Auckland 9s - Broncos vs Roosters - LIVE Discussion

[Cult]

McCullough and Kodi need to realise this is the Auckland 9s and not the Auckland 1s if we are to win our next game.

 

[1910]

Maranta is still a useless winger.

I think he will stay on the wing, unless one of our reserve graders forces him out.

You're half right.

 

[1910]

Parcell is a gun

That's one hell of a promotion from not even in the 17, 24 hours ago.

 

[Danoz Direct]

You're half right.

Which half?

 

[Big Pete]

May as well do a write up here as well.

Broncos
2. Elijah Alick
5. Lachlan Maranta
6. Anthony Milford
7. Darren Nicholls
9. Andrew McCullough
10. Francis Molo
11. Alex Glenn
13. Todd Lowrie
14. Aaron Whitchurch

1. Kodi Nikorima
8. James Gavet
12. Joe Ofahengaue
16. Matt Parcell
17. Jayden Nikorima

Brisbane get us underway and they're content to keep it simple. Couple of rucks through the middle, shift left to see if there's anything happening before McCullough challenges the Roosters with the bomb. The referees (correctly) find Maranta off-side and just to add insult to injury, instead of throwing the ball back on the inside to Milford who would have been the superior option, he goes to Glenn who would have been tackled. Once again, you can ill-afford to make those sorts of mistakes.

Thankfully the Broncos were let off the hook as Kane Evans made an unforced error inside the Broncos half. Brisbane were looking good in defence it must be said but the Chooks had yet to challenge Milford.

On the next set, Milford gives Brisbane fans a taste of his skills as he somehow flicks a sublime offload to Maranta who sums the situation up well. In the ensuing exchange of passes, Pearce collects McCullough high and Brisbane receive their first opportunity of the series.

They get lucky as McCullough catches the Roosters defence off-side on the last. They should have scored this set Brisbane but they just couldn't spread the ball and a couple of plays were brought down just short. Must say, Gavet did well to make a cut-out pass from McCullough look better than what it was. It was bit of a hospital pass yet somehow he broke a few tackles and basically earned that penalty for the Broncos.

The repeat set didn't amount to anything as the Broncos shift it on first tackle, Whitchurch throws an offload back to Alick who somehow wasn't expecting it and he spills it to let the Roosters off the hook.

Roosters give the Broncos another shot as Mitch Williams loses it getting up to play the ball to give the Broncos another crack. They ruck their way up before going left through Jayden Nikorima who found Whitchurch before he was brought down not far out from the Roosters line. However instead of putting a kick up and really challenging the Roosters, Jayden goes for the selfish play, putting a grubber through for himself and spoiling another good opportunity.

Roosters make good metres as they spread the ball side to side before Pearce fails to collect a RTS speculator, giving Brisbane the ball inside their own half. They ruck it up before the Chooks are penalised for a strip on Parcell.

Then finally a couple of plays later, the Broncos score through Nicholls. There didn't seem to be a lot happening as Pearce got caught up in the ruck, but a smart play by Parcell to turn the ball back to Nicholls had just played the ball caught the Roosters short on the fringe. 4-0 Brisbane

On the return set, there was an opportunity for the Roosters to swing the ball left since Maranta had dropped back for the 40/20 but instead they chose to go through the middle where Williams coughed it up. Brisbane with one last play string a few offloads together but nobody looks to be in any position out there and a blind Glenn offload finds nobody as it dribbles over the sideline.

HT

An early mistake from the Roosters gave the Broncos an early opportunity but the Roosters cover defence forced Alick over the sideline. Elijah is receiving a lesson in some basic fundamentals there, he should have realised that since Nicholls had to pass the ball early (since he was falling over as he received it) he needed to try and beat the oncoming chase with a step back on the inside but the chance to extend the Broncos lead got the best of him.

Roosters go sideline to sideline and look to catch the Broncos short on Milford's side again but an errant pass RTS results in a loose pass. Fortunately for him, Gavet bobbles it while trying to beat McDonald to the ball and the Chooks receive another shot at the Broncos in their best opportunity of the afternoon.

Roosters go close on tackle 3 as McDonald races back on the inside, bumps off McCullough and Ofahengaue before Maranta turns him on his back in the in-goal. The referee says Maranta stripped McDonald of the ball and was tackled inside his own in-goal but on the vision we saw, McDonald had possession. An odd call as the Roosters receive a goal-line drop out.

Chooks look like they're going to score at any moment but three consecutive try saving tackles by Brisbane, two from Jayden Nikorima, enabled them to keep their clean sheet.

Brisbane worked their way out of trouble with some basic plays before McCullough put through a smart clearing kick that eventually lead to a goal line drop-out as Lowrie somehow managed to round up RTS right as he was about to make the Broncos chase look stupid. It didn't amount to anything though as the Broncos were content to play one out football, Milford in particular decided to back himself instead of looking to pass it even after he beat a few would be defenders from the Roosters. A last tackle kick from McCullough is ruled not played at as the Roosters survived on a 50/50 call.

Sydney had a chance threw Stapleton but some good cover defence from Kodi Nikorima and Glenn forced a mistake just as the Roosters were in dangerous field territory.

It appeared as if the Broncos were going to win it from there, but in a scene that's far too familiar for any Broncos fan, James Gavet lost the ball with a loose carry as the Roosters came up with it 40m out from the Broncos line. It wasn't too long before McCullough bought a dummy from RTS who strolled over and gave the Roosters a seemingly undeserved lead with less than a minute remaining. Roosters 6-4

Brisbane tried one roll of the dice down the left-hand side but Kodi had no other choice but to throw a forward pass to Milford who over-ran him. Parcell crossed the try-line thinking he'd scored but reality soon hit as the Broncos started their campaign with a tough loss.

Summary: A tough loss to cop. They had plenty of opportunities to seal that one, but didn't play with enough shape or came up with selfish options and unfortunately they were always going to be susceptible to this sort of loss. Still plenty of good signs from the Broncos here as they defended their line with plenty of heart and came up with a couple of smart plays that they just couldn't spring together. Player of the match is a tough one but I may pick Matt Parcell for his darts around dummy half and his quick thinking to set Nicholls up for the sole try.

 

[Unbreakable]

You're half right.

Is that confirmation that Maranta will be on the right wing with Copley at left centre?