POST GAME [Round 18, 2024] Broncos vs Panthers

[Midean]

Hair loss is also exacerbated by exogenous testosterone use.

He went bald pretty quick in the last year.

 

[Maroon4life]

It's pretty simple.

The difference is Reynolds. We've been looking for a halfback for decade's. What a difference Reynolds made.

Made everyone looks better than they actually are. Mam should be giving Reynolds a piece.

No Reynolds, No kevie.

Not wrong, applicable to lots of the top sides as well. No Cleary and Penrith aren’t winning a single one of those premierships based on their play when he’s not in the side.

 

[Finbar]

We have nobody else for kevy to choose from. Our meter eater outside back JP just retired, hoeter injured...

I'm not talking about fill ins, I'm talking about Kevvie's first choice outside backs of Mariner, Cobbo, Staggs and Arthars. JP played 6 games for the Broncos. He might be a meter eater, but he barely got a run.

 

[Commando Eggplant]

Panthers on roids
Massive damage control.
Just put Ezra to 7, Walsh to 6 and Cobbo to 1.
Reynolds won't be back

 

[Bronx48]

The club needs to look at what's happening to Ezra, seriously, he's so non existent in attack. The fact that last year he said he wanted to replace Reynolds when he retires is so laughable. He's just skating through the year on a nice pay check. Yes he defended well but we need much more than that and this game would've been perfect to wake up show it. We had them on the ropes in the first half and he should've come out second half firing. Early on this season, he relied on Reynolds and now he's gone he's just ball watching Walsh and hoping he creates something. It's so disappointing. We really need him

 

[Mightybroncs2k17]

We left some points out there. Mariner knocked one on over the line off a kick which resulted in a 7 tackle set. Hass dropped one just before the line off a kick. Then the Oates "forward" pass no try (i try to be non biassed but that wasn't forward). Throw in the Panthers try off the back of a bomb no one wanted to catch and you have a different result.

I thought we looked ok with Walsh calling the shots and playing more of a dominant role. As someone else mentioned playing 1/7 hybrid is just too much especially at his young age.

Mariners speed gives him real try scoring ability but he is just a passenger otherwise. Our priority has to be finding a way to make meters out of our own end. If we have to recruit then so be it but its just too hard to win games working the ball off your own line all game.

I keep going back to the point that a team with Hass, Carigan, Cobbo, Walsh need to be performing better then this. I'm happy to give them until post Origin with riki and staggs back as well too start coming good but we should not be missing the 8.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Mariner was decent defensively in the centres. He worked hard but just can’t make good yardage coming out of our end.

 

[Jedhead]

Well the ball security improved a great deal.

Since Piakura lost his headgear last week during the game he's decided he don't need it. I think this change in mindset has also seen his defence improve. But he still tends to lose focus for crucial parts of the game.

For me watching the riff score off of a forward pass to then see us get denied for a pass that was not even line ball was pretty gut wrenching. It must be absolute soul destroying for the boys out there playing the game though.

Like everyone else I'm baffled how Edwards can push Haas and Carrigan backwards coming out of his own end and the likes of To'o can make as many meters as he likes until we finally pull him down.

That hit big Oatsy put on last night was an absolute cocker. How that dude managed to recover so quickly and play on is quite astonishing.

I'm not sure what the riff had to do to give away a 6 again in that game similarly, I'm not sure what we did to merit half of the 6 agains against us.

I can't recall exactly when but there was an incident down our end where the riff lost the ball in a tackle (Luai) and i was gobsmacked when the teams set the scrum and he gave the feed to Luai. Why did we not use our challenge?

I don't think we used it all last night did we?

Sure they were missing Cleary, but we were missing Staggs, Riki and Reyno. And we also had to play Pat at SR which stifled our pack a bit. Losing Madden during the game just typified our season.

I vote we never disrupt a pre-season ever again with a 'holiday' to Vegas.

Is Ezra holding back so that teams will find it harder to get a read on him come final time? Not sure why he has decided to ghost himself in attack.

Walsh taking hit ups was ridiculous. He is no Edwards, for sure in that department. But good on him for showing the team he's still got the ticker. I didn't miss the shot he got putting on Martin either and the play he gleefully dragged him to the ground. Can't wait to see him stand Martin up and put both his ankles at risk in either an origin or a finals game.

His time will come.

Finally, Palasia and Flegs were our two main enforcers last year. We have a young Willison and then nothing. Piakura and Kobe have shown glimpses of a good hit, but the likes of Riki, Haas and Patty they're all too nice. We're winning nothing without first sorting that out. Kev will coach the nice guy attitude and play the game in the spirit it was intended. The pack leaders need to nod their heads to Kev but agree to get tighter, meaner and more supportive of each other. In short, the pack need to make their own pact.

Put the pretty boys on notice - start with that poser Luai followed closely by Mulitalo.

We're still in this. Considering the amount of adversity we have had to deal with we'll be close to invincible when the injuries dry up and we begin to get a roll on.

 

[McHunt]

There was nothing to get excited about in this game. We were convincingly beaten 3 tries to 1.

Okay, letting in only three tries against Penrith isn't the end of the world, but with an attack containing Walsh, Cobbo, Mariner, Mam, Haas, Carrigan and Willison, only being able to cross the line once was pitiful. Only Walsh looked threatening with the ball in hand, and only when he hung onto it.

