Broncos 2020 Squad

[Kyle_Os]

Macca is a liability at dummy half. There is no downside to not having him there.

He's hardly a liability.
He is the same serviceable Macca who offers exactly the same every game. He's not great but he's not shit.
As depth he is a great bloke to have waiting in Q Cup to fill in if something were to happen to Turpin. Likelihood would be that he plays 50-60 and Paix plays the remaining 20-30 off the bench.
Anyone that says otherwise about him is kidding themselves.

 

[McHunt]

He's hardly a liability.
He is the same serviceable Macca who offers exactly the same every game. He's not great but he's not shit.
As depth he is a great bloke to have waiting in Q Cup to fill in if something were to happen to Turpin. Likelihood would be that he plays 50-60 and Paix plays the remaining 20-30 off the bench.
Anyone that says otherwise about him is kidding themselves.

He's a complete liability. There is a direct correlation between him being on the field and our attack losing its way. We never looked better than when he was out injured.

 

[McHunt]

While on the subject of Macca, I think he's gone. Here's why:

1. We know he's been shopped to the Warriors, so we know Pies doesn't want him.
2. He knows Pies doesn't want him around. That must be tense.
3. He's not in the Leadership Group. What?

Macca was widely tipped as the incoming captain only a year ago. Since then, he hasn't put a foot wrong. He's been club loyal, squeaky clean. When he was playing 80" he routinely topped the comp-wide tackle count, week in, week out. Before his injury - which he recovered from in record time - he handled the ball just about more than all the other players combined. He was involved in everything. Off the field, he's even hosting two other players. He's well spoken, happily married. Everyone seems to like him. Everyone seems to respect him. He doesn't Instagram shite. He's not covered in ugly tattoos. He's played for QLD. In short, he's a mentor.

So why would a bloke like that not be "leadership" material?

That says to me he's not in the mix.

 

[Kooly87]

Macca is a liability at dummy half. There is no downside to not having him there.

I can think of a clear liability. Do you not recall Josh McGuire and Sam Thaiday at Dummy Half? That's what happened last time we carried literally one Dummy Half in our squad and then he got injured.

I agree, he should only be a last resort, but he's without doubt a better alternative to playing a random Backrower at Dummy Half given what happened last time we were in that predicament.

 

[McHunt]

I can think of a clear liability. Do you not recall Josh McGuire and Sam Thaiday at Dummy Half? That's what happened last time we carried literally one Dummy Half in our squad and then he got injured.

I agree, he should only be a last resort, but he's without doubt a better alternative to playing a random Backrower at Dummy Half given what happened last time we were in that predicament.

We have Paix as backup hooker, and maybe Dearden, O'Sullivan, Bird, Glenn or even Staggs could slot into the ball playing roll. They'd all be better at distributing the ball than Macca. Defence is another conversation.

But yes, the likelihood of Turpin missing games has to be considered high given his size and the workload he'll be given. There's also the not-zero possibilty of an Origin callup.

 

[Sirlee oldman]

While on the subject of Macca, I think he's gone. Here's why:

1. We know he's been shopped to the Warriors, so we know Pies doesn't want him.
2. He knows Pies doesn't want him around. That must be tense.
3. He's not in the Leadership Group. What?

Macca was widely tipped as the incoming captain only a year ago. Since then, he hasn't put a foot wrong. He's been club loyal, squeaky clean. When he was playing 80" he routinely topped the comp-wide tackle count, week in, week out. Before his injury - which he recovered from in record time - he handled the ball just about more than all the other players combined. He was involved in everything. Off the field, he's even hosting two other players. He's well spoken, happily married. Everyone seems to like him. Everyone seems to respect him. He doesn't Instagram shite. He's not covered in ugly tattoos. He's played for QLD. In short, he's a mentor.

So why would a bloke like that not be "leadership" material?

That says to me he's not in the mix.

Yes. I thought the writing was on the wall when Lockyer was talking up Paix as the bench utility soon after the disaster at parramatta. Turpin was always going to be first pick for hooker next year and if Paix is on the bench then there’s no spot for Macca.

 

[tommy]

Is Macca still holding 2 hostages?

 

[Dash]

Is Macca still holding 2 hostages?

This is the real reason we recruited Croft, to take away Macca's Dearden bargaining chip.

 

[McHunt]

Yes. I thought the writing was on the wall when Lockyer was talking up Paix as the bench utility soon after the disaster at parramatta. Turpin was always going to be first pick for hooker next year and if Paix is on the bench then there’s no spot for Macca.

Has to be really. If he were being remodelled into a bench tacklebot he'd be in the Leadership Group. Well that's my thinking anyway.

The only thing anyone could possibly have against Macca is him gumming up the ballplay, and that's such a subjective assessment. But it's one that gained traction almost universally over the last few months.

He never makes mistakes, gives away penalties or drops the ball. Doesn't start fights, get drunk and piss in a cab. I could go on...

 

[Blindside Bronco]

T

Melbourne are shedding players left right and centre and don't seem to be signing replacements. Their Squad is down to 22-24 players. Why am I posting this on a Broncos forum? Well, maybe they will be coming for some of our fringe players. I know there are salary cap issues but potentially some outside backs like Bird (We'd have to pay serious freight), Perese, Farnworth, Perese, Niu or they are clearing the decks for a big signing in 2021.

Also, according to the Mole (So some will doubt it straight away), Warriors were interested in Macca but only if we took Blair. I would have done that deal. I don't know what anyone else thinks.

