RANT Broncos Realistic Spine options for the Next year or so

[Mustafur]

It doesn't take a genius to know this is our massive weak spot in our team, we have good outside backs and forwards with a diarrhea spine, probably the worst in the competition.

What options would you give for the spine given we are supposed in a limited cap space scenario(as we have to resign quite a few young players).

for me this is how I would go for now as the future(alleast to see how it would work).

1. Herbie
6. Staggs
7. Dearden
9. B.Smith/Turpin rotation

 

[WASSHHH]

It doesn't take a genius to know this is our massive weak spot in our team, we have good outside backs and forwards with a diarrhea spine, probably the worst in the competition.

What options would you give for the spine given we are supposed in a limited cap space scenario(as we have to resign quite a few young players).

for me this is how I would go for now as the future(alleast to see how it would work).

1. Herbie
6. Staggs
7. Dearden
9. B.Smith/Turpin rotation

It’s not out of this world amazing, but I’d be willing to give it a go.
Can’t be any worse than what we’ve got and I actually believe Herbie and Staggs could give a good account of themselves.

We also don’t need to hoist midfield bombs ad-nauseum when we’re scoring tries.

 

[broncos4life]

**** Dearden off I’m over him. Get Reynolds and he fixes a lot.

 

[pagey]

**** Dearden off I’m over him. Get Reynolds and he fixes a lot.

Yeah cause he's been shit for years definitely need to get rid of him , but we should keep Turpin he's amazing

 

[theshed]

I think for whatever reason if you refuse to go to market, that Isaako should remain fullback out of the current squad. If that were the case I would throw whatever money it took to get Billy Slater to do 1:1 sessions with him during the off season. Billy played a huge part in transforming Paps into (imo) the best fullback in the game. I’m not sure if Isaako is as coachable as Paps but his biggest flaw is his defensive organising and Billy could improve that part of his game immensely. Physically he is a beast, and has amazing footwork like Roger but if we could get a tenth of Slaters brains in him he would be very serviceable. He has improved a lot under the highball and I think he could learn a smarter passing game.

Otherwise I’d look externally to a guy like Hynes as a cheap specialist option to hold down the spot for a year or 2 on a moderate contract until someone more exciting becomes available.


We need to sign Reynolds, which means Kev has to decide between his alleged Staggs experiment and keeping Dearden.

We need a hooker to support Turpin. Doesn’t have to be too flash but experience would be handy.

 

[winslow_wong]

Yeah cause he's been shit for years definitely need to get rid of him , but we should keep Turpin he's amazing

We need a new 1, 6, 7 and 9. Because our current ones are all shit.

 

[Mister Wright]

When you get the spoon and lose 4/5 the following year, nobody should be safe. With Reynolds going to market he should be priority no. 1. Whether you get him to guide Staggs or Dearden is a club decision. You can’t worry about potential or letting one get away. We’re not in that position. We’ve seen what relying on potential and not having a bough experience in the spine has done to our club.

 

[pagey]

We need a new 1, 6, 7 and 9. Because our current ones are all shit.

Can't buy a whole new spine , a 9 , 6 or 7 for sure.

 

[Wolfie]

We need a 7 and 9 minimum. We have enough talent for the other positions to get by for now.

 

[Dash]

We need a 7 and 9 minimum. We have enough talent for the other positions to get by for now.

This. A good 7 and 9 will make our 6 and 1 look better immediately.

 

[pagey]

We need a 7 and 9 minimum. We have enough talent for the other positions to get by for now.

Yep at least a dummy half and half that can game manage and guide a team around, we can easily fill the other positions . C Smith would have been perfect for this team.

 

[Waynesaurus]

I think a sharp 9 who can dart from dummy half and get the ball out quickly trying to build momentum is what we need, our structured plays aren't that good, we aren't clinical, we aren't fast with them either, I think we are better off concentrating on a simple fast game and just using the speed we do have in players like Herbie, Mead, Tesi, Isaako.

Quick darts from dummy half followed by fast guys on the back of quick play the balls building momentum and turning the opposition around. Kev really needs to work on our play the ball speed, the opposition are already back and set ready to race up on us by the time the ball is played.

Our game is slow compared to the top teams, under the new rules you can't be slow.

 

[Sproj]

1. Farnworth
6. Staggs

We already have these important pieces at the club. As mentioned above, 7 and 9 are the key issues

 

[Kimlo]

Hopefully we pull off a sneaky signing like that Clarke dude from SL. No idea if he's good, but if he's even above average he'll be a better first choice rake than Turpin. Turpin is a fine hooker, but he's not 80 minutes and isn't someone to build the club around.

I wouldn't take B.Smith either. He wants way too much and I think he's been found out as a 9, he just isn't fit enough , more an impact player.

 

[lynx000]

Hopefully we pull off a sneaky signing like that Clarke dude from SL. No idea if he's good, but if he's even above average he'll be a better first choice rake than Turpin. Turpin is a fine hooker, but he's not 80 minutes and isn't someone to build the club around.

I wouldn't take B.Smith either. He wants way too much and I think he's been found out as a 9, he just isn't fit enough , more an impact player.

I actually don't think Turpin is a `fine hooker' TBH. His service the other night was far worse than McCullough. He does not really have a running game that he uses. Those looping lollipop passes to the halves were doing my head in.

 

[pagey]

I actually don't think Turpin is a `fine hooker' TBH. His service the other night was far worse than McCullough. He does not really have a running game that he uses. Those looping lollipop passes to the halves were doing my head in.

Yep average at best imo

 

[Stix]

I actually don't think Turpin is a `fine hooker' TBH. His service the other night was far worse than McCullough. He does not really have a running game that he uses. Those looping lollipop passes to the halves were doing my head in.

His service lately has been flat out awful. I’m pretty sure I remember seeing Dearden or Milf have a go at him at one point after yet another shit ball that someone had to reach above their head for. I can’t believe we didn’t go hard for BSmith.

 

[rnabokov]

I think for whatever reason if you refuse to go to market, that Isaako should remain fullback out of the current squad. If that were the case I would throw whatever money it took to get Billy Slater to do 1:1 sessions with him during the off season. Billy played a huge part in transforming Paps into (imo) the best fullback in the game. I’m not sure if Isaako is as coachable as Paps but his biggest flaw is his defensive organising and Billy could improve that part of his game immensely. Physically he is a beast, and has amazing footwork like Roger but if we could get a tenth of Slaters brains in him he would be very serviceable. He has improved a lot under the highball and I think he could learn a smarter passing game.

Otherwise I’d look externally to a guy like Hynes as a cheap specialist option to hold down the spot for a year or 2 on a moderate contract until someone more exciting becomes available.


We need to sign Reynolds, which means Kev has to decide between his alleged Staggs experiment and keeping Dearden.

We need a hooker to support Turpin. Doesn’t have to be too flash but experience would be handy.

Here's my take on Isaako. He has a lot of talent and very good skills however, my problem with his play is the he believes his own hype. Self portraits are usually coloured. Rather than helping the team as his absolute 1st priority, for mine, he instead helps himself - to show off. That try he scored with his amazing stepping against the Dogs was for mine, all ego. The better option was to look inside and pass to Herbie who was unmarked, and would have strolled in under the posts. This was the safest option. Isaako did not look to his inside. He saw an opportunity to show off his very good footwork. His ego came first, the team second.

Then, when he is put under serious pressure, he panics and either doesn't pass, kicks stupid or just takes a tackle when other options would have been better.

Because of this ego, which for mine is an example of the self entitlement a number of our players have, he just doesn't put in where it counts, like organising the defence on the line. He may have footy smarts but he doesn't show them. Because of this, I wonder if he is, at this stage, able to be coached. Coached to always look to support Haas as Paps and Teddy support their running forwards, or standing up or to the sides of a scrum ready to run an angle say, changing the point of attack, as Paps does so well.

I would have expected by now that he would have moved a lot further in his growth as a player than he has. He is for mine a very good player who could become so much better if he put himself second, and the team first.

As for Reynolds, absolutely. He is what we haven't had for as long as I can remember - an organising, game managing half back. I think a combination of Reynolds and Milford would be killer.

Lastly, again at this stage as I see it, we don't need a hooker to support Turps, We need a hooker who Turps can support, off the bench. If only we could lure Harry Grant here.