2018 Bronco season review.

[Number6]

Watching the games again, it's amazing just how much Ofahengaue has improved. It seems he has really put in the hard work off the field and it's paying off on the field.

A couple of years ago, he was good but you just got the feeling that that's all you were going to get from him, that he didn't have a higher ceiling.

But I feel like he has gone to another level this year. Losing him against the Dragons really hurt us in the middle.

For me deserves to start more at prop. Could take a horses for courses approach to starting props and form. Need to get rid of the starting vs bench status issue. For me the key is quality minutes and to a lesser degree number of minutes. Some games might want aggression of McGuire (if inexperienced bench might want McGuire on later in game) to start, others might want Offa and Lodge to wear them down early. TPJ if stays just needs to start at lock. He’s young, fiery and gets to pent up riding the bench early.

 

[Huge]

Amazing how so many experts on here are saying it was a terrible season yet the top eight was seperated by a game. That means the bottom eight had an absolutely woeful season and the other 7 teams in the top 8 had a terrible season too. We didn't have a terrible season but we did have a terrible finals series. I thought we had a pretty good season that was at times good, average and indifferent but overall quite promising.

No one knows what happened in the finals game and it really is inexplicable but it will produce a benifit later on by helping young guys to harden up and teach them to play the game on the day instead of midweek. WB didn't miss any tackles or make any mistakes on game day and it was all down to the players so I don't blame WB for the loss, that lays sqaurely at the feet of the players. This will be good for the Bronco's going forward.

 

[Super Freak]

Of course it was a terrible season, we finished 6th for ***** sake. This isn't the Tigers or the Titans where just finishing in the 8 is a success.

Finishing outside the top 4 and being knocked out in the first week against a side that hadn't been at their best since before the Origin period and a week after one of our most dominant performances of the year is quite frankly, a failure.

It took us 24 rounds just to even put in an 80 minute performance.

 

[ostin86]

Melbourne's back up hooker is pretty bloody good. Another Smith. They have 3 good young halves fighting for the halfback spot. Then of course they will be pumping out a couple of 6 foot 5 props out every year who are mobile enough to play in the second row. I hate the cheats but unfortunately they won't struggle too much post Cam Smith. They definitely won't be as dominant but they will still make the 8, even top 4. I think they will struggle more when Craig' ruined the game 'Bellamy leaves.

 

[007]

Amazing how so many experts on here are saying it was a terrible season yet the top eight was seperated by a game. That means the bottom eight had an absolutely woeful season and the other 7 teams in the top 8 had a terrible season too. We didn't have a terrible season but we did have a terrible finals series. I thought we had a pretty good season that was at times good, average and indifferent but overall quite promising.

No one knows what happened in the finals game and it really is inexplicable but it will produce a benifit later on by helping young guys to harden up and teach them to play the game on the day instead of midweek. WB didn't miss any tackles or make any mistakes on game day and it was all down to the players so I don't blame WB for the loss, that lays sqaurely at the feet of the players. This will be good for the Bronco's going forward.

There's being positive and there's being naive.....


No, it was a terrible/average season with patches of great. The fact we could not correct the same common issue all season is a huge concern and what makes it terrible/average. The lack of consistency and commitment on the field is not a minor thing, for me its leadership based - and you could see the pattern happening all season. Teams that challenge the title have this sorted, no team will ever waltz through to the GF unless other teams fall over like bowling pins due to injury and suspension.

Yes the top 8 was separated by two wins, but there's far far greater difference than what the table suggested. Ironically if it was for our patches of great against the top teams - the competition would have been more spread.

 

[Wolfie]

Melbourne's back up hooker is pretty bloody good. Another Smith. They have 3 good young halves fighting for the halfback spot. Then of course they will be pumping out a couple of 6 foot 5 props out every year who are mobile enough to play in the second row. I hate the cheats but unfortunately they won't struggle too much post Cam Smith. They definitely won't be as dominant but they will still make the 8, even top 4. I think they will struggle more when Craig' ruined the game 'Bellamy leaves.

I really think they will struggle big time without probably the best game manager the game has ever seen. His influence is immense.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

I really think they will struggle big time without probably the best game manager the game has ever seen. His influence is immense.

