Bennett - 'Success won't happen overnight'

[Number6]

People always focus on the negatives. We were riddled with injuries across the park this year, Oates spent a while out, Boyd broke his hand then was on one leg, Milford played half a season with a busted shoulder, Hunt missed a fair bit with his hamstring, Macca was gone for the back third, Benji IIRC broke his hand in cup just as we needed him and Sims got broken just before finals. I'm not sure whether the same spine played more than three or four games in a row together all year. Yet we took a team missing the hooker (a key guy defensively who I heard won players' player despite missing a third of the year?), missing or broken fullback, busted five eight and an at-best raw halfback all the way to the prelims eventually losing to the best wrestlers in the business who got through the entire season with four losses, only two of them when the team was at full strength. But it's much cooler to point out how terrible certsin players are and really wind up the doom and gloom.

Cows lost their Messiah and their gun front rower - both captains and Key Australian players. Lots of other guys including fullback were injured at times. Yes they had time to adjust (because they let themselves) but JT is an immortal in waiting that is way more then we lost. I would lose a Boyd, Macca, Benji, Kahu and Sims for Thurston any day. Half of our replacements Hunt for Macca, KNik for Hunt, Sims out for anyone, Benji on bench were on paper improvements. Morgan stunk it up at first but he learnt and took his game to whole new level, Bolton and Asiata stepped up; our guys floundered under pressure (excluding Hunt who did well but still can't make the big calls). They astutely picked up a five-eight mid season we were afraid to give our young guns game time. Yes they flopped in GF and were disappointing but they were out of gas at that point and Melbourne had them outgunned. Can't doubt their commitment or effort. Without JT and Scott they should have missed finals, with our squad should have been second to Melbourne and given them a good tilt.

As for Macca winning for defence well as we saw no one else can fricking tackle without Boyd and Macca apparently that's the scary lesson I took. You don't have to be great if the other options can't string two good games together.

Yes I'm negative but as said before where is my F******* premiership? Or even a good honest try for one (2015 we got screwed but we also pissed it away with how we played in second half). As Sydney points out not as if we don't have advantages (although we have other disadvantages) it's getting ridiculous at this point.

 

[Allo]

Mate once he's in his strides, his extremely fast. I watched a broncos training in 2016.

Was that in open field sprints? Or toward defenders? He hates getting tackled and does that run where he lifts his feet 3 inches off the ground and tries to shuffle run sideways into them. Enough for him to still 'gain', but not with any noticeable speed.

 

[Cult]

Kahu isn't the captain and hasn't got a stranglehold on a key spine position. He also doesn't sook on tackles ruining momentum. Kahu went to fullback. His body (speed) wasn't up to it so was transferred back to wing where we needed him no fuss. He kicks us to victory, body wasn't up to it so he stopped (except when suspect Wayne asked him to do it before he was obviously ready and he muffed a few). He was injured he stopped playing, we needed so he came back mildly injured.

Apples and oranges.

Why can't you compare apples and oranges? Unless you're implying that the apple is a massively superior fruit? I just love the excuses that get thrown around for certain players around here. Boyd has a stranglehold because despite what you or anyone else on here thinks, he is the best fullback at the club and is easily one of the best in the game. I don't need a history lesson. When Kahu's body wasn't 100% he also walked towards the defense, exactly the same way Boyd has done recently. Lets not act like Boyd has always done it because he hasn't.

Why is Wayne asking Kahu to kick for us being used as an excuse? Do we even know if that's the case or did Kahu put his hand up and say he's alright to go this week? He kicks us to victory? Boyd has done a hell of a lot more for the Broncos, QLD and Australia and gets shit on constantly. He's not perfect but the excuses for everyone else seems fine.

 

[Taylor1921]

Was that in open field sprints? Or toward defenders? He hates getting tackled and does that run where he lifts his feet 3 inches off the ground and tries to shuffle run sideways into them. Enough for him to still 'gain', but not with any noticeable speed.

He never used to run like that, again no one knows why he is hesitant. Hopefully that changes. Because he wasn't doing it in 2015

 

[Taylor1921]

Cows lost their Messiah and their gun front rower - both captains and Key Australian players. Lots of other guys including fullback were injured at times. Yes they had time to adjust (because they let themselves) but JT is an immortal in waiting that is way more then we lost. I would lose a Boyd, Macca, Benji, Kahu and Sims for Thurston any day. Half of our replacements Hunt for Macca, KNik for Hunt, Sims out for anyone, Benji on bench were on paper improvements. Morgan stunk it up at first but he learnt and took his game to whole new level, Bolton and Asiata stepped up; our guys floundered under pressure (excluding Hunt who did well but still can't make the big calls). They astutely picked up a five-eight mid season we were afraid to give our young guns game time. Yes they flopped in GF and were disappointing but they were out of gas at that point and Melbourne had them outgunned. Can't doubt their commitment or effort. Without JT and Scott they should have missed finals, with our squad should have been second to Melbourne and given them a good tilt.

