POST GAME [Round 13, 2026] - Broncos vs Dragons

[Foordy]

Case in point, the current bottom of the table Dragons, who finished 16th, 11th and 15th most recently have amassed an incredible young pack that make bulk metres and generate fast PTB week in week out. Unfortunately they have not had the backs or halves to take advantage of it.

Compare that to what our pack is currently, and sure, Haas is the best forward in the game but as a balanced pack at its entirety, theirs shit all over us today.

Would love to see us get to that sort of pack soon. Imagine what a couple good halves and an elite 9 could do behind that Dragons young pack..

Let's say we get that pack you speak off ... The NRL will just change the rules again so that our current pack becomes more valuable.

I expect there to be some quiet tweaks to either the rules or interpretations next season there had been too much negativity around the game this year (similar to 2021) ... It will be done quietly because Vlandys can't admit that he ****ed up the sport

 

[Volvo Driver]

Walsh and Mam are only 23. They'll still be young when Cleary, Yeo, Edwards. Grant, Munster, Hughes, Teddy etc are all retired. We're having a crap year, it is what it is, but we're well positioned for the future.

I think I'm pretty much done with Mam for now. I don't think he's showed enough consistency in 3 1/2 years to warrant a starting 5/8th position. His 2023 and 2025 GF performances were great but I feel like he's regressed from his 2023 self.

Don't know what needs to happen with him, he was taking some runs but doesn't look dangerous at all.

 

[Battler]

Add to that

Tackle Breaks 17th
Decoy runs 16th
Line break assists 16th
Ineffective tackles 2nd
Penalties conceded 1st

Something is off this year and you cant use injuries as an excuse to be nearly last in every metric. That desire to win isn't there

You actually can use injuries as an excuse when more than half your starting 13 - including essential guys like Walsh - have been missing for a large part of the season. Souths don't look competitive with one bloke out (Trell). The tigs lost 3 or 4 players and went from looking like a top 4 side to losing games by 50.

EDIT: You even hear cope about the storm's form being due to losing Eli and Coates, and they aren't even spine players.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Most clubs would kill for a starting frf combination of Xavier and Barnett. The Dragons went out and paid 1mil for Kola and he isn't on Barnett's level.

EDIT: Pezet is the bigger issue, but he's still young and we'll have Hunt and Dufty competing for the spot.

Barnet will be 33 next year dude. He is injury prone as it is. I don't believe the $$ we spent on him was a good idea.

 

[Volvo Driver]

Most clubs would kill for a starting frf combination of Xavier and Barnett. The Dragons went out and paid 1mil for Kola and he isn't on Barnett's level.

Surely you jest? Even if you take into account Barnett hasn't played more than 15 games in the past 4 seasons (most likely 5) Keon's stats are better than Barnett's.

 

[FACTHUNT]

The thing that pisses me off the most is that they pull out these inept performances infront of our sell-outs. Ticket prices are up like 20-40% in some areas, and then they dish that up.

The Dragons team actually respected our crowd more than our own team. IE - had a ****ing crack and played with some passion and gumption worthy of the time and money of the attendees.

 

[Big Del]

I can't but we just never ever score points when he's on the field. If we're not scoring points, we're not winning games. I'm desperate to see our PPM when he's on the field compared to off.

Even as a tackle bot, his tackles arent always dominate.

Billy and Hunt at 9/14 is just way more effective.

You didn't notice the tackled Bhunt was missing?
3 or 4 times he tried that weird hip Toss thing and completely missed .
Not 1st grade standard.

 

[Waynesaurus]

The thing that pisses me off the most is that they pull out these inept performances infront of our sell-outs. Ticket prices are up like 20-40% in some areas, and then they dish that up.

Yeah, this is my biggest issue as well, and its not just the loss, it's the farken low effort manner of the loss that is the biggest kick in the nuts.

 

[KateBroncos1812]

Ow my head. We simply sucked our team not putting in the effort both off field and on field.

 

[Big Del]

I've always thought that you can propel the ball forward with your hands and touch it again before it hits another player or the ground, and it's play on. I've seen it lots of times.

Perhaps the difference is intent?

Juggle the ball OK .
HIit it up over a defenders head and run past and collect . Not OK .

 

[FACTHUNT]

Yeah, this is my biggest issue as well, and its not just the loss, it's the farken low effort manner of the loss that is the biggest kick in the nuts.

A few of those Dragons boys were clearly so motivated and excited about it. Their grand final really, nothing new, we know teams love to humble us at Suncorp. Being humbled is fine if we gave our all. I just hope one day we get to enjoy the Broncos being ruthless

 

[Brocko]

It should be a benefit that teams come to suncorp up for the clash as it'll likely be the biggest crowd they play in all year and pumped for a game. We should never be surprised by it, instead we apparently are regularly surprised by it. We should be using that in our favour, not just feeding into how they want to play. I'm sure the players expected to win yesterday based on nothing but showing up. It certainly looked that way anyways.