It's inevitable. You need only look at Bellyache's record without Smith on field to see it, not least of which the infamous Grand Final where Manly did them by 40 blot, even with the likes of Cronk and Slater out there in a cheating team. Without Smith, the Storm are nothing. A rudderless, error prone rabble.

There's a reason why the Storm want him to keep playing beyond 400 games

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

It's inevitable. You need only look at Bellyache's record without Smith on field to see it, not least of which the infamous Grand Final where Manly did them by 40 blot, even with the likes of Cronk and Slater out there in a cheating team. Without Smith, the Storm are nothing. A rudderless, error prone rabble.

There's a reason why the Storm want him to keep playing beyond 400 games

As well as bellamys 2/9 origin record and 1/3 city vs country nsw record, culminating in a pitiful 25% win record at rep level....

 

[I bleed Maroon]

As well as bellamys 2/9 origin record and 1/3 city vs country nsw record, culminating in a pitiful 25% win record at rep level....

A big part of the reason why I'm so happy he didn't end up coming here (the embarrassing circus it ended up being for the club that may cost us Bennett notwithstanding). Apart from his contemptible brand of football, his coaching record is a mirage.

 

[Huge]

There's being positive and there's being naive.....


No, it was a terrible/average season with patches of great. The fact we could not correct the same common issue all season is a huge concern and what makes it terrible/average. The lack of consistency and commitment on the field is not a minor thing, for me its leadership based - and you could see the pattern happening all season. Teams that challenge the title have this sorted, no team will ever waltz through to the GF unless other teams fall over like bowling pins due to injury and suspension.

Yes the top 8 was separated by two wins, but there's far far greater difference than what the table suggested. Ironically if it was for our patches of great against the top teams - the competition would have been more spread.

Really, you're entitled to your opinion but calling it terrible is plainly hysterical and a massive overstatement. In a season where you finish one game away from minor premier you can call it terrible? It was played over 25 fucking rounds ffs! The table result suggests it was a very very even competition so if we were terrible then so were the others who made the 8 because we all finished 25 tough rounds seperated by a single game so in what universe can that be considered terrible?

My description nailed it, some good some average and some poor. Your description is simply a steaming pile of shit and you need to sit back and consider how we really went with a bunch of inexperienced kids, a few plodders and injuries to key players. You'd have nothing to say had we won a game or two in the finals. You must be hurting because it's totalled all rational judgement with regards to the Broncos.

That said we do need a deep review, reassessment and to put in place some better strategies. It wasn't terrible at all, it was a good season that could have been better and gone on for longer.

Naive? Nah. Realistic, totally.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

Really, you're entitled to your opinion but calling it terrible is plainly hysterical and a massive overstatement. In a season where you finish one game away from minor premier you can call it terrible? It was played over 25 fucking rounds ffs! The table result suggests it was a very very even competition so if we were terrible then so were the others who made the 8 because we all finished 25 tough rounds seperated by a single game so in what universe can that be considered terrible?

My description nailed it, some good some average and some poor. Your description is simply a steaming pile of shit and you need to sit back and consider how we really went with a bunch of inexperienced kids, a few plodders and injuries to key players. You'd have nothing to say had we won a game or two in the finals. You must be hurting because it's totalled all rational judgement with regards to the Broncos.

That said we do need a deep review, reassessment and to put in place some better strategies. It wasn't terrible at all, it was a good season that could have been better and gone on for longer.

Naive? Nah. Realistic, totally.

 

[Jason Simmons]

Really, you're entitled to your opinion but calling it terrible is plainly hysterical and a massive overstatement. In a season where you finish one game away from minor premier you can call it terrible? It was played over 25 fucking rounds ffs! The table result suggests it was a very very even competition so if we were terrible then so were the others who made the 8 because we all finished 25 tough rounds seperated by a single game so in what universe can that be considered terrible?

My description nailed it, some good some average and some poor. Your description is simply a steaming pile of shit and you need to sit back and consider how we really went with a bunch of inexperienced kids, a few plodders and injuries to key players. You'd have nothing to say had we won a game or two in the finals. You must be hurting because it's totalled all rational judgement with regards to the Broncos.

That said we do need a deep review, reassessment and to put in place some better strategies. It wasn't terrible at all, it was a good season that could have been better and gone on for longer.

Naive? Nah. Realistic, totally.

Come on. 007 is the fountain of all football knowledge. Just ask him... The sly little nudge, nudge, wink, wink routine is still valid, is it not?

Sure we were only two points off 1st! Pathetic! Why weren’t we 1st? Only then would it be a good season... I guess by that sort of ‘logic’ we’ve had 26 garbage seasons and only 4 good ones in 30 years...

Hurting? I suppose he is, like most of us. The difference being his pre-season predictions have amounted to 2/5ths of ****-all, to the point where I doubt he’ll even revisit them, whereas some of us are quite happy that most of the dire pre-season predictions were proven about as accurate as George Bush Jnr’s maths answers...

 

[ostin86]

I hope you are all right. **** Melbourne!

 

[Gaz]

Finishing a couple of points out from the top four may suggest a successful year - on the surface. However, points for and against, when compared to the top teams, paint an entirely different picture and clearly indicate there is much work to be done in the off season for improvement to happen in 2019.

You only needed to go to the Warriors and Dragons home games, as I did, to understand acceptance of a successful year is being complacent and as such IMHO a mistake.

 

[Mitchell_Broncos]

How is the Video montages going?

 

[Number6]

I agree mixed year with a handful of huge highlights namely the young forwards and beating top teams (except Storm) but more problems coming to the surface and not really being dealt with any of issues from last 4 years. Finishing 2 points off in what seems like a high ‘regulated competition’ agree masks the real picture. The F and A is a better metric.

Biggest worry is refusal at the top to fix the obvious. A halfback (not paying a million a year to training up eventually), a fit fullback, skilful use of the Jet, lack of structure and wasted tackles inside 20, Macca for 80, refusal to engage a PR firm or some positive measures to manage the Sydney media and NRL to get a fair shake for the club paying everyone else’s bills, poor ruck management, roster mismanagement (not making Staggs 30th), no signs yet of a longer term cohesive succession plan except be click bait for guy that isn’t leaving Melbourne (this time it was give Bellamy the team and we win, last time it was give WB the team and we win premierships).

Only issue can see improved this year aside from young forwards is Milford can kick well and have an heir to goal kicking which are good but not a sign of tactical genius at work.

For me defence is the huge worry. Can’t go deep into September by leaking so many easy points. Part of that will be young blokes filling in for experienced defenders but a lot was also Boyd leaking 2 tries a game cause could run to get into position, Kodi being Maloney lite and what seemed like attitude. Worry is been conceding more points for 3 years in a row. They say defence wins premierships so on that metric was imo a very poor year for Broncs.

If we sort this crap out (most of which is very solvable except finding a halfback perhaps with current salary cap - have to pray O’Sullivan or Dargin or one of other blokes can stand up) and retain TPJ and Oates should be red hot for a premiership window.

Broncs and WB if retained has run out of excuses and seemingly goodwill of a lot of fans. Broncs are meant to be the one professional club in the sh**show that is the NRL. Add some passion for jersey and should have 2/3 top 4 finishes and at least 1 premiership next 3 years.

 

[Scorchie]

<blah blah blah>

That said we do need a deep review, reassessment and to put in place some better strategies. It wasn't terrible at all, it was a good season that could have been better and gone on for longer.

Naive? Nah. Realistic, totally.

I look at it in more simple terms - ladder position and finals performance:

2015: 2nd (two epic finals win and a GF loss)
2016: 5th (loss 2nd week Finals, thanks to JT and Morgan)
2017: 3rd (loss prelim final, yet another Storm destruction)
2018: 6th (yeah...)

So the way I see it, is that since the lofty highs there's three years of semi finals disappointment there.

2018? It wasn't terrible. It wasn't brilliant. The only good news story is the newbies in the squad and if that means the Class of 2008 is closer to moving on, that's fine by me.​

 

[john1420]

Very strong goal line defence is a hallmark of WB coached teams, and that was missing in 2018 (not every game, but for the season overall)

This is the single biggest problem we have

Fix it and we go a long way to being genuine title threats, even without discussing the halves