It wasn't effort: it was coaching. This team is clueless on the fifth, unable to get repeat sets and only threatening in open space.

Madden must never be picked again. Enough. When he was replaced by Walters, who wouldn't make the halves in any other first grade team, we lifted if anything. Even Walters' kicking game, as rudimentary as it is, was superior.

Once Madden went off our attack pretty much avoided Walters, using Walsh as the goto on nearly every play that wasn't a hitup. At least Billy can defend at 6/7. That's all he had to do, other than the occasional bomb.

No, this wasn't an "almost there" game. This was a loss.

**** 2024. Bend over, here comes the spoon. Let's go for that again. At least we might be able to win something.

 

[McHunt]

We're still in this. Considering the amount of adversity we have had to deal with we'll be close to invincible when the injuries dry up and we begin to get a roll on.

No we're not.

 

[Jedhead]

No we're not.

Looks like a very lo-o-o-ng remainder of the season for you then matey.

Of course we're not in it with a mindset like that. But, each to their own.

 

[McHunt]

Looks like a very lo-o-o-ng remainder of the season for you then matey.

Of course we're not in it with a mindset like that. But, each to their own.

It will be for all of us. I haven't totally forgotten 2022. Have you?

 

[Jedhead]

It will be for all of us. I haven't totally forgotten 2022. Have you?

Like I said - speak for yourself mate.

 

[McHunt]

Like I said - speak for yourself mate.

Are you seriously happy with that loss? The team was close to full strength and we could only cross the line once. Our whole ethos is if we can score the points, the rest will look after itself. Now what do we have? Our attack is diabolical.

 

[Jedhead]

Are you seriously happy with that loss? The team was close to full strength and we could only cross the line once. Our whole ethos is if we can score the points, the rest will look after itself. Now what do we have? Our attack is diabolical.

Did I say I was happy? that one game does not define the rest of our season, but the improvement and effort over the last 4 weeks suggest they are moving in an upwards trajectory.

We crossed the line twice btw. For some reason the only guy that counted saw a forward pass somewhere.

In case you haven't noticed we now have something like 13 injured from a 30 man squad. The team last night represented a patched up side with players all over the park out of position but despite that they still had a go and save for a few decisions we could have snatched that game.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Are you seriously happy with that loss? The team was close to full strength and we could only cross the line once. Our whole ethos is if we can score the points, the rest will look after itself. Now what do we have? Our attack is diabolical.

Close to full strength??? Did we’ve got over 10 players on the injury list and we had our starting back row and centre out due to suspension and a funeral. Don’t get me wrong our attack sucked but that usually happens when your halfback goes off injured. Nobody is happy with losing but it was very clear that our effort was good. I think the reality is we just aren’t good enough this year for a variety of reasons

 

[McHunt]

Did I say I was happy? that one game does not define the rest of our season, but the improvement and effort over the last 4 weeks suggest they are moving in an upwards trajectory.

We crossed the line twice btw. For some reason the only guy that counted saw a forward pass somewhere.

In case you haven't noticed we now have something like 13 injured from a 30 man squad. The team last night represented a patched up side with players all over the park out of position but despite that they still had a go and save for a few decisions we could have snatched that game.

The time for excuses is over. Only wins matter. If you want to be brutally honest, we've barely had a convincing win this season. Our losses include bottom of the table teams, including a basket case that had just sacked its coach.

**** it, time to face reality.

Close to full strength??? Did we’ve got over 10 players on the injury list and we had our starting back row and centre out due to suspension and a funeral. Don’t get me wrong our attack sucked but that usually happens when your halfback goes off injured. Nobody is happy with losing but it was very clear that our effort was good. I think the reality is we just aren’t good enough this year for a variety of reasons

As close as Penrith were. And they've made their way to 2nd on the table without their star halfback. Ditto the Storm with Munster.

Madden, according to Walters, is the heir apparent to Reynolds. So we might as well as accept him as "full strength." The rest of the lineup were perfectly adequate given the strength of the rest of the roster. Our weakest was probably Hetherington, and he played in the Grand Final.

I don't think Riki and Staggs would've made any difference last night.

I'm not blaming effort either. They're not being coached to win.

 

[McHunt]

The club needs to look at what's happening to Ezra, seriously, he's so non existent in attack. The fact that last year he said he wanted to replace Reynolds when he retires is so laughable. He's just skating through the year on a nice pay check. Yes he defended well but we need much more than that and this game would've been perfect to wake up show it. We had them on the ropes in the first half and he should've come out second half firing. Early on this season, he relied on Reynolds and now he's gone he's just ball watching Walsh and hoping he creates something. It's so disappointing. We really need him

He flew under the radar last season. Now he's a marked man. The bigger problem is the other half and both dummy halves are completely predictable. If I were the opposition, I'd be roughing him up all night. Ditto Walsh.

I watched his defence closely last night after him copping shit for missed tackles. As I suspected the stats don't even remotely tell the story. He is almost always the first on the scene in kick chases, and line breaks, which means he's the bloke coming at them full belt they have to step. He quite often gets there first, manages an ankle tap or grab, which fails to stop them but slows them down enough that the next in line finishes the job and gets the stat. He's underrated there.

I, too, am disappointed he seems to have lost his spark near the line, but I'm leaning more towards crediting the opposition. I'm also wondering how he's being coached.