PRE-GAME Finals Week 1 - Broncos vs Dragons

[Accept]

Said. Macca 60 Turpin 20. Done

Bennett isn't going to waste a bench spot on Turpin. Wayne rates Macca very highly and he will assume his usual role as an 80 min. tackling powerhouse.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

Bennett isn't going to waste a bench spot on Turpin. Wayne rates Macca very highly and he will assume his usual role as an 80 min. tackling powerhouse.

 

[Rico]

Granville played well to become a premiership winning hooker. Macca is the Steven Bradbury of QLD hookers....

Agree let’s not get carried away with Turpin but he was sharp, fierce in defence and composed. Limited minutes but that’s all you need as a bench hooker. Problem is only 2 NRL games going into finals. As our backup hooker that for me is a plan to fail due to a failure of planning!

Don’t see the sense in a 4 forward bench with the current availabilities.

Mago doesn’t offer that much. Can get 50-60 quality minutes out of all our forwards except Sims and Macca to a certain degree. Sims has been good lately for 30-40. In a crunch McGuire and Glenn can play closer to 80.

Also leaves us with no backs cover (Glenn isn’t fast enough for centres these days). Prefer to have some spark off the bench for hooker and a utility. Why we or at least Redcliffe haven’t given Staggs a good shot at bench hooker is madness (unless they tried him in training and he is terrible at hooker, which would be a shock by Broncos hooking standards of late). Failing that why not play Turpin on bench, Macca can cover lock if injuries to forwards. Won’t fix backs cover but Macca has barely been able to play 80 since his ACL anyway, if he had a severe concussion usually won’t be fitter for the experience for a while.

Take your point but assume you erased thaiday from the memory as another one who cant cover 50-60 Mins?

 

[Stix]

They are all tough games from here on. Dragons will be up for this one.
The positive is that we are playing well and it's a home final. And Wayne Bennett owns finals, I'm confident he will have the boys ready.

 

[PNG Broncos fan88]

I am seriously worried that the inclusion of McCullough and Glenn for Turpin and Fafita is a huge step backwards. Dragons in with a mighty chance for the upset, if the attack stagnates.
If that young kid is being instructed to play within himself, he is already dangerous enough as it is. Fafita will be the most damaging forward in this finals series if Brisbane go all the way.

 

[Renegade]

Win 4 games and we're the champs. That's the equation. Form or ladder positions don't mean shit in post season.

I reckon we're a decent shot. We'll play melb in the 2nd week..... my crystal ball goes no further.

 

[Alec]

We got up for 2 big games in a row before, but now we have to do it for 4 in finals situation. I have a feeling it might be too much for a young squad, gotta hope a couple of the opposition teams really choke to make it easier for us.

 

[Super Freak]

I am seriously worried that the inclusion of McCullough and Glenn for Turpin and Fafita is a huge step backwards. Dragons in with a mighty chance for the upset, if the attack stagnates.
If that young kid is being instructed to play within himself, he is already dangerous enough as it is. Fafita will be the most damaging forward in this finals series if Brisbane go all the way.

Fifita could also do some stupid things and make some costly errors.

This is the finals now, the intensity goes up a couple of levels. The stakes are higher and it's sudden death every game.

He's been going great, but he's still just a rookie with little NRL experience.

I hope he goes well, and I'm sure he will. But it would not surprise me if the pressure gets to him.

 

[Cult]

I am seriously worried that the inclusion of McCullough and Glenn for Turpin and Fafita is a huge step backwards. Dragons in with a mighty chance for the upset, if the attack stagnates.
If that young kid is being instructed to play within himself, he is already dangerous enough as it is. Fafita will be the most damaging forward in this finals series if Brisbane go all the way.

There is no way Turpin made any more of a difference than McCullough would have today. You're all obsessed with the shiny new thing and overhyping him wayyyy too much. Wow

 

[PNG Broncos fan88]

Few worrying signs for my team:
1. We cannot keep taking penalty goals every time we are dominating. It is a major let off for the opposition and it helps them rest and regroup, more often than not they rally and score and put us under the pump again. The Roosters, Storm and Rabbitohs can score from anywhere on the field and given the same penalty scenario will opt to go up by 6's while we play safe with penalty goals. The 2015 GF was a nightmare, playing safe will cost us our 7th title...again
2. The injury replacements for our starting centre, back rower and hooker are way better players than their predecessors. I'd leave out the guys with mental scars of 2015, my starting team would have Staggs, Fafita and Turpin all the way to the GF. Have never seen Glenn in all his years have a performance as damaging as young Fafita displayed today. God bless Macca, he tries but he is past his peak. With him at rake for the opening 4 months, in our 9 wins we have failed to beat the opposition by more than 9 points. His first game off and Glenn/Turpin guide the team to 34 NIL shut out of the Titans. Likewise today, the variety and crisp service was refreshing for all to see and Turpin packs a punch in defence too. Staggs is a goer, I have him on par with Bird in front of Kahu for that centre spot.
3. Fellow fans that are worrying about easy opponents next up are kidding themselves - have we all not witnessed how our team just slack off when they face a 'perceived' underdog. We must look forward to the toughest opponent, cause that's when the mighty Broncs play their best. I was hoping for the Warriors, as it would be extra motivation for getting them back after they humbled us earlier in the year but now we have the wounded Dragons with the return of talisman Widdop (who all and sundry are writing off)...danger, danger, danger!!

 

[Super Freak]

Any members got their code yet?

I haven't got mine and they usually come Sunday night.

 

[Super Freak]

The question is will he fire right away. Normally they want a game to get their timing right again. De Belin is suss with an injury and Atkin is also carrying an injury. So is nightingale for that matter. So I think the idea is to blitz them early like we have been doing the last few weeks and hope it causes hunt to crumble.

Widdop back means Hunt can go back to doing what he did best.

He lost some confidence after the Origin series but he was still setting up tries and scoring them. He went completely downhill once Widdop got injured because Hunt just can't run the side by himself.

He won't have to worry about that now. Coming up against his old club at Suncorp where he's never played a bad game in the finals, and with a point to prove. That's why Widdop returning is a concern. Besides, Widdop has only been out for a couple of weeks, he wouldn't be that rusty on his return.

That's what makes the Dragons dangerous.

I would have preferred the Warriors. They play a style that troubles us, but shut that down and they don't have a plan b. They are nothing if they can't play that style.

The Dragons have shown they can switch things up.

 

[Huge]

I think we'll own the Saints. Totally confident we got this. This team thinks a gf can happen and like Picard says, they will "make it so".

 

[Jedhead]

So naming Bird was as I thought. It was Benny creating a smoke screen to take some heat off Turpin. For a moment I thought we might have been watching him progress as we progressed through the finals.

Joffa was outstanding for mine yesterday as was Sims, that one on one steal was entertaining. Can't wait to see him and his brother go at each other. It will be ironic if he scores to put them out when he's going there next season.

1.2 million dollar man must be feeling the heat already. Wet weather forecast for the week to practice in. Wonder if that will be a factor on Sunday.

 

[Foordy]

I am seriously worried that the inclusion of McCullough and Glenn for Turpin and Fafita is a huge step backwards. Dragons in with a mighty chance for the upset, if the attack stagnates.
If that young kid is being instructed to play within himself, he is already dangerous enough as it is. Fafita will be the most damaging forward in this finals series if Brisbane go all the way.

Glenn has been one of our best this year.

Besides, it will be Mago not Fifita that makes way for him

 

[Jedhead]

Glenn has been one of our best this year.

Besides, it will be Mago not Fifita that makes way for him

Reassuring to know we have some sort of depth despite losing Gillett, Su'a Hass and Sevelio(?).

 

[winslow_wong]

I’d be so filthy if Hunt got up on us.

Especially if he scores a try and does his kick the ball in the air and thank the heavens for the pressure relief celebration.

 

[Huge]

I had fifty dollars on the Broncos when they blew out to 23's and now they're into 10's. Feeling happy with that, means I can have a hundred on the Drag Queens as consolation and double the cash.