It's frustrating.

 

[Sproj]

Do you know what. One thing I do put down to coaching is - we are playing super boring footy and STILL dropping it. So why not just let them throw it around? If we throw it around and drop it, at least it might be fun to watch at times.

Broncos didn't commit murder right?

Can't be murdered if you're already dead I guess.

To be fair its really hard to identify and develop these sorts of players. You just named 3 players plus a 4th in Max Plath who have bounced around plenty of systems and lot of the times positions to become reliable week in week out producers. Those players and roles come with time and experience.

This is the issue. We just get smashed by other better run R&R teams. This has been an issue for the Broncs for years.

Our superstars get poached:
Haas
Flegler
Farnworth
Bunt (yes he came back)

Our solid first graders get poached:
Hetherington
Bullemor
Isaako
Kikorima
Ese'ese
Palasia
Smoothy
Arthars apparently
Anderson
Capewell
Martin
Hosking
Gamble
Tass

Our kids also get poached:
Arrow
Dearden
Boyd
Xoates
Fifita
Te Kura
Black
Inness
Symonds
Packer
Plath
Su'A
Tait
Simpkin
Walsh (yes he came back)
Gray
Walker
Sandwich
Collins
Va'a
Va'a

Now true you can't keep them all...but we should have been able to keep quite a few of those above.

 

[Wolfie]

Do you know what. One thing I do put down to coaching is - we are playing super boring footy and STILL dropping it. So why not just let them throw it around? If we throw it around and drop it, at least it might be fun to watch at times.


Can't be murdered if you're already dead I guess.


This is the issue. We just get smashed by other better run R&R teams. This has been an issue for the Broncs for years.

Our superstars get poached:
Haas
Flegler
Farnworth
Bunt (yes he came back)

Our solid first graders get poached:
Hetherington
Bullemor
Isaako
Kikorima
Ese'ese
Palasia
Smoothy
Arthars apparently
Anderson
Capewell
Martin
Hosking
Gamble
Tass

Our kids also get poached:
Arrow
Dearden
Boyd
Xoates
Fifita
Te Kura
Black
Inness
Symonds
Packer
Plath
Su'A
Tait
Simpkin
Walsh (yes he came back)
Gray
Walker
Sandwich
Collins
Va'a
Va'a

Now true you can't keep them all...but we should have been able to keep quite a few of those above.

I agree, there is no way we can keep every player, no club can but I think we should have been able to keep some. Our problem imo in recent years is we would rather have one Payne Haas than keeping a couple of lesser players who still turn up and perform well week in week out.

Then we also overpay young players who havent earned their stripes by performing consitently over a period of time, Piakura and Mam are springing to mind immediately here. Both have plenty of talent and potential, but neither really had to earn a good contract.

I do think we dont look to recruit solid players as kids as we want the standouts all the time. Totally agree with you, our R and R hasnt got us a balanced squad.

 

[Wolfie]

To be fair its really hard to identify and develop these sorts of players. You just named 3 players plus a 4th in Max Plath who have bounced around plenty of systems and lot of the times positions to become reliable week in week out producers. Those players and roles come with time and experience.

But thats why its called development, you develop them into players with time and experience. We spend too much of our cap on players who havent earned it.

I dont believe it is hard to identify them, its not difficult to see a good player and what sort of player they are from a young age. Cobbo or Dave Taylor for example are players who had always had a high ceiling but who people could also clearly see had work ethic issues.

If i was recruiting players to bring through the system, i'd target good basics, good work ethic and the players that do the one percenters over the flashy players every day of the week. The balance is recruiting the players with real ability to dicate games alongside the solid ones.

 

[Morkel]

30-26

So Ben Roberts-Smith was invited into our sheds after the game. Just gonna have to pretend that this day didn't happen.

Ah, some words of wisdom. "If you're asking questions of the opposition's defensive line, and you don't like the way they are responding, you may want to consider shooting their friends in the back of the head".

 

[BroncsFan]

Walsh can only be at his best when our forwards lay a platform for him. I understand completely what you're saying but we still need to win the forward battle if we want Walsh to do his thing.

Yes, but there is only 1 team in the NRL that gets Payne Haas... and in he's basically been the undisputed best prop in the comp for his 7.5 year career to date... but he's only got 1 premiership to show for it.

Panthers have been dominating the comp since 2020 and are miles ahead this year with a front row pairing of Leota and Lindsay Smith.

Leota is good, but he averages about 40-45mins a game and just over 100m a game... so they've found a different way to lay the platform for their guns.

Payne is a generational player and will be a massive loss, but he's not the be all and end all for winning a comp... for us the be all and end all is putting Reece into the best position to have him playing at his best and they haven't been able to do that so far this year.

We had Payne dominate yesterday, but that didn't allow Reece to suddenly own the game, so the coaching has to figure out how best to do that.

 

[theshed]

Anytime summarise Madge’s post game presser?

Are we seeing any signs of this scary hard ass that everyone was claiming he is?