasional big game, and they lucked out in (or occasionally toughed out) enough of the remainder where they didn't really show up to coast into the finals, where they were never a threat.

The team needs to be torn down and rebuilt, and that's something that's been coming for awhile. There have to be serious questions being asked, and just because Seibold is publicly saying there's improvement or he's happy with the effort or whatever, I doubt he truly believes that. The Nikorima move shows that he is willing to make changes, he's just going to take his time and do it properly, not blow the whole thing up at once. I'm happy to give him time to implement his plan. My biggest concern is that there is no obvious candidate right now for a captain who can lead by example, and make sure they cut down on the dumb stuff on the field.

 

[Jedhead]

I thought it was the opposite at times. The kid cleans up a loose ball looks around for a runner and absolutely no one wanted it. So he ended up taking the hit himself.

I meant when he was in the defensive line standing his ground. But you are right there was a few times he had the ball and looked around for a runner and there was nothing doing.

To be fair Gillo, Jimmy and Issako have had one or two training sessions with him to try and form combinations. And there was no way in a pink fit I was expecting a fleet footed fullback to be roving in cover to link up with him.

But yeh, poor guy looked like a shag on a rock at times. Hope Siebs plays those moments to the 'senior experienced guys' on Monday. They should be publicly humiliated for that sort of apathy.

 

[Kelleher]

Well here goes nothing:

1. Boyd - Well done on your 300th, that's all the positivity I have. Terrible defense once again to let in those first two tries through a lack of urgency. Of course, TPJ was equally at fault but it doesn't absolve the captain of responsibility once again. He is bare minimum serviceable these days and that is not what you pay a bloke 750k+ a year to do. Move him to centre or tap him on the shoulder, he is done and has been for a while sadly. 4
2. Oates - Tonight summed up the big fella perfectly. Made his usual fantastic runs and scored another fantastic try off Milf as a running second rower. Not sure what to do with Corey given how valuable his metres are and just how good a footballer he is because he bombed a sitter and just ran towards the sideline twice. Granted, he is not getting very good quality passes from his centre but he is dropping the ball as much as anyone in the comp at present, not good enough from an origin winger. 6
3. Roberts - I am actually quite mad at him to be honest. Tonight was pathetic from him, no effort at all until it was very much too late. He was caught out of position on a number of defensive plays because he simply didn't bother getting back in line. He has checked out mentally and I thought that last week after not celebrating at all after scoring his try. 3
4. Bird - This will be controversial but because I was such a vocal critic of his signing, I've been trying to be as objective as possible and can see why people like what he is offering BUT his defense is not great. His energy is fantastic but his passing is also not great and boy does he love running sideways (and no, this is not always a bad thing). That said, he is a symptom of some really bad recruitment and retention decisions, no player is worth 700k+ for energy. His defense is not as good as it has been hyped up to be and his passes are regularly rubbish to Oates, not to mention the tries he has bombed so far this season. Not sure what to do with him other than put him as bench utility, go with it. 6
5. Isaako - Well, he didn't seem to play as poorly as he has in recent times but he wasn't great either. Definitely not one of the worst tonight but certainly not at last year levels. 6
6. Milf - He tried his butt off tonight, just nothing was coming off for him. I can forgive the intercept pass, at least he was trying. He needs to vary his kicking game though, for a kid that was a pure x-factor excitement machine, to become the predictable, one-dimensional player that he has become is just sad and in my opinion, has to be put down to bad coaching. 6
7. Dearden - He did not do a whole lot that screamed man of the match BUT that didn't matter. He showed why he is so highly touted. He did not look overawed at all, put in a great chase on Reynolds on the intercept try and made a very nice line break. His defense looked pretty decent too. A lot to like from his debut. 7
8. Haas - This kid is fantastic. He is certainly not shirking his role in the middle and is doing everything he can without having a break out game so far. I love what he can do and what he will be able to do in the future. Yet another really good game. 8
9. Macca - I am one of his biggest critics but I thought he was really good tonight. He was his usual tackling machine self but he looked very dangerous in attack at times, he was taking some really good options and making some good decisions. He has definitely been improving in the last couple of weeks and tonight was better. That said, he gave away some really stupid penalties at the end of the game. Not bad though. 7
10. Lodge - He was once again quite good but like a lot of players tonight, was a little down on usual. I'm worried this might be starting to become a trend because he hasn't been great the last few weeks, though his average is still better than most others' average. He needs to step up again and be as good as he usually is next week. 6
11. Glenn - He needs to be replaced by Fifita in the starting side. It isn't that he is bad, he isn't, he just isn't as good as Fifita currently is or will be. That left side needs some glue and though I'm not sure Fifita would fix that, he deserves a chance to try. 6
12. Gillett - He is starting to get there and I am happy to see that. He did a lot of good defensive work as always and is starting to get a bit of his old attacking flair back. Hopefully Siebs can figure out how to use him better moving forward but I'm not yet sold on Sieb's ability to do anything. I am still willing to give him time though. Gillett is such an important player in this side moving forward. 7
13. TPJ - Absolute rubbish. This is why he shouldn't be high up on the priority re-signing list. His best is breathe-taking. His worst, like tonight, is head-shakingly bad. He was partly responsible for at least two tries being let in and because of how good his best is, others look to him as a barometre of performance and unfortunately, he isn't consistent enough for that. The fact he turned up stops him getting a zero. 2

15. Fifita - Let the guy start! I cannot believe that Siebs is using him the way he is, it just makes no sense. The kid is good enough to play 80, using him for 15-20 mins is pointless, especially when he is coming on with the game already over and all the forwards out on their feet. He needs to be used better. 6
16. Flegler - I love this kid. I thought he would have started to trend backwards by now but nope, he continues to perform admirably well. To be honest, he'd be an origin smokey in my opinion. I love what he offers form the bench. He rarely ever gets put on his back, it is a great skill to have. 8
17. Joffa - Yeah he made some mistakes but I thought he bought some good energy off the bench. Unfortunately, that energy didn't make up for the below par efforts from most other forwards out there. He needs to get back to his best fast. 5
18. Carrigan - He didn't really do a whole lot that made him stand out but what he did do, he did well. He made some decent runs and not once did I see him get put on his back. He needs to start because he is an Arrow-style workhorse, not a Flegler-style impact player. 6

I do enjoy your ratings when you post them and getting your opinion on performances and the fact you take time in doing it, but I’m confused at some of those ratings. Offa was okay tonight – not brilliant, but how can you rate Fifita above him when Fifita had 3 runs in half an hour. I do agree Fifita is being wasted though and should start. Gillo was not good tonight imo and his stats show his attack is not enough. Same as Glen and Lodge to be fair to Gillo. I agree Fledger was good and I would be tempted to start him. Carrigan did get smacked a few times. One quite horribly, but in fairness it was by big Sam.