PRE-GAME Finals Week 2 - Broncos vs Panthers

[_wwong]

Maybe it's more in the gladiator "are you not entertained" tone.

 

[Super Freak]

Broncos vow to extend season for departing teammates by beating Panthers in NRL semi-final

September 13, 2017

THIS one is for you — that is the message from Jordan Kahu for his departing teammates, as the Broncos strive to keep their season alive in Friday night’s knockout final.

With the do-or-die clash against the Panthers approaching, the reality that some of Brisbane’s top players are facing their farewells has dawned on the club.

Ben Hunt (Dragons), Benji Marshall (Tigers), Herman Ese’ese (Knights), Jai Arrow (Titans) and Tautau Moga (Knights) are all confirmed to be leaving Red Hill in 2018 while veteran forward Adam Blair is also understood to be going to the Warriors.

Friday night will be the last time they run out at Suncorp Stadium in the maroon and gold.

But, if things don’t go their way against the Panthers, it could also be the last time they play for the Broncos.

Kahu is determined to stop that from happening.

A close friend to the likes of Blair and Hunt, Kahu said while the club are yet to discuss the fact so many players are leaving, he will use their looming departures as motivation to get the win and keep them around for at least another week.

“It’s not spoken about often but as an individual, you have to go into the game thinking like that and thinking that you have to give your best for the boys that won’t be here next year,” he said.

“It’s such a cliche thing that footballers say about how you won’t have this group ever again and that you want to make it special, but that’s definitely the case.

“There’s a lot of players leaving so you want to make every moment as special as it can be.

“We’ve had this group for a pretty long time. You just want to perform well for them.”

Kahu said he had struck up a particularly strong friendship with fellow Kiwi international Blair since the prop arrived at Brisbane in 2015.

He said Blair had become like family to him and — while he claimed he was in the dark about his friend’s future — knows what a win over the Panthers would mean.

“The way he performs, he definitely wants to leave on a good note,” Kahu said.

“As a Kiwi you don’t really have that family base here in Australia. Within the club you do meet some Kiwi boys and it’s an automatic bond you have. They’re the people you can rely on like family.”

Broncos utility David Mead is also keen to help send Tigers-bound Marshall out on a good note after the pair clicked when they both arrived at Red Hill this season.

He said he had no doubt the playmaker would also use this as motivation to get a win.

“He brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm. For an old fella, that’s pretty good,” Mead said.

“Everyone has their own personal motivations and team motivations. I’m sure it will be in the back of his mind. Every game could be his last here.”

Source: Courier Mail

 

[holdzy]

lol who cares what Mead thinks??

 

[ivanhungryjak]

Broncos' 'bash brothers' make it personal

Wed 13 Sep, 2017

In 2015 it was the 'Fro Bros' of Adam Blair and Sam Thaiday inspiring Brisbane's premiership push but in 2017 a young triumvirate has taken on the mantle as the Broncos' 'Bash Brothers' as they chase another grand final appearance.

Many pundits questioned earlier in the season whether Brisbane had the forward depth to challenge the top sides but Joe Ofahengaue, Herman Ese'ese and Tevita Pangai Jnr have taken it upon themselves to better the bench of every team that they play.

With the destructiveness of Bryce Cartwright, Moses Leota and James Fisher-Harris awaiting to be unleashed by Panthers coach Anthony Griffin at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night Brisbane needs their bench at its barnstorming best in order to progress to next week's preliminary final.

Pangai Jnr remains in doubt with a troublesome hamstring injury but both Ofahengaue and Ese'ese told NRL.com of the pact they made earlier this year not to let their teammates down when they enter the fray midway through the first half.

"The last couple of years I think we've got it wrong on the bench," said Ofahengaue, who came off the bench for Brisbane in the 2015 Grand Final.

"We haven't challenged the other bench as good as we're supposed to so this year we've kind of taken it personal; it's our bench against theirs.

"The middle pack do their stuff for 20 minutes, they take the punch away from the game and all we have to do is come on and run hard.

"When we're on their bench is on so it's our bench against theirs. That's our mentality.

"That's what we've got right this year. Tevita checks all our stats so he always tells us if we've run over 100 metres. If we have then we've done our job."

‌Adds Ese'ese: "The last three or four weeks me and 'Joffa' (Ofahengaue) and Tevita have been talking about dominating other benches.

"That's kind of our motivation coming into the game and obviously bringing the energy and the impact that the boys need when the game gets tough.

"Our job is to tackle hard and run hard so if it's either a big hit or a big run we all feed off that and gain a lot of energy out of that and makes each of us want to run hard and tackle hard too."

Incredibly, ahead of Friday night's semi-final Ofahengaue and Ese'ese are averaging 102.3 metres per game from 33 and 35 minutes per game respectively
with Pangai Jnr averaging 85.2 metres from 26 minutes a game.

Among the Brisbane forwards only Josh McGuire averages more metres than Ofahengaue and Ese'ese and starters such as Alex Glenn revel in the energy and power that they bring to the contest.

"Bro it excites me. He's a bloody tough runner and I don't look forward to having to tackle him next year that's for sure," Glenn said of Ese'ese's high-powered charges.

"I lift when him and 'Joffa' come on and they're busting the line and getting quick play-the-balls.

"I tell them every week before we run out there to bring the energy when they come on and to their credit they've been doing that and they're really capitalising for our team.

"It's a game-changer when they come on and the other forward pack's tired and they're crashing the lines."

Starting prop Adam Blair has been working closely with both Ofahengaue and Ese'ese both on and off the field and believes there is a growing maturity to their approach that is proving a great benefit to the team.

"Those boys have been really good for us this year. Herman has turned the corner, Joe has had his better year," Blair said.

"He's made a commitment to himself that he's going to be a better person and a better player and he's worked really hard on those things in the off-season and the same as Herman.

"It's about the things you do off the field as well and I think that's where I kind of come in a fair bit, is trying to get them to be around the people that are going to help them.

"That's the part I enjoy the most and then I get to come out here and give them tips on little things they can improve in their game and then they go into the games and do it.

"I guess it's a bit of a reward for helping those boys."
‌
Twice in the past three weeks the Brisbane bench has been employed with a scoreboard heavily tilted in the wrong direction but Ofahengaue insists that whatever the score their job remains the same: get the better of Penrith's bench.

"This year we've really nailed our jobs and found what our job on the field is to do and that's to hopefully bring some youth, enthusiasm and energy and change the game when we can," he said.

"They've got a young bench too so for us it's just the same as every other week; our bench against theirs.

"If we can go out there and add energy then we've done our job. Hopefully we do that on Friday night."

Source: NRL.com

 

[_wwong]

Well hopefully the bash brothers bring the bash this week

 

[Browny]

Just do it ffs. Sick of these shit articles when they come out and do the opposite

 

[jarro65]

Talk is cheap.....time for actions.

 

[1910]

Finals v the Panthers; I sat down and watched both today.

1990- Major Prelim semi.

Broncos

3. Shearer
2. Hancock
27. Jackson
4. Johns
5. Carne
6. Walters
7. Langer
8. Dowling
9. Walters
10. Allen
11. Gee
12. Hohn
13. Miles

26. Conway
28. Matterson
16. Renouf

Panthers

1. Greene
2. McIndoe
3. Fittler
4. Bentley
5. Smith
6. Izzard
7. Alexander
8. Clarke
9. Simmons
10. Walker
11. Mortimer
12. Cartwright
13. Van Der Vort

40. Geyer
14. Barwick.

Panthers 26-16
HT Panthers 18-2

Shearer got a penalty goal a few minutes in and that was the highlight for the first half. It was the Panthers first ever finals win. It was 18-2 at half time and Izzard and Alexander were just too good.

Even down 18-2 at half time Broncos were then down 24-2 after 41 minutes. Whatever Bennett said amounted to nothing. Izzard went straight over Walters again. I think the worst game Kevvie ever played.

Great pass from Alexander for McIndoe's try on the right and great thinking from Alexander to toe the ball ahead and score after 20 minutes.

The three tries the Broncos scored in the second half were just padding they were never coming back. Matterson had a good impact when he came on late for Miles. Put on two tries.

2003 Qualifying final.

Broncos

1. Lockyer
2. Frawley
5. Kelly
4. De Vere
16. Minto
6. Skin
7. Berrigan
8. Webcke
9. Ryan
10. Parker
11. Tallis
12. