POST GAME [Round 11, 2026] - Broncos vs Warriors

[Big Pete]

I don't think anybody expects a fan to chant 'Let's Go Broncos' for 80 minutes but the crowd is checked out unless a line-break is made.

We saw the difference the crowd makes when they're actually dialled in like they were for the final home game against the Storm and the home final against Penrith.

Unfortunately 90% of the time they're too busy talking about Keith and all his stupid antics.

 

[Volvo Driver]

I don't think anybody expects a fan to chant 'Let's Go Broncos' for 80 minutes but the crowd is checked out unless a line-break is made.

We saw the difference the crowd makes when they're actually dialled in like they were for the final home game against the Storm and the home final against Penrith.

Unfortunately 90% of the time they're too busy talking about Keith and all his stupid antics.

I've gone to many games over my lifetime and nothing's really changed over the past decade or so. Crowd gets loud for kick-off, silence until a linebreak or try then silence until the next and if the home side wins then a cheer.

Probably the biggest difference to "back in the day" is the mobile phone. You didn't have that in the 90's to get distracted so focused on the game for longer.

I also don't expect the crowd to replicate the Panthers and Storm finals games feel because the stakes were very high.

 

[tommy]

At the old qe2 the crowd could make a racket by stomping their feet on the aluminium floor. The old Mexican wave used to go alright too.

 

[Santa]

 

[Broncapz]

100% this.

Ashley Klein ruined a potentially great game.

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

It is crazy to think that after "disruptor"-gate vs the cowboys (is that still a thing?), Adam gee game vs roosters (even roosters fans were laughing about this one, now klein game that even warriors fans are laughing about, and the HUGE disparity and us coming last in 6 agains AND penalties people are still on here claiming there isnt some form of subconscious (we hope) bias towards the broncos at the moment.

Their evidence to back it up over all those OBJECTIVE pices of evidence... "youre paranoid!", "prove it (again)", and my favourite "happens to other clubs!".... hey, it does, but no where near as often (see evidence listed above)..

These 3, quite blatantly poor refereeing performances have happened over 11 rounds lol. Statistically can someone tell me the likelihood that that would coincidentally happen? We are just unlucky aye becusse at least 2/3 of them performances would get a mention in hall of fame worst ref performances. In 11 rounds, to the same team copping it, in the same year... crazy bad luck

 

[Santa]

The thing is we're not special in getting bad calls against us. There are alot of other teams who have received howlers this year, we just notice the Broncos ones more.

Sure their might be an element of subconscious bias (who would know), but I hate the stupid conspiracies that there is some sort of evil plan against our club specifically - its childish and cringe (makes me think of peak Trump supporters tbh). Sure we can call the refs incompetent, but that's quite different from being corrupt.

Yes we are the most penalised team this year and last year (interestingly enough the year we broke our premiership drought), but maybe a lot of that is on us and how we play.

It's still the same refs from 2024 were we were the 2nd least penalised team in the comp (70 penalties behind the Roosters).

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

The thing is we're not special in getting bad calls against us. There are alot of other teams who have received howlers this year, we just notice the Broncos ones more.

Sure their might be an element of subconscious bias (who would know), but I hate the stupid conspiracies that there is some sort of evil plan against our club specifically - its childish and cringe (makes me think of peak Trump supporters tbh). Sure we can call the refs incompetent, but that's quite different from being corrupt.

Yes we are the most penalised team this year and last year (interestingly enough the year we broke our premiership drought), but maybe a lot of that is on us and how we play.

It's still the same refs from 2024 were we were the 2nd least penalised team in the comp (70 penalties behind the Roosters).

Theres no conspiracy against us but bias is bias. And yes every club gets bad calls but the stats and data tells us we get them way more.

I love the classic "be more disciplined". With what? Has the nrl told us what we so obviously need to improve privately or something and we just arent listening? I doubt it. Have they said publicly what they want from clubs in general? What is the difference in our tackles compared to the 10000s of others you could piunt out that are worse to justify a 6 again? Becuase we have the slowest ptb no matter who we are playing every week and thats why 6 agains were brought in wasnt it? Whats the motives behind the skewed penalties and 6 agains? Is it to "send a message" about out discipline? Becuase, crazy idea I know, but they could just tell us lol.

 

[Big Del]

I love the classic "be more disciplined". With what?

High contact , not continuing with the tackle after the ref calls held , not climbing back over the ball carrier in the ruck , don`t run chasers off the ball , don`t elbow blokes in the back of the head , don`t put crusher tackles on opposition players , don`t hip drop .
That`d be a start .

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

High contact , not continuing with the tackle after the ref calls held , not climbing back over the ball carrier in the ruck , don`t run chasers off the ball , don`t elbow blokes in the back of the head , don`t put crusher tackles on opposition players , don`t hip drop .
That`d be a start .