The Mole should be called The Dung Beatle. Because instead of digging up dirt, it just pushes shiit.

 

[Kooly87]

We have Paix as backup hooker, and maybe Dearden, O'Sullivan, Bird, Glenn or even Staggs could slot into the ball playing roll. They'd all be better at distributing the ball than Macca. Defence is another conversation.

But yes, the likelihood of Turpin missing games has to be considered high given his size and the workload he'll be given. There's also the not-zero possibilty of an Origin callup.

To be fair to him, Paix is totally untested at NRL level. He's not even proven and mostly still untested in that role at Queensland Cup level. He's as far as I can tell never played anything close to 80 minutes at Dummy Half at even Queensland Cup intensity, let alone what would be required to do the job at NRL level. Even if he could at best play some minutes, you still need someone else to cover the balance of the workload, which might well be quite a lot.

O'Sullivan is injured until the probably the last third of the season. Glenn, Staggs and Bird are all a complete lottery in the role and would require us to weaken the positions they already fill. Worst of all would be if we'd have to put Dearden there. A teenager in a role he's never played before, at a level he's barely played before, taking him away from the job he really should be doing in 2020 which is steering Wynnum around the park and killing it at Queensland Cup level.

I think literally all of those options are worse than Macca. Most of them are worse by a really long way. Like I said, he should be an absolute last resort, but if Turpin as you rightly pointed out, gets injured or even called up for Origin, we have to have a person capable of deputising for him at a modest standard, and for everything else you can say about him, Macca at least performed to a modest standard virtually every time he played for us.

All this goes back to the original point that bought this up though. He's still a far better insurance policy for us that Adam Blair, who would need a literal injury catastrophe to even come close to making our 17.

 

[McHunt]

Macca at least performed to a modest standard virtually every time he played for us.

We might as well give Paix some game time as waste another game with Macca. Seriously, enough already.

 

[1910]

To be fair to him, Paix is totally untested at NRL level. He's not even proven and mostly still untested in that role at Queensland Cup level. He's as far as I can tell never played anything close to 80 minutes at Dummy Half at even Queensland Cup intensity, let alone what would be required to do the job at NRL level. Even if he could at best play some minutes, you still need someone else to cover the balance of the workload, which might well be quite a lot.

O'Sullivan is injured until the probably the last third of the season. Glenn, Staggs and Bird are all a complete lottery in the role and would require us to weaken the positions they already fill. Worst of all would be if we'd have to put Dearden there. A teenager in a role he's never played before, at a level he's barely played before, taking him away from the job he really should be doing in 2020 which is steering Wynnum around the park and killing it at Queensland Cup level.

I think literally all of those options are worse than Macca. Most of them are worse by a really long way. Like I said, he should be an absolute last resort, but if Turpin as you rightly pointed out, gets injured or even called up for Origin, we have to have a person capable of deputising for him at a modest standard, and for everything else you can say about him, Macca at least performed to a modest standard virtually every time he played for us.

All this goes back to the original point that bought this up though. He's still a far better insurance policy for us that Adam Blair, who would need a literal injury catastrophe to even come close to making our 17.

Paix came off the bench towards the end of the season and played hooker and my take at the time was really uncertain. Redcliffe got out with a win over Tweed in the finals but him playing hooker looked really uncertain and just vague in his decision making. He was unsure if he was there to run or not.

I think they did him a disservice, you don’t have to be a interchange player to learn how to be an utility. He should be in the seven or nine full time than his decisions would be improving. His half play was improving until his injury. It’s like being an all rounder one of your skills has to be top notch.

The only game I’ve seen him play 9 for 80 minutes was U18 Origin in 2018.

 

[Painin the Haas]

Paix came off the bench towards the end of the season and played hooker and my take at the time was really uncertain. Redcliffe got out with a win over Tweed in the finals but him playing hooker looked really uncertain and just vague in his decision making. He was unsure if he was there to run or not.

I think they did him a disservice, you don’t have to be a interchange player to learn how to be an utility. He should be in the seven or nine full time than his decisions would be improving. His half play was improving until his injury. It’s like being an all rounder one of your skills has to be top notch.

The only game I’ve seen him play 9 for 80 minutes was U18 Origin in 2018.

He was strong in that game wasn’t he? From what I’ve seen I preferred him in the halves.
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We also have Hetherington as well who can play in the 2nd half of the season so there is depth at hooker now just inexperienced

 

[Bongo]

T
The Mole should be called The Dung Beatle. Because instead of digging up dirt, it just pushes shiit.

I think Moley is ok. I know nobody on here likes him.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

Yeah I think @McHunt hit it on the head. McCullough is clearly not in the frame for a spot at this point. The exclusion from the leadership group and the stuff about the Warriors just lines up too well and Seibold wasn't about to let Turpin walk for the sake of a player who has well and truly had his chances to be the hooker we need and failed every time.

 

[JamesC]

I think Moley is ok. I know nobody on here likes him.

I follow him on twitter and he seems a likeable-enough guy. Doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously.

 

[_wwong]

Yeah I think @McHunt hit it on the head. McCullough is clearly not in the frame for a spot at this point. The exclusion from the leadership group and the stuff about the Warriors just lines up too well and Seibold wasn't about to let Turpin walk for the sake of a player who has well and truly had his chances to be the hooker we need and failed every time.

But where will Coates and dearden live??