As for Macca winning for defence well as we saw no one else can fricking tackle without Boyd and Macca apparently that's the scary lesson I took. You don't have to be great if the other options can't string two good games together.

Yes I'm negative but as said before where is my F******* premiership? Or even a good honest try for one (2015 we got screwed but we also pissed it away with how we played in second half). As Sydney points out not as if we don't have advantages (although we have other disadvantages) it's getting ridiculous at this point.

All year long we were 10x times better than the cowboys. If you watched there finals games, they had every 50/50 call towards them. The officiating of all the cowboys games were a disgrace and this is coming from a person that was backing them to win there games. But it was a joke they only go to the grand final because of the terrible officiating.. I mean before that they lost something like 7/9 games before the finals started.

 

[Dexter]

They won 5 of the last 10

 

[Taylor1921]

They won 5 of the last 10

Sorry we're both wrong it's 6 losses for 4 wins. But they're last five games was 1 win and 4 losses

 

[Super Freak]

Why is Wayne asking Kahu to kick for us being used as an excuse? Do we even know if that's the case or did Kahu put his hand up and say he's alright to go this week?

That's exactly what happened.

He gave up the kicking duties for a couple of weeks and then he was rested.. When he came back, he took over the kicking duties because he didn't want to give them up especially in the finals.

 

[big k]

They won 5 of the last 10

With our first chouce hooker out, our first chouce half playing hooker, of 6 playing with a busted shoulder, our fullback and captain on one leg when playing, a front rower injured, our best winger, kick returner and try scoring freak in and out of the side playing busted.... The Storm are great, but you take Smith out, put Cronk at hooker, play Munster with a busted shoulder, have Slater play on one leg unable to run properly, one of thier top 3 props injured and have Vunivalu play busted for a handful of games and the would get the same from a fully fit Broncos side, a flogging.

I don't like making excuses, but gezz it's not like went into the last few weeks of the season and finals in good shape physically.

 

[Brotherdu]

He never used to run like that, again no one knows why he is hesitant. Hopefully that changes. Because he wasn't doing it in 2015

FWIW I saw a quote from Boyd somewhere that his hammy had actually been bothering him for a large part of the season but he had been managing it. Maybe that was why he was hesitant to stretch it out.

Personally, I have more of an issue with his whinging and gesticulating at the ref after every tackle than his kick returns...that's what we have Oates for :)

 

[john1420]

Cows lost their Messiah and their gun front rower - both captains and Key Australian players. Lots of other guys including fullback were injured at times. Yes they had time to adjust (because they let themselves) but JT is an immortal in waiting that is way more then we lost. I would lose a Boyd, Macca, Benji, Kahu and Sims for Thurston any day. Half of our replacements Hunt for Macca, KNik for Hunt, Sims out for anyone, Benji on bench were on paper improvements. Morgan stunk it up at first but he learnt and took his game to whole new level, Bolton and Asiata stepped up; our guys floundered under pressure (excluding Hunt who did well but still can't make the big calls). They astutely picked up a five-eight mid season we were afraid to give our young guns game time. Yes they flopped in GF and were disappointing but they were out of gas at that point and Melbourne had them outgunned. Can't doubt their commitment or effort. Without JT and Scott they should have missed finals, with our squad should have been second to Melbourne and given them a good tilt.

As for Macca winning for defence well as we saw no one else can fricking tackle without Boyd and Macca apparently that's the scary lesson I took. You don't have to be great if the other options can't string two good games together.

Yes I'm negative but as said before where is my F******* premiership? Or even a good honest try for one (2015 we got screwed but we also pissed it away with how we played in second half). As Sydney points out not as if we don't have advantages (although we have other disadvantages) it's getting ridiculous at this point.

Brisbane and Cowboys were both struck down by severe injuries, and both made it as deep into the finals as they could before being thoroughly outgunned by the same team.

Yet the Cowboys get applauded and the Broncos criticised?

Can't buy that

 

[Dash]

Brisbane and Cowboys were both struck down by severe injuries, and both made it as deep into the finals as they could before being thoroughly outgunned by the same team.

Yet the Cowboys get applauded and the Broncos criticised?

Can't buy that

Spot on. The Cowboys were lucky they didn't play the Storm until the GF.

 

[mrslong]

He never used to run like that, again no one knows why he is hesitant. Hopefully that changes. Because he wasn't doing it in 2015

Not sure if serious or fishing, but before Boyd left for the Dragons I used to call him "Mr Surrendaaaaahhhh" because he NEVER hit the ball up and ALWAYS surrendered before the tackle, he was so bad. I cheered when he left. He had improved a little bit at the Dragons and in 2015, but to say he never used to run like that is bollocks. It's his default ball return position.....SURRENNNDDAAAHHHH

 

[Taylor1921]

Not sure if serious or fishing, but before Boyd left for the Dragons I used to call him "Mr Surrendaaaaahhhh" because he NEVER hit the ball up and ALWAYS surrendered before the tackle, he was so bad. I cheered when he left. He had improved a little bit at the Dragons and in 2015, but to say he never used to run like that is bollocks. It's his default ball return position.....SURRENNNDDAAAHHHH

Wouldn't call it surrender, he always keeps marching forward. It's just like a shit version of what Hodges used to do. But Boyds return this year was way worse and useless even kodis returns were better. But hopefully he learns from this year, because it seemed like he start to run the ball with abit of venom round 25 before he did his hamstring

 

[tommy]

because it seemed like he start to run the ball with abit of venom round 25 before he did his hamstring

He did it once.

 

[Broncs_Fan]

Spot on. The Cowboys were lucky they didn't play the Storm until the GF.

Well the Cowboys did convincingly defeat the Roosters who we lost to. And they beat Parra away in Sydney fair and square, who towelled us up only a matter of weeks before on our home turf.

 

[Number6]

With our first chouce hooker out, our first chouce half playing hooker, of 6 playing with a busted shoulder, our fullback and captain on one leg when playing, a front rower injured, our best winger, kick returner and try scoring freak in and out of the side playing busted.... The Storm are great, but you take Smith out, put Cronk at hooker, play Munster with a busted shoulder, have Slater play on one leg unable to run properly, one of thier top 3 props injured and have Vunivalu play busted for a handful of games and the would get the same from a fully fit Broncos side, a flogging.

I don't like making excuses, but gezz it's not like went into the last few weeks of the season and finals in good shape physically.

Are you seriously comparing Macca with the greatest hooker of all time? Moving hunt who was generally terrible for 2 years with only flashes of brilliance (and who played better at hooker) with moving one the greatest halfbacks in QLD origin history. Besides reckon Cronk would go ok at hooker if had to because he is a true professional. They would have slotted Riley Jacks who was pretty damn good covering because they recruited and used their backup plan correctly as they did when he covered during the year. And Munster was great this year. Yes helped by his spine and forwards but he stepped up. Let's be honest Milf was hit and miss before the shoulder, more turnstile like but still couldn't kick or organise his way out of a wet paper bag. Not necessarily a criticism of Milford since he shouldn't have been asked to do that since we like to ignore a player's strengths and weaknesses to suit the vision of what they should do. Half the forum was calling for Sims to be sacked on and off the season. Not playing him, Thaiday and Blair simultaneously was in many ways a blessing in avoiding half a pack who would be lucky to make a 100m. And Storm would neither need or want Slater to play on one leg. Because for the two years he was injured they found a way to cover him without their entire defence going to pieces. Oates was a big loss too but most clubs can replace a winger without their backups starring in skating on ice or whatever the hell Mead was doing.

We got deep into September by losing to a terrible Roosters, won against an even more terrible Panthers, and lost to a Storm who opened the door and invited us in with red carpet by their standards in the first half.

Agree about the refs but if we are going to use that as an excuse then why bother turning up because we've been getting screwed for years and seems like NRL manipulation for fairytales aren't going away. Instead of bitching about refs suggest Broncs use some of that surplus to fund an audit by independent refs to hold over the NRL and start actually fighting corruption in the game. Also time to start putting heavy pressure on NRL and channel nine to stop the ridiculous press and biased scheduling. Hire some PR gurus to fight back with our own narrative. If push comes to shove what can NRL do to Broncs we are their largest source of revenue. Money overcomes a lot of other bulls***.

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

Well the Cowboys did convincingly defeat the Roosters who we lost to. And they beat Parra away in Sydney fair and square, who towelled us up only a matter of weeks before on our home turf.

And yet we finished 5 positions higher then them and got knocked out by the same team by nearly the same amount of points...

but yep, cowboys deserve an A+++ for all the heart and effort and we deserve to be banished from the nrl

Please note: poetic license given to over-dramatise the situation