You could be talking to any of the 17 clubs there. What are we doing more of than other clubs? Ive got several examples, within the same game with the same referee even - not just different games/teams/refs where all of those things were done and not penalised/infringed. And thats even by us. So the nrl is just gonna come back to us and say "do better and stuff aye" lol.... comedy

 

[Cult]

You could be talking to any of the 17 clubs there. What are we doing more of than other clubs? Ive got several examples, within the same game with the same referee even - not just different games/teams/refs where all of those things were done and not penalised/infringed. And thats even by us. So the nrl is just gonna come back to us and say "do better and stuff aye" lol.... comedy

He doesn't like talking specifics

 

[Morkel]

High contact , not continuing with the tackle after the ref calls held , not climbing back over the ball carrier in the ruck , don`t run chasers off the ball , don`t elbow blokes in the back of the head , don`t put crusher tackles on opposition players , don`t hip drop .
That`d be a start .

Don't play the ball off the mark. Don't take the markers out of play. Don't leave early in defence. Don't get back the 10 in defence. Don't lie all over the ruck after the held call. Don't deliberately & forcefully bend the knees of a held player against its safe range of movement. And absolutely do not hold on to the leg of a tackled player who just made a line break as that will be a professional foul and 10 in the bin.

These are also things that I expect would be enforced. Against all clubs. But here we are.

 

[Broncapz]

Don't play the ball off the mark. Don't take the markers out of play. Don't leave early in defence. Don't get back the 10 in defence. Don't lie all over the ruck after the held call. Don't deliberately & forcefully bend the knees of a held player against its safe range of movement. And absolutely do not hold on to the leg of a tackled player who just made a line break as that will be a professional foul and 10 in the bin.

These are also things that I expect would be enforced. Against all clubs. But here we are.

Actually the modern game encourages playing the ball off the mark, as it increases the likelihood that a defender will be pinged for an infringement.

Lack of enforcement and bias towards attackers when it comes to enforcing ruck rules is why the game sucks.

 

[dejan]

How many times did we have to challenge incorrect calls too?

Like, in the first half, Leka running directly into Ezra Mam, yet Klein calls it a penalty on us? While looking directly at the incident.

 

[broncos4life]

This is what is hard to swallow as a fan, we seldom here people on podcasts/media flat out call out the ref like this, even if they are former players of that team, and these haven't been the only ones so clearly what Klein did was obvious, yet there is nothing from the NRL admitting it was wrong and instead Klien is rewarded with reffing origin.

I have read all the stuff in this thread from people saying "we just need to be better" and laughing at anyone suggesting this is calculated but that is pretty hard to take when if this wasn't what the NRL are wanting surely there is some kind of admittance and not a reward to the offender?

 

[Santa]

Theres no conspiracy against us but bias is bias. And yes every club gets bad calls but the stats and data tells us we get them way more.

I love the classic "be more disciplined". With what? Has the nrl told us what we so obviously need to improve privately or something and we just arent listening? I doubt it. Have they said publicly what they want from clubs in general? What is the difference in our tackles compared to the 10000s of others you could piunt out that are worse to justify a 6 again? Becuase we have the slowest ptb no matter who we are playing every week and thats why 6 agains were brought in wasnt it? Whats the motives behind the skewed penalties and 6 agains? Is it to "send a message" about out discipline? Becuase, crazy idea I know, but they could just tell us lol.

Again, im not saying refs can't be inconsistent, but their inconsistent in more than just Broncos games. Even as a Broncos fan, I can see we give away some obvious penalties - some stupid (if Carrigan walks through the ruck one more time...) - some of them obviously intentional (we seem to purposly run plays of the ball chasing kicks for example). We also get away with our fair share too - but we're obviously too biased to see it.

But honestly I dont really care about the penalty count, because going from last year (the only other year where we've topped the penalty count in recent memory), it seems to be a successful strategy.

There's no motive - teams discipline varies with different players, coaches, systems, etc. We didnt win shit the 20 years before that when we weren't penalised as much.

Im sure our club has conversations internally and with the NRL about this, and im happy for them to keep it private. As the quote goes " Champions never complain, they are too busy getting better".

 

[Morkel]

This is what is hard to swallow as a fan, we seldom here people on podcasts/media flat out call out the ref like this, even if they are former players of that team, and these haven't been the only ones so clearly what Klein did was obvious, yet there is nothing from the NRL admitting it was wrong and instead Klien is rewarded with reffing origin.

I have read all the stuff in this thread from people saying "we just need to be better" and laughing at anyone suggesting this is calculated but that is pretty hard to take when if this wasn't what the NRL are wanting surely there is some kind of admittance and not a reward to the offender?

Crickets from the NRL and mainstream media. The former had the gall to admit a couple of incorrect calls in other games but completely ignored calls that were 100% wrong in the Broncos game. And the media are too busy kissing Vlandys arse and telling everyone how great the game (and specific darling teams) are to provide any actual insight.

 

[Santa]

This is what is hard to swallow as a fan, we seldom here people on podcasts/media flat out call out the ref like this, even if they are former players of that team, and these haven't been the only ones so clearly what Klein did was obvious, yet there is nothing from the NRL admitting it was wrong and instead Klien is rewarded with reffing origin.

I have read all the stuff in this thread from people saying "we just need to be better" and laughing at anyone suggesting this is calculated but that is pretty hard to take when if this wasn't what the NRL are wanting surely there is some kind of admittance and not a reward to the offender?

I will never understand people who truly believe that the NRL is picking who wins and loses, yet still continue to watch/engage in the game.