2024 pre-season discussion: Pre-season Premiers

[McHunt]

So if Arthars and Oates are the wingers and why not? Who goes to right wing?

Oates for certain.

If you're wondering (spoiler: you're not) about Cobbo vs Arthars at centre, here's a reminder of what happened when they faced off this time last year:

 

[McHunt]

Paix going nowhere:

 

[McHunt]

Fox sports has an article about Campbell Graham missing half the season

 

[Big Del]

Hit him in the shoulder , not the sternum .

 

[Footy Fanatic]

Oates for certain.

If you're wondering (spoiler: you're not) about Cobbo vs Arthars at centre, here's a reminder of what happened when they faced off this time last year:

Hopefully Cobbo moving to the left will allow him to use that right hand fend more like he did for that try.

 

[McHunt]

Thunderbirds are go!

 

[Sproj]

From Zerotackle:
"Willison is a known quantity, although has struggled with injury in recent seasons, but Te Kura is a man mountain and will, by all reports, win a jersey for Round 1."

Umm...have ANY reports had Te Kura as winning a jersey for round 1 like anywhere at all? I cannot think of even one. Kevvie himself even said midseason at the earliest for Te Kura.

I just wish I could get paid to make stuff up.

 

[GCBRONCO]

Corey Oates on last season and Arthars:

Oates didn’t tiptoe around the fact it was “hard to cop” but after four months to reflect, he has no ill-feeling towards Walters or Arthars. In fact, he knows it was the “right decision” and credited Arthars for earning the promotion.

“What happened at the end of the year, it was definitely deserved for Jesse to have the spot. He played unreal and my body had just been through a hell of a year,” Oates conceded.

“It was hard when I got told — probably the hardest thing to ever cop.

“But when I look back — and even through it — the first week was really tough, I didn’t really think too much about why...

“When I was a young kid it was all about taking opportunities, when an older player got injured you had to take it because you don’t get many chances in this game. It’s a credit to Jesse that he took his opportunity and he played really good footy — I thought he was one of our best players in the finals series.

“While it’s very hard to cop and deal with, at the end of the day I feel like it was the right decision for the team.

 

[Fitzy]

From Zerotackle:
"Willison is a known quantity, although has struggled with injury in recent seasons, but Te Kura is a man mountain and will, by all reports, win a jersey for Round 1."

Umm...have ANY reports had Te Kura as winning a jersey for round 1 like anywhere at all? I cannot think of even one. Kevvie himself even said midseason at the earliest for Te Kura.

I just wish I could get paid to make stuff up.

This report in the courier mail as well about players playing for spots in trials stating that Mariner is trying to play himself into centre contention . Fucken ludicrous.

 

[McHunt]

From Zerotackle:
"Willison is a known quantity, although has struggled with injury in recent seasons, but Te Kura is a man mountain and will, by all reports, win a jersey for Round 1."

Umm...have ANY reports had Te Kura as winning a jersey for round 1 like anywhere at all? I cannot think of even one. Kevvie himself even said midseason at the earliest for Te Kura.

I just wish I could get paid to make stuff up.

None that I've seen, but I think it's fair to give the impression that EVERYONE in every trial has a chance at being named in first round (okay second, given the whole Vegas thing). I mean that's the aspiration. Even Billy, who is 100% guaranteed to be the 9, plays this charade that his position is immediately under the threat from three other guys.

I'm going to allow it, even if we all know it's mere puffery.

That said, I would love to see the Mozer/Te Kura combination get their chance sooner than later.

 

[McHunt]

This report in the courier mail as well about players playing for spots in trials stating that Mariner is trying to play himself into centre contention . Fucken ludicrous.

Diversity hire - Pamela Whaley - wrote that. Clearly hasn't a clue.

 

[McHunt]

Matt Ballin:

"The door is certainly open for Te Kura, along with Willison, it's up to those boys to take their opportunity. Our club is based on working hard and getting an opportunity. Kevin Walters is big on competing, and if those guys want to push for a spot in the side, they will be right up there. We've been talking to Benny about keeping it really simple. He is a big body. He just wants to be playing good minutes at the moment and get his fitness up and make his tackles. If he runs the ball he is very damaging, so we just want him to run hard, and if the offload comes off the back of that, it comes."​

"He was more of an edge back-rower, but he has filled out and is obviously going to end up in the middle. For us he was more damaging on the edge. Blokes would come to tackle him and he would reach over them and get the offload away."​

Schoolboy coach and former Broncos hooker Michael Roberts:

"At school Ben was aggressive. One of the key things I liked about him was the mongrel in him. It made me think he might kick on. The really big guys are a target and he will have a target on his head, but he is tough enough to handle it in the middle both physically and mentally. Ben has done well since leaving school and he has been a good person and worked hard. He has done all the little things well and embraced all the values that we certainly push at our school."​

Dave Porter, who coached Te Kura in Year 10:

"Ben was head and shoulders above everyone else in height, always. You would look up and see this big grin ... and below that would be the heads of the other boys."​

 

[BroncsFan]

From Zerotackle:
"Willison is a known quantity, although has struggled with injury in recent seasons, but Te Kura is a man mountain and will, by all reports, win a jersey for Round 1."

