PRE-GAME [Round 7, 2026] - Broncos vs Tigers

[dejan]

That would seem odd for the NRL to demand that your Top 30 be filled before you can request an exemption.

Very few NRL top 30's are filled at this time of the year and aren't required to be filled until June 30.

Brent Woolfe played for the dolphins in round 1... debuting at 28yr... did they really sign him to a development deal or top 30 contract for that one round?

A quick google has him quoted as being T&T and the NRL contracts page has them at 28 players.

NRL contracts is a shit page that can never really be trusted, but the previous explanation of requesting exemptions was that you had to prove you had no players for that position within your top 30.

That doesn't necessarily mean there's a caveat that your top 30 also needs to be filled, just guys that have a "Top 30" level contract.

Yeah I agree. Just need to be top 30 contracted otherwise Nio wouldn't have been in the Titans game squad

 

[Johnny92]

That would seem odd for the NRL to demand that your Top 30 be filled before you can request an exemption.

Very few NRL top 30's are filled at this time of the year and aren't required to be filled until June 30.

Brent Woolfe played for the dolphins in round 1... debuting at 28yr... did they really sign him to a development deal or top 30 contract for that one round?

A quick google has him quoted as being T&T and the NRL contracts page has them at 28 players.

NRL contracts is a shit page that can never really be trusted, but the previous explanation of requesting exemptions was that you had to prove you had no players for that position within your top 30.

That doesn't necessarily mean there's a caveat that your top 30 also needs to be filled, just guys that have a "Top 30" level contract.

Would need to add Bukowski to top 30 and get a exemption for Teague to play before round 11 if both were to play I think.

 

[BroncsFan]

Would need to add Bukowski to top 30 and get a exemption for Teague to play before round 11 if both were to play I think.

Nah you don't need an exemption for Dev players anymore.

You used to need one to play them before round 11, but a couple years back they made it so Dev players could be picked at any point, basically expanding the squad to 36... and now the exemption only applies to T&T players, but after round 11 T&T players can be picked whenever you want as well.

 

[BroncsFan]

Yeah I agree. Just need to be top 30 contracted otherwise Nio wouldn't have been in the Titans game squad

I think Nio is a Dev player??

If so he can be picked whenever Madge wants to... the exemption only applies to T&T players

 

[mrslong]

We are so ****ed

It’s shades of 2007 innit. Post grand final win and our team was destroyed by injuries and suspensions. With good players exiting the next year and the window closing.

 

[ivanhungryjak]

We are so ****ed

It’s shades of 2007 innit. Post grand final win and our team was destroyed by injuries and suspensions. With good players exiting the next year and the window closing.

My memory of ‘07 is that we started slowly, came good and weren’t looking too bad until Locky’s ACL against the Cows late in the season.
Things went downhill after that.

 

[BroncsFan]

Just on these exemptions it's being reported that Souths are trying to get an exemption for Dufty because Jye Gray got injured.

They've got Latrell, Johnston and Wighton on the books who have all played fullback... and they're still trying to get an exemption for a T&T player.

 

[Super Freak]

Yeah this doesn't look good.

 

[Santa]

Solution to our hooker problem?

 

[Johnny92]

Yeah this doesn't look good.

View attachment 38769

Agreed, the headgear is off and it looks terrible!

 

[Xzei]

Solution to our hooker problem?

View attachment 38770

probably still a top 3 hooker even at his age if he played

 

[Morkel]

Yeah this doesn't look good.

View attachment 38769

Thats not injury, he took his headgear off and went back to just being unco.

 

[McHunt]

FFS.

It remains the clubs one biggest weakness: Having the guts to call out the NRL on its BS.

Madge did call it out in the press conference, then he went back and watched the tapes. The chance the MRC nerds get the grading wrong with all the tech and camera angles at their disposal is not zero but it's not far off it. They don't have the time constraint of the refs and bunker.

That said, of the minuscule number of challenges that have gone on with it, the success rate has been about 1 in 3.

You really insist they roll that dice just to be belligerent?

This is what Wayne Bennett meant about listening to fans.

 

[McHunt]

Reynolds reckons he almost got through most of the training session, so he'll be good to go and Paix should be able to downgrade his brain injury assessment.

Hard to get cocky about this one.

 

[Big Del]

Got a bad feeling we're going to get pumped. Tigers are playing super aggressive & fast where teams are struggling to keep up. With our passive defensive line we're going to concede 70m a set.

Yep the Cowboys were marching up field .
But the goal line defence was outstanding .

 

[Big Del]

We are so ****ed

It’s shades of 2007 innit. Post grand final win and our team was destroyed by injuries and suspensions. With good players exiting the next year and the window closing.

 

[Foordy]

I realise this won't happen but given how poor Shibasaki has been this year, I'd be tempted to do one of two things:

1. Shibasaki to bench with Verhoeven to wing, Mariner to centre. This gives Verhoeven a bit more of a taste in the top grade and Mariner has looked dangerous at centre when he's played there.

2. Drop Shibasaki, Arthars to wing, Hayse Perham to fullback

 

[Sproj]

Maybe we just figured that with so many injuries, therefore being likely to lose the next couple, just let Patty freshen up and start again when the cavalry returns.