PRE-GAME Finals Week 1 - Eels vs Broncos

[heartly87]

Well said. I've been a Broncos supporter since the early 90's and I grew up in Sydney. I remember the days when every team and their fans hated us because we were simply way too good. I remember the days of excellence and the highest possible standards. Barely making the 8 back then would of been an absolute disaster. Today? It's accepted as successful.

I will never buy into that and in my opinion that is what is killing the club. I have no doubt Seibs and the organisation want to win and succeed but part of our winning culture has eroded because standards have dropped. We have excuses. "Oh, it's a young team, we are building, wait a few more years and we'll be great!" - there are no guarantees. We need to be successful now and also plan for the future. Why are the Roosters and Melbourne so good at this but we aren't? It's not that it's impossible it's because the people at the Broncos haven't got "it", whatever "it" is which is excellence, extremely high standards and a take no shit mentality.

I also remember those years fondly but also with a bit of reality. It was different times with different rules. Different interchange, different salary cap and a time when players took unders for success. Those teams were packed with internationals and state players.

Its fine to point out the Roosters and Melbourne but one is a 100+ year club with a history of not winning a comp for two decades 1975 to 2004 and the other has a history of cap rorting.

The broncos are a young franchise who had great early success based of a period of elite local talent. A downturn is natural as times change. A upswing is expected from us and I actually see it happening. But a lot has to go right.

This team was shocking at the start. There has been improvement. People have thought we could be spoon worthy and also no chance of finals. The boys turned it around and got there. That is a pass for me. If they go deeper it will be a success. Not from expectations but from what the season ended up being and how it turned out.

 

[NImitz]

Nothing to do with this thread but can someone post this article from the Courier Mail?
"Canberra Raiders poach young Brisbane Broncos forward"

 

[Super Freak]

Full match replay of the 2001 Preliminary Final between Broncos and Eels on Kayo in the Rugby League Classic Matches section.

 

[K-Style]

Oates to centre? Oates is a powerful runner and could run centre lines but as much as i like him, he is as dumb as a post. He makes poor defensive reads on the wing, let alone putting him in centre which is arguably one of the most difficult positions to defend.

Oates has been defending for bad/injured centres his whole career. He could not be worse than Copley, Moga, Shiba, Boyd. He's not as dumb as you make out either. He runs good lines when he comes in field. He's put a handy kick through once or twice.
I think it's a good idea. It gets him out from under the high ball and we can try Farnworth on the wing.

 

[winslow_wong]

Broncos great demands backline rejig

As much as he loves Brisbane, club great Colin Scott fears the Broncos won't advance in the NRL...

www.canberratimes.com.au

He comments Boyd should get more involved but interestingly doesn’t offer a new position for him after saying he prefers Milf at 6.

Every old boy and their dog has an opinion on what this team needs. They all emerge out of the no where when we lose too.

 

[WASSHHH]

Oates has been defending for bad/injured centres his whole career. He could not be worse than Copley, Moga, Shiba, Boyd. He's not as dumb as you make out either. He runs good lines when he comes in field. He's put a handy kick through once or twice.
I think it's a good idea. It gets him out from under the high ball and we can try Farnworth on the wing.

To the contrary; Oates really is as dumb as people make him out to be. His nickname at the club was (still is?) brains.

Ans TBF, Shibasaki hasn’t proven good in attack in FG, but credit where it’s due, the kid knows how to defend at centre. Boyd too for that matter. His defence since moving to 6 has been pretty good, bar being made to look the fool by Ramien. He also well and truly acquitted himself well at centre for QLD.

The OP suggests Oates would be a liability in defence at centre and I personally think they are right.

 

[Foordy]

Every old boy and their dog has an opinion on what this team needs. They all emerge out of the no where when we lose too.

And they're all different ...

For example Gary Belcher reckons Milf should remain at fullback for the rest of his career

 

[Gaz]

Every old boy and their dog has an opinion on what this team needs.

I would hope so.

 

[john1420]

excerpt......

Its fine to point out the Roosters and Melbourne but one is a 100+ year club with a history of not winning a comp for two decades 1975 to 2004 and the other has a history of cap rorting.

I'll just point out that 75 to 04 is 3 decades, not 2

Which makes your point all the better :)

 

[Smokin' Joe]

Nothing to do with this thread but can someone post this article from the Courier Mail?
"Canberra Raiders poach young Brisbane Broncos forward"

Jayden Clarkson.
Redlands junior. No great loss. Plenty of players ahead of him.

 

[Harry Sack]

Jayden Clarkson.
Redlands junior. No great loss. Plenty of players ahead of him.

Don't worry, someone will manage to spin it as us losing a "once in a generation player"...again...for about the 5th time this generation.

 

[The Strapper]

Don't worry, someone will manage to spin it as us losing a "once in a generation player"...again...for about the 5th time this generation.

Well as long as he doesn't turn out to be another Smith/Cronk/Inglis/Thurston I'm not too concerned.

 

[jarro65]

Just win FFS !!!

 

[I bleed Maroon]

Well as long as he doesn't turn out to be another Smith/Cronk/Inglis/Thurston I'm not too concerned.

We never would have kept all those blokes together in a million years, even if they did stick around.

6. Lockyer
7. Thurston
9. Smith

We could and should have done easily.

 

[The Strapper]

Well we definitely should have got Inglis a few years back but were double crossed.

 

[Mustafur]

Our biggest problem is the salary cap, if that didn't exist we could buy the best team the world has ever seen and no one would have the money to do jack to us.

 

[Jedhead]

Well as long as he doesn't turn out to be another Smith/Cronk/Inglis/Thurston I'm not too concerned.

He's a forward BTW.

 

[winslow_wong]

We never would have kept all those blokes together in a million years, even if they did stick around.

6. Lockyer
7. Thurston
9. Smith

We could and should have done easily.

Well if we’re gonna dream then our team could have been

1. Folau
2. JYY
3. Hodges
4. Inglis