Umm...have ANY reports had Te Kura as winning a jersey for round 1 like anywhere at all? I cannot think of even one. Kevvie himself even said midseason at the earliest for Te Kura.

I just wish I could get paid to make stuff up.

I think it's just all been on the back of when Kevvie was talking about "looking to debut Te Kura sometime this year"... Fox went with an ambiguous headline about Kevvie unleashing him ... and so now they're just reporting like he's a starter even though Kevvie says in the original quote that he's going to start in Qcup

Kevvie's quote

Fox Sports Headline

 

[Sproj]

'He will start in the Queensland Cup and work his way through' - I mean it is right there.

 

[McHunt]

Ballin:

“Coby Black is talented – he has a massive future. He works hard on his craft and is very skilful with the ball. He is really confident in what he is doing, but he is doing it with humility.”​

​

“A young kid coming into first grade as a halfback has to be good at tackling because they are going to get spotted and Coby has worked hard on that. These young guys have had a good pre-season and we’ll see how they go playing. It’s up to him. I’m not going to say he will be the long-term halfback here, but if Coby wants to work hard, then the sky is the limit. He is a great young kid, he applies himself and works hard. He comes in and talks to Lee Briers our attack coach, he talks to ‘Kevvie’ and ‘Alf’ (Langer) and asks them questions, so he is giving himself the best chance.”​

Jordan Rankin, Queensland City under-17s coach:

“I’ve been in the same position Coby’s in … the young aspiring half who has the world at his feet. He’s a kid that really wants to learn, he’s willing to take on information. He’s in the Broncos system. He’s a really good organising half, he’s got a really good kicking game … everyone’s talking about this young kid coming through.”​

​

 

[Manofoneway]

Yet to see anything from mam to warrant switching to HB. Would love for him to stay at 5/8 and let this young bloke come through with a naturally decent kicking game.

We were burned so bad trying to turn Milford into something he was not. Lets hope they don't do the same to Mam.

 

[KateBroncos1812]

Don't get me wrong Milford started Strong then he lost his way. I hope none of the current squad turns out like him. It seems this squad is more stronger

 

[Fitzy]

Yet to see anything from mam to warrant switching to HB. Would love for him to stay at 5/8 and let this young bloke come through with a naturally decent kicking game.

We were burned so bad trying to turn Milford into something he was not. Lets hope they don't do the same to Mam.

I watched the first half of the second Penrith game last season recently and noticeably we were more dominant than Penrith for a fair chunk of that half and noticeably Ezra seemed a lot more. Oval and controlling that game without really taking much of a kicking load. For sure I agree he should remain a 6 for as long as we can keep him there but I don’t think he will be entirely useless. I just don’t think it’s a position where 21 year olds possess the skillset to be successful. You see it in lots of sports in playmaking positions. Look how much he has improved since he debuted he has that much time plus some till Reyno leaves so he has time to get there, nobody expects him to currently be of that ability. I think if Madden and Coby shit the bed we have no other choice but to play Ezra at halfback we just won’t be in the market for a quality halfback unless we shit the bed with retention over the next few years.

I’d still play Jock and Coby at 7 with the hopes they can get the best out of Ezra. If Mozer lives up to his hype and Ezra and Walsh continue to grow we don’t need a dominant halfback at all, they just need to be a premiership quality kicker and be vocal enough and smart enough to guide players around. They don’t necessarily need to put together 25 try involvements a season like Reyno currently is. Ezra only had 9 try assists last year imagine if his skillset could get to a stage where he was 15-15 (tries-try assists) by the end of the year. If he can get to that and Mozer can manipulate and control a game from dummy half we will eventually get to a stage where Mozer, Ezra and Walsh will be calling the shots from there positions. You have to remember we currently have a very controlling lock. I think it’s not going to be a difficult job to be a halfback in this side I do however think it will be a difficult job convincing Ezra he doesn’t need to be the halfback in this side.