PRE-GAME Finals Week 1 - Eels vs Broncos

[LittleDavey]

I think I'd prefer to see Macca #7 and Turps in #9 where he belongs. It won't be any worse, and the better service from dummy half might actually make us play better off the back of a dominant forward pack.

We'll get lapped, despite wanting to make amends for yesterday. We'll have to beat the refs as well after the bitching last week. I predict some early bullshit calls again, the boy's heads will go down and that'll be it. I hope I'm wrong, but I can't see this even being a close game.

 

[Foordy]

Doesn’t give much solace to us when they put 50 on us.

they didn't ... no-one has this year

 

[Big Pete]

It's been 10 years since the Eels have won a finals game, incidentally that was the Prelim Final against Canterbury that drew 74,000 odd fans. Since then the only time they've qualified for the finals, was in 2017 when they went out in straight sets.

On that occassion, they entered the finals series without Clinton Gutherson, who was arguably their best player and were down to their third-string fullback following an injury to Bevan French.

Not only do they have all their strike weapons on board, they also welcome back Nathan Brown following his two game suspension. Brown missed the Round 24 encounter between these two sides and his aggression through the middle will make the Eels a more fiersome opponent.

By rights they should be setting their sights on the second week of the finals where they'll likely take on Canberra. Canberra have a checkered record in the finals dating back to 2009, going 3-4 in their previous bids (1-1 2010, 1-1 2012, 1-2 2016). If the Eels can put on a strong performance against the Broncos, it could likely set them up for a Prelim Final where they could find themselves against Souths in a winnable game.

Essentially, if the Eels can put together their best half of football in the opening stint on Sunday, it could push them all the way.

Meanwhile Brisbane find themselves without a hope or a prayer of winning. Most of the experts have decided that their unworthy of making the finals and their presence is merely a testament of a horrible season where a lot of teams struggled.

Maybe so.

Strangely, Brisbane actually find themselves in a position where they can put up a better fight than they did in last year's series. Consider the following...

Last year, Brisbane found themselves against St. George Illawarra. The Dragons side was comprised of talent such as Tim Lafai, Paul Vaughan, James Graham, Ben Hunt, Gareth Widdop etc. all players with extensive finals experience and their much vaunted pack was filled with successful Origin players.

Their style of play suited finals footy and before Brisbane could make the necessary adjustments, St George had taken the game away from them well before half-time. The experience St. George had gained earlier in the year as competition front-runners showed and the Broncos soft under-belly was exposed in the most humiliating way imagineable.

In comparison, while the Eels are a talented outfit, they don't have the profile of their Dragons counter-part. They were never at any point the competition front-runners, infact they're one year removed from winning the wooden spoon. While they've done a tremendous job of turning their luck around, there are certainly some questions to be asked of their mental toughness.

Meanwhile, the Broncos are stronger through the middle than they were last year and there is this feeling that their campaign will start and end with Parra. There is no looking ahead to Canberra, it's all about Parramatta, a side they have beaten before and were unlucky not to have won by more.

I'm not sure if pulling off the unthikable would be in the club's best interests. They need an honest review of the season and have to do everything in their power to avoid this current spine and backline configuration. However, it would be a feather in Seibold's cap and a positive experience he and the players can draw from moving forward. For me the Broncos have a number of players that could be successful, but there are cancers in the side that need to be removed if they want to achieve any modicrum of success.

EDIT: How did that turn into a 600 word essay? FMD.

 

[Xzei]

I think I'd prefer to see Macca #7 and Turps in #9 where he belongs. It won't be any worse, and the better service from dummy half might actually make us play better off the back of a dominant forward pack.

We'll get lapped, despite wanting to make amends for yesterday. We'll have to beat the refs as well after the bitching last week. I predict some early bullshit calls again, the boy's heads will go down and that'll be it. I hope I'm wrong, but I can't see this even being a close game.

Macca to 7 would be good he wouldn't be as prone to rush up out of the line on D putting pressure on his outside men

 

[McHunt]

Quit pulling your *****, and pay attention. This is our spine. It’s not going to change:

9: Macca, Segy
7: Turpin
6: Boyd
1: Milford

 

[broncsgoat]

It's been 10 years since the Eels have won a finals game, incidentally that was the Prelim Final against Canterbury that drew 74,000 odd fans. Since then the only time they've qualified for the finals, was in 2017 when they went out in straight sets.

On that occassion, they entered the finals series without Clinton Gutherson, who was arguably their best player and were down to their third-string fullback following an injury to Bevan French.

Not only do they have all their strike weapons on board, they also welcome back Nathan Brown following his two game suspension. Brown missed the Round 24 encounter between these two sides and his aggression through the middle will make the Eels a more fiersome opponent.

By rights they should be setting their sights on the second week of the finals where they'll likely take on Canberra. Canberra have a checkered record in the finals dating back to 2009, going 3-4 in their previous bids (1-1 2010, 1-1 2012, 1-2 2016). If the Eels can put on a strong performance against the Broncos, it could likely set them up for a Prelim Final where they could find themselves against Souths in a winnable game.

Essentially, if the Eels can put together their best half of football in the opening stint on Sunday, it could push them all the way.

Meanwhile Brisbane find themselves without a hope or a prayer of winning. Most of the experts have decided that their unworthy of making the finals and their presence is merely a testament of a horrible season where a lot of teams struggled.

Maybe so.

Strangely, Brisbane actually find themselves in a position where they can put up a better fight than they did in last year's series. Consider the following...

Last year, Brisbane found themselves against St. George Illawarra. The Dragons side was comprised of talent such as Tim Lafai, Paul Vaughan, James Graham, Ben Hunt, Gareth Widdop etc. all players with extensive finals experience and their much vaunted pack was filled with successful Origin players.

Their style of play suited finals footy and before Brisbane could make the necessary adjustments, St George had taken the game away from them well before half-time. The experience St. George had gained earlier in the year as competition front-runners showed and the Broncos soft under-belly was exposed in the most humiliating way imagineable.

In comparison, while the Eels are a talented outfit, they don't have the profile of their Dragons counter-part. They were never at any point the competition front-runners, infact they're one year removed from winning the wooden spoon. While they've done a tremendous job of turning their luck around, there are certainly some questions to be asked of their mental toughness.

Meanwhile, the Broncos are stronger through the middle than they were last year and there is this feeling that their campaign will start and end with Parra. There is no looking ahead to Canberra, it's all about Parramatta, a side they have beaten before and were unlucky not to have won by more.

I'm not sure if pulling off the unthikable would be in the club's best interests. They need an honest review of the season and have to do everything in their power to avoid this current spine and backline configuration. However, it would be a feather in Seibold's cap and a positive experience he and the players can draw from moving forward. For me the Broncos have a number of players that could be successful, but there are cancers in the side that need to be removed if they want to achieve any modicrum of success.

EDIT: How did that turn into a 600 word essay? FMD.

You write better than most NRL journalists.

That’s a compliment I promise.

 

[rnabokov]

Macca to 7 would be good he wouldn't be as prone to rush up out of the line on D putting pressure on his outside men

But would Macca run anywhere but straight ahead into the markers as he seems always to do when he isn't slowly shovelling the ball to a flat footed prop?

I think he would be an absolute disaster at 7. If he cannot create space by running angles as do Smith and Cook and Hodson, what is the point of playing 7 when that is a core feature of a half back?

Macca (and Boyd) - protected species on the Endangered Hacks list, all to the detriment of this otherwise and largely fantastic roster

 

[Super Freak]

In terms of finals experience, we have a lot more than the Eels and I think that could possibly work in our favour.

The 17 that took the field for the Eels this weekend has a combined total of 45 games of experience and that number is mostly jacked up due to Michael Jennings and Blake Ferguson.

Even with Nathan Brown coming back, they only gain 2 more games of experience.

Our 17 that took the field against the Bulldogs? 99 games of experience, and we still have Joe Ofahengaue (7 games) to come back.

