2018 Bronco season review.

[Donald Garner]

Honestly, i'm not sure. Not convinced with the emergence of some of these forwards we have we will go that way now. Depends on if we really want to play with that ball playing lock, which is different from say TPJ who plays lock but has an offload in him. I certainly think it would help our creativity if it works.

I'd personally set up with something like this for the start of next season if we are using the players we have right now.

1 Boyd
2 Issako
3 Roberts
4 Staggs
5 Oates
6 Milford
7 Nikorima
8 Lodge
9 Macca
10 McGuire
11 Glenn
12 Gillett
13 Bird

14 Turpin ( Nikorima though if Sullivan performs or we get another half back )
15 TPJ ( think we need him or Lodge from the bench to keep impact )
16 Sua
17 Carrigan

What i do think is we need to manage blokes like Gillo, Moose and Glenn a lot better. Resting them for a game here and there when you can bring in the likes of Fifita, Haas, Carrigan and give them game time is only going to help keep them fresh, and they are pretty good options.

Offa has to be in the side somewhere

 

[Wolfie]

Offa has to be in the side somewhere

I did that last time, he slipped my mind!

Tbh though, i'm struggling to fit certain players in. We would probably have to sacrifice either somebody like Turpin and go with 4 forwards. Probably move Carrigan out of the 17 and put Offa in.

 

[Kooly87]

I'm not in the camp that believes injuries were the reason we didn't win the prem this year. Can sit here all day comparing and contrasting injury lists and how other teams would have done if this or that happened but at the end of the day our roster had glaring weaknesses at the start of the season and they were never addressed.

For me our biggest issue is the spine. Milford had a great season and I reckon the development of his kicking game will be hugely beneficial for us in coming years. I'm not convinced Macca has improved since 2015 and while I think he's still good enough to be our hooker, he's too one dimensional to be an 80min hooker. I don't want to criticise Boyd because there are alot of people on here who will jump to his defence but I am hard pressed to remember more than three games that he played well in this year. Finally, the Kodi experiment at halfback clearly failed, despite some decent performances towards the end of the season I think we can put a line through him in that role.

On the positive side we unearthed some real promising forwards, TPJ had a breakout year, and the emergence of Isaako is bloody exciting.

This is 100% correct regarding our spine. Personal biases aside, it’s hard to argue that our spine isn’t amongst the weakest in the competition, and scarily, the depth outside our first choice options is also either totally unproven, totally non existent or both.

If we could even strengthen up our quality and depth in just two of the 4 spine positions, we’d pose a threat far more regularly than we do at this stage.

 

[Battler]

I'm not in the camp that believes injuries were the reason we didn't win the prem this year. Can sit here all day comparing and contrasting injury lists and how other teams would have done if this or that happened but at the end of the day our roster had glaring weaknesses at the start of the season and they were never addressed.

For me our biggest issue is the spine. Milford had a great season and I reckon the development of his kicking game will be hugely beneficial for us in coming years. I'm not convinced Macca has improved since 2015 and while I think he's still good enough to be our hooker, he's too one dimensional to be an 80min hooker. I don't want to criticise Boyd because there are alot of people on here who will jump to his defence but I am hard pressed to remember more than three games that he played well in this year. Finally, the Kodi experiment at halfback clearly failed, despite some decent performances towards the end of the season I think we can put a line through him in that role.

On the positive side we unearthed some real promising forwards, TPJ had a breakout year, and the emergence of Isaako is bloody exciting.

Macca needs to share the duties with someone else, preferably Niko because we should hopefully have another HB for next season. Turpin will hopefully be putting pressure on both of them though. Macca had 3/4s of a season before Blair destroyed his knee where he was capable of being an effective 80 min hooker, but those days are gone.

It was going okay until you compared a 20 year old kid with 23 FG games to the most capped player in Souths history who is 33 years old, played over 300 FG games and won a premiership. Suggesting Bird and Chambers/Gagai are on similar levels in the past 18 months is also a pretty big stretch. Also you've then gone and compared Haas to NAS? Again, one is a rookie with barely any experience and the other is a international representative with a premiership ring.

One of your weaker arguments TBH.

Identified players that would have had similar impacts on their sides' structures as our losses. Su'a was in better form than Sutton and was himself a rookie who came in for the best second row forward in the comp and performed at a level that ought to have earned him a QLD jersey. The point I was making is that the injuries we suffered created a bridge that we couldn't cross without cowboys 2017 luck.

This is 100% correct regarding our spine. Personal biases aside, it’s hard to argue that our spine isn’t amongst the weakest in the competition, and scarily, the depth outside our first choice options is also either totally unproven, totally non existent or both.

If we could even strengthen up our quality and depth in just two of the 4 spine positions, we’d pose a threat far more regularly than we do at this stage.

Reliable sources claim that we have some of the best half talent in the comp (Dearden, Paix, Boyd, and now SOS who was excellent for the rorters). If they are as talented as our forwards I'm happy to give them a bit of time at the expense of a season or two if it means we can win 3-4 comps in 5 years, which is definitely possible if we add a couple of rep halves to our current crop of forwards. If, best scenario, they all fire we may need to make a tough call on Milf.

 

[Jason Simmons]

Honestly, i'm not sure. Not convinced with the emergence of some of these forwards we have we will go that way now. Depends on if we really want to play with that ball playing lock, which is different from say TPJ who plays lock but has an offload in him. I certainly think it would help our creativity if it works.

I'd personally set up with something like this for the start of next season if we are using the players we have right now.

1 Boyd
2 Issako
3 Roberts
4 Staggs
5 Oates
6 Milford
7 Nikorima
8 Lodge
9 Macca
10 McGuire
11 Glenn
12 Gillett
13 Bird

14 Turpin ( Nikorima though if Sullivan performs or we get another half back )
15 TPJ ( think we need him or Lodge from the bench to keep impact )
16 Sua
17 Carrigan

What i do think is we need to manage blokes like Gillo, Moose and Glenn a lot better. Resting them for a game here and there when you can bring in the likes of Fifita, Haas, Carrigan and give them game time is only going to help keep them fresh, and they are pretty good options.

No room in your team for Haas, Fifita or Offa?

Don’t see that happening personally...

 

[Wolfie]

No room in your team for Haas, Fifita or Offa?

Don’t see that happening personally...

Nope, i dont see a place for Haas or Fifita just yet consistently in the 17. Haas has done nothing in the scheme of things yet, and we dont need to rush an 18 year old when we dont have to. They are both just the new shiny things people want in the team.

Gillett providing he is back to his best is a much better player at this moment in time than any other backrower we have. Glenn to me is also criminally underrated and i'd be starting with him and Gillo. Its up to them then to perform and keep their spots. If they cant, we have Sua and Fifita waiting in the wings to take their spots.

Offa was an oversight, but it shows the depth we have when you can overlook him and still put a strong 17 in.

 

[Sproj]

Nope, i dont see a place for Haas or Fifita just yet consistently in the 17. Haas has done nothing in the scheme of things yet, and we dont need to rush an 18 year old when we dont have to. They are both just the new shiny things people want in the team.

Gillett providing he is back to his best is a much better player at this moment in time than any other backrower we have. Glenn to me is also criminally underrated and i'd be starting with him and Gillo. Its up to them then to perform and keep their spots. If they cant, we have Sua and Fifita waiting in the wings to take their spots.

Offa was an oversight, but it shows the depth we have when you can overlook him and still put a strong 17 in.

Haas I can understand but Fifita has been phenomenal. Even yesterday, probably the best Bronco out there. He has been amazingly consistent for an 18 year old.

 

[Renegade]

Yeah I can understand haas but imo fifita has to find a spot in the 17. Hasn't put a foot wrong since he debuted.

 

[john1420]

I think we also need to remember, Wayne only said Nikorima was our halfback for this year. Next year it might not be the case.

If only he said the same about Darius

 

[mrslong]

As much as I hate it, we need a proper wrestling coach. We need to hold down in the ruck and dominate the play the balls. We need to go up the penalty conceded chart. This is how you win. They did away with the penalty blitz to go back to the preferred Melbourne Storm ruck control game, so that's what we have to do.

Add in a half back and Niko to the bench to give Macca a spell and we will be OK.

 

[Wolfie]

Haas I can understand but Fifita has been phenomenal. Even yesterday, probably the best Bronco out there. He has been amazingly consistent for an 18 year old.

I just dont think we need to rush him. Its either him or Sua for me, and i'd put Sua just in front. Glenn either off the bench or starting is a must, and so is Gillo ( presuming he is back to what he can be ), but they have to perform as we have talent breathing down their necks.

 

[Jedhead]

I love how fans single out a player. It was Hunt till he left, now Macca ( Who was one of our better players in the loss )

Our biggest issue this year was experience. We got exposed in certain areas where we had injuries and lacked experience. It was very smart of the Dragons to attack our edges like that. When you consider that we had Gillett, Glenn and Sua, our best edge defenders by a long way all sitting on the sidelines watching from the stands you have to give some credit to the opposition for exploiting it like that.

I know many want TPJ in the backrow... no, hell no. His defense isn't up for it, he is a middle forward and most of his best games were in the front row.

My verdict on Bennett is still a fence sitting one. We need to fix our defense and attitude when playing teams we should beat easily. Is he the man for the job moving forward, I don't know. What I do know is if we are going to replace him, we need to make it happen sooner rather than later.

I'm happy with our roster for next year provided we keep Oates and TPJ. I think Kahu's days are numbered, especially in the centres, he either plays wing or moves on. We have Staggs and the Shib whom I would like to see there.

Our side I would like to see next year is

Boyd
Oates
Shibasaki
Roberts
Isaako
Milford
Nikorima
Lodge
McCullough
TPJ
Sua
Gillett
McGuire


Offa
Hass
Fafita
Glenn

I think guys like Turpin, Staggs and Sulivan will get game time based on injuries and rep call ups.

no spot for Bird then even the bench? 18th man maybe?

 

[007]

I just dont think we need to rush him. Its either him or Sua for me, and i'd put Sua just in front. Glenn either off the bench or starting is a must, and so is Gillo ( presuming he is back to what he can be ), but they have to perform as we have talent breathing down their necks.

I see Fifita being more flexible in terms of if worst case - can slip into the centres much like Glenn has occasionally. SUA is a must for back row.

Also being so young both HAAS and Fifita need to manage their bodies, they are no where near full strength as an adult in their late 28-35 age bracket. Rotating them would have value in managing their physical health at NRL level.

 

[GCBRONCO]

The thing with Gillett is how he goes in the off-season is going to be critical for his return, it's not just his neck of concern it's his shoulder as well. He will need to build confidence and fitness during that time and then patience will need to be shown for him during the 2019 season. That is why I think keeping Glenn around for a season or two is important we need that experience to bridge the gap we can't just go in assuming that Gillett will make the perfect return.

As far as Fifita and Sua go, lets see how they go during the off-season and the trials, give the opening opportunity to the one who shows the most hunger as you can make an argument for either to be there.

 

[Number6]

Btw is mad Monday on? Never understood why players get rewarded with a party for losing... don’t mind them getting wild behind closed doors after end of season review but u don’t get to celebrate straight after last game. Make them reflect on the season that was then u can celebrate or commiserate it. Especially after the crap served up on Sunday. Should be back at training and video analysis for another week just to get the message home.

 

[GCBRONCO]

Btw is mad Monday on? Never understood why players get rewarded with a party for losing... don’t mind them getting wild behind closed doors after end of season review but u don’t get to celebrate straight after last game. Make them reflect on the season that was then u can celebrate or commiserate it. Especially after the crap served up on Sunday. Should be back at training and video analysis for another week just to get the message home.

 

[GCBRONCO]

McCullough really looks wasted in that first one.

 

[Stix]

It's never a good feeling knowing the season is done and getting beaten like that has just rubbed a bit of salt into the wound. But I feel like they did pretty well despite some glaring issues with the 2018 Broncos side. Our spine was spluttering from the get go and I think all fans knew it was going to be an uphill battle with Kodi and Milf trying to find some rhythm and consistency, and Boyd struggling with his 80 year old hammies and lack of confidence. We were fucked over with injury all season with Bird and Gillett early and then Sua plus Kahu, Glenn and TPJ all having time off with niggles. Most "experts" had us missing the 8 and with probably good reasons to think that way... But our halves had some good games and our forwards went from being a bunch of nobodies to the most exciting, sought after group of young forwards in the comp. This year was always going to be a tough one and although the last few weeks gave us all a glimmer of hope I'm pretty sure we all knew how this season was going to end and I'm happy we got as far as we did. The future is very bright, bring on 2019.