Broncos v Souths *spoilers*

[kelsey tisdale]

This is the low of the low, getting hammered at home by a team which is the scourge of rugby league, guys who are from the wrong side of the tracks who have a total IQ of less than a 100 yet they made a mockery of our side, it doesn't get any worse than this but it will when the Bronx miss the playoffs for the first time in a generation. Teo and Gorrell are on 1 year contracts, it better stay that way, tear Setu's contract up right now, he is a disgrace and Micheals has to be dropped, I know there isn't anyone to replace him, but throw a kid in there, let's start planning for next year. While we r getting rid of people, how about telling Henjak to get lost, the players simply don't respond to his archaic methods and take that silly CEO with him. Shane Webcke would make a good replacement and he would drag Kevie back from France to be his coach with Alfie his deputy, we need more of the old boy influence back in the club. And they need to start shopping for some forwards, there are some decent ones off contract, just need to use a little imagination. I know this sounds all a bit drastic so soon after a demoralizing loss but changes need to be made because this current Broncos side is the worst one I have ever seen.

 

[Alec]

It wasn't just Michael's fault to be fair. Wallace's positioning was just as horrible, and Winterstein was doing a lot of stupid things too. He was still very crap tho.

 

[Fozz]

Shithouse effort.

Gorrell was hopeless at 6, we looked twice as dangerous when K was there. Poor selection Ivan. Even considering the final margin I think we could have won it if K was 5/8th for the whole game. Souths are a confidence team, if we were competitive in the early stages we could have beaten them mentally.

 

[Twiztid]

Shithouse effort.

Gorrell was hopeless at 6, we looked twice as dangerous when K was there. Poor selection Ivan. Even considering the final margin I think we could have won it if K was 5/8th for the whole game. Souths are a confidence team, if we were competitive in the early stages we could have beaten them mentally.

100% correct. If you came out firing all guns blazing in the 2nd half and put us under pressure, then it may have resulted in closer game in that 2nd half.

 

[Jargernaut]

Shane Webcke would make a good replacement (CEO) and he would ......

I like the idea if that, he would definately have a tough stance on a lot of areas, but i dont blame cullen solely for the loss of so many quality players.

 

[Jargernaut]

i thought for sure k would have started a 6 in the second half, but he moved there when it was 32-6 i think, way too late, everything was of the desperate levels from that point on.

 

[Russo]

Ok enough is enough, that is for me the most embarrassing performance by a Broncos team I have ever witnessed and I have been here since day one. Yes we have had some floggings etc over the years but usually it was good opposition that was putting us away, not a second rate side ala Souths (no disrespect to Rabbit fans).

The future for our club looks very grim over the next 3 to 5 years as we are at the stage where we need to rebuild this side up from scratch. Yes we can blame Bruno, yes we can blame Henjak, by god we can even blame WB as this rot has been setting in for the last few seasons, but whoever is to be blamed a broom needs to be put through the club and it needs to be now. I actually hope, and I know others here who I respect their opinions, I actually hope we miss the eight. The mediocrity we have at present does not deserve rewarding.

Going through what we have at the moment:

We will rue the letting go of K for years to come, we should be re-signing him number one then if money left over D.Lockyer. I am afraid to say this as he is and has been favourite player for years now but Locky is on the way out and for mine this should be his last season. When was the last game that he had an actual real influence on the game, sad to say it's been a while.

On the wings we had a player who I rated very highly and he has kicked on to become a regular for Qld and Australia this year, Darius Boyd. Why waste money and pay to keep Michaels who was out injured at the time he was re-signed last season, with of all things a knee reco, we all see the results of that, and we could have got Darius for the same price I can guarantee that. Winterstein has potential, YowYeh has disappointed me after starting well but with time he might make it but have we got time, not sure. Letting Kemp go irked some but seeing what he has, or hasn't done this year maybe it was the correct decision.

In the centres we are okay with Hodgo and Izzy which is where he should be playing, but as above Michaels I’m afraid has not returned from his knee injury anywhere near what was hoped, his defence is terrible, he is a turnstile and I feel sorry for his wingers. The time has come Ivan do your duty.

And as alluded too earlier I am afraid to say this but Locky is past it. He does not have same impact one game he use to, injuries are crueling the end of his career and for a player who was and still is my favourite Bronco of all time that is hard to say. Do we have a replacement playmaker. Maybe Wallace is a five eighth not a half, but I’m not sure Ben Hunt is up to NRL yet. What happened to our playing these young fellows in Qld Cup to toughen them up, it lasted all of 8 weeks, our Toyota Cup team is down the bottom of the ladder and after playing the GF last year we decide to devote our resources to winning a Toyota Cup not looking to our NRL future. Something is wrong there.

And then to the forwards, Parker and Thiaday I am fine with provided they are used properly, they are not at present and we spoken about this adnausem on these boards. Watching David Stagg tonight in a Bulldogs jersey saddened me as we should have kept him for all money. Seeing him running angles, making hard yards and still making 50 tackles showed me how stupid a decision that was. As for other backrow talent we have none, Williams is very raw, Wapau not NRL standard, Sims for 5 minutes maybe, Teo and Setu nothing to show. We have no hurter in defence. The desperation in bringing Carroll back shows this fact out like dogs you know whats.

Hooker we are okay as Macca will make it, but we need to groom a young backup. Gorrell and PJ give us nothing and both should be cut at season end.

And then to the Pigs, I will give Clinton his due and acknowledge he is playing well finally this year, and so was Kenny, but neither strike fear into the opposition. Who is the backup, there is none. I can understand letting Taylor go as he had so many chances but never stood up, I hope he makes it but for now see ya. What we do need is an enforcer up front who demands respect, who is a leader etc etc. Yes Petero was that man but not now where do we find one, I’m not sure.

And then too the bench, well that really is only Alex Glenn, who should play in the forwards and forwards only, he is not a winger. Hoffman will do well at no. 1, so why not groom him on the wing for the rest of the year.

So all in all glum times ahead guys, how do we fix it well start at the top.

Cullen sorry Bruno time for new blood new ideas, and that also goes for the Board get some fresh people in that have a passion to return us to where we once were. Yes it is big business but it is stale at the top when you have been there so long.

Ivan I’m sorry to say is not the right man, sorry mate but you can’t see your second year we need to rebuild and do it now. Some of the support staff needs to be freshened up also, some have been around too long and take things for granted, from trainers to dieticians to game day organizers etc. Big changes but we need to regrow quickly in 3 to 5 years or it will take a decade. A new coach needs to have that Broncos winning mentality but they need come from out of the club currently. We need fresh ideas it may even be someone who has had nothing to do with our club before. For mine the man is Terry Matterson.

The recruitment area, now with sad passing of Cyril needs redevelopment, when was the last player of real standing we produced, maybe K but he’s leaving. No idea how this works but start with the support network and re-establish it. We have competition now in Qld for kids and we need to be their number one choice again.

And finally to the fans. The marketing/PR/media areas have been a revolving door of late and have a lot to answer for. Their ideas are devoid of any thought of what the fans want. I was jealous tonight watching what the Dogs do for their fans ie. The 18th man, the cheap out of town membership, even the sponsorship of players, we could learn a lot from this. The fans feel alienated and the club need to remember the fans make the club.

So sorry guys for the long rant but I have fought it for a long time now that we are in trouble and serious trouble. Yes it might be Brunos fault, yes it might be the bald gnomes, in fact it is also partly WB’s as this has been developing over the last few years.

We need to fix things now, we need to sweep the broom through and get into all those nooky corners that some hide in and start to rebuild now. We are going to see who the real fans are over the next 3 to 5 years as this rebuild takes place as we more than likely will be at the bottom end of the table.

End of rant/

 

[Professor47]

Russo - I read every word and it is a very insightful perspective of an obvious avid Bronco fan. Although I don't agree with everything you said, you point out some great debates.
One particularly my Bronco mates argue about is whether we should keep Locky short term or Hunt - we used to argue about this a couple of years back when Hunt was hitting form. At that time Locky was still killing it but this was before the knee. Locky is a champ and we all know it - but you're just in denial if you can't see how far out of touch he is with his game right now. It's painful to see at times - even MORE painful the fact we NEED him so much even NOW. We've all seen how the Broncs go without Locky and it's not good. Grim times ahead unless we can manage the form of early 08 - but we had different players then.

 

[Dexter]

^
But constant Michaels defenders are kidding themselves in my opinion. You are blind if you think Steve Michaels is a gun first grade centre in today's game. He's definitely not up to Bronco standard as far as I'm concerned.

Sometimes... you just have to cut a player because they don't have the talent or at the very least suited to other teams. He might be a decent centre at a team like the Raiders or something but at the Broncos? Lets get serious. Harsh but fair IMO.

Tonight's game was just another example. You can't keep defending him. It's bullshite.

I don't recall saying anywhere that he was a gun or that he was first grade standard.
I am simply pointing out that he has no chance of stopping anyone with our defensive pattern.

We are in two minds how to defend, we get off the line by about 3-4 mtrs then stop and try to adjust from that point. The players inside Michaels don't put pressure on the player with the ball then Michaels or the one in defender is flat footed and trying to stop someone at pace hitting a hole.

When any side brings an extra attacker in and creates an overlap like Souths were last night the only way to defend it is up and in and force either a long ball or kick in behind.

Shutting down doesn't always work but at the very least the defending side knows whats coming, at the moment we are second guessing whats happening and trying to play a bit of up, stop, slide, or shut down depending on who sees what coming at them.

The bottom line is the Broncos left side D have no idea what the bloke next to them is doing and no confidence in their defensive pattern,(because we don't have one), and that comes down to coaching.

 

[The Brizz]

Russo; completely agree with your analysis the club needs a fresh approach. I don't understand the logic in bringing in someone who is the old coach's assistant into the job, you get no new ideas and will inevitable get the same things but less effectively from a rookie coach. We should have got Elliot, Bellamy or Henry who were all available at one point or another last season.

 

[badav]

Why on earth did we let Boyd go and keep Michaels. I mean for one, Boyd can play center and do it well. Michaels does not know how to position himself at center. Center is one of the most difficult positions on the field to defend in, and Michaels is clearly struggling with it.


As for Hunt, i believe the club has made him a fair offer and given him plenty of time. You cant force someone to stay when they do not want to, and there is nothing we can do about that.

 

[Dave]

If this was the first touch up we had received this year then I probably wouldn't be so disappointed - we have had a tough year with injuries and have had to blood a lot of young players who just look worn out to me. As many others have said there have to be some tough questions asked at the club;

1) Were are we headed with our recruitment - I love Israel but we paid overs for him. We effectively weakened 4 positions to get him (hooker, left centre/wing, workhorse backrower and creative utility forward) and it has backfired massively
2) How can a defensive coach put his hand out for his weekly pay packet when we have conceded almost 50 points in 4 of our last 6 games? We have basically played the same team all year so why haven't some solid defensive combinations been formed? Might as well put me, Rocky and mal out there on the left side - we have never met but I am sure we could communicate better than Wallace, Michaels and Winterstein
3) Where is the follow up from the tough talk pre season of players being in the side only if they are performing?
4) What is happening with our roster for next year - who have we signed - surely we have some cash spare. There are some young front rowers running around who I think have bright futures (Dan Hunt - St G, Mannah - Eels and Sharks) what moves are we making to put some steel back in our pack?

I feel sorry for the blokes busting their gut every week - Parker, Wallace, Clinton - there just seems to be a real lack of "do it for your mate" in this team. There is no doubt we have the talent to be a major player in this competition but it looks like we have no plan or if we have one that no one believes in it. It is time for someone (CEO/Coach/Captain) to step up, take control and point us back in the right direction. We know the captain has the ability to do it but do the other 2?

 

[Nashy]

Lol. I can't say I was expecting anything less than this. Our season was over 4 weeks ago.

 

[Raw Boned Youngster]

Russo, you have said it well.
I have been saying very similar things for some time. The club is very stale and confused.

 

[QUEENSLANDER]

Dexter is right. It wasnt all michaels fault. 90% of it was, but a lot of blame must go to wallace. Why the **** are those 2 turnstiles defending next to each other? Its hard to believe a few months ago we all thought wallace was origin standard. Now i wish he would just **** off back to penrith. He is utterly useless right now. As for michaels, after last night i doubt we need the michaels vs kelly debate. Kelly never let 5 tries in in 1 game

 

[lynx000]

Russo I also agree with most of what you have said. Can someone please communicate this to the powers that be at the Club for us all. If Michaels is in the side next week fair dinkum I think I will just give up watching the broncs altogether. What more proof does anyone need that he and a few of his mates need some time in the Q Cup. Who cares if they get flogged by bringing others in, as long as they are prepared to have a genuine red hot go, because the current crop are not prepared to.

 

[Astroboy]

The recruitment area, now with sad passing of Cyril needs redevelopment, when was the last player of real standing we produced, maybe K but he’s leaving.

Stagg, Hannant, Boyd...

 

[Twiztid]

The recruitment area, now with sad passing of Cyril needs redevelopment, when was the last player of real standing we produced, maybe K but he’s leaving.

Stagg, Hannant, Boyd...

I think he means who is actually still playing for the Broncos.