1. Clinton Gutherson - 0
2. Maika Sivo - 0
3. Michael Jennings - 13
4. Waqa Blake - 3
5. Blake Ferguson - 10
6. Dylan Brown - 0
7. Mitchell Moses - 2
8. Kane Evans - 5
9. Reed Mahoney - 0
10. Junior Paulo - 3
11. Shaun Lane - 2
12. Manu Ma'u - 2
13. Daniel Alvaro - 2

14. Marata Niukore - 0
15. Brad Takairangi - 2
16. Ray Stone - 0
17. Tepai Moeroa - 1

18. Nathan Brown - 2

Total - 47

1. Anthony Milford - 9
2. Corey Oates - 10
3. Kotoni Staggs - 1
4. Alex Glenn - 16
5. Jamayne Isaako - 1
6. Darius Boyd - 24
7. Jake Turpin - 0
8. Matthew Lodge - 1
9. Andrew McCullough - 14
10. Payne Haas - 0
11. David Fifita - 1
12. Matt Gillett - 13
13. Patrick Carrigan - 0

14. James Segeyaro - 9
15. Thomas Flegler - 0
16. Izaia Perese - 0
17. Rhys Kennedy - 0

18. Joe Ofahengaue - 7

Total - 106

 

[Foordy]

You write better than most NRL journalists.

That’s a compliment I promise.

your being generous calling what Badel and co do, "journalism"

 

[Skyblues87]

Macca to 7 would be good he wouldn't be as prone to rush up out of the line on D putting pressure on his outside men

I was also thinking of Macca to 7 if SOS injured. Macca started his career as 7 and has a good kicking game. Turps to 9 is the way to go. Only problem I can see is would Macca last 80 mins. If not Seggy on at 9 and Turps back to 7 if Macca needs a spell. Seibold won't change 1 or 6. Isaako and Oates need a wake up call this week they are both on thin ice although I understand and sympathize with Isaako’s problems, Oates is a liability at mom and is playing for his future. Anyway what happens is out of our hands as no idea what Broncos attitude will be next week.

 

[Xzei]

I was also thinking of Macca to 7 if SOS injured. Macca started his career as 7 and has a good kicking game. Turps to 9 is the way to go. Only problem I can see is would Macca last 80 mins. If not Seggy on at 9 and Turps back to 7 if Macca needs a spell. Seibold won't change 1 or 6. Isaako and Oates need a wake up call this week they are both on thin ice although I understand and sympathize with Isaako’s problems, Oates is a liability at mom and is playing for his future. Anyway what happens is out of our hands as no idea what Broncos attitude will be next week.

Turpin/segeyaro 9 and 14 would provide high energy and a bit better service from dummy half for the full 80.

 

[Scorchie]

We will win this.

 

[lynx000]

You write better than most NRL journalists.

That’s a compliment I promise.

He does, but he will never make a RL journo because he is honest and doesn't make shit up.

 

[theshed]

We made the finals. Get excited and get around the boys you sad *****.

 

[Mustafur]

Given where we were a few months ago I will take this, but I think alot of that is due to the fact we play much better at Home, it's all away games from now and don't like our chances but the Bulldogs loss might help us wake up for this one, last year we smashed Manly before the finals then got smashed by Dragons who limped in, so anything is possible.

 

[winslow_wong]

Screw it we’re desperate.

1. Isaako
2. Perese
6. Boyd
7. Milford
9. Turpin

 

[Jedhead]

If Seibs has any clue about finals footy he'll know that you have to name a team that has as few changes as possible from the weeks prior to ensure combinations are there when needed.

Unfortunately, the combinations we are going with at the moment are just not cutting it. The one slight change I would risk is Macca to 7 and Turps starting at 9.

 

[jarro65]

Guys, seriously, if anybody really expects our coach to make multiple positional changes for a knockout final then i'm afraid you will be disappointed.

What i expect/want to happen is for our side to have a much better defensive display, rattle the Eels into playing their mistake riddled game. Frustrate them.

If this happens, i think we have enough individual brilliance to score enough points to make a game of it.

Seriously, it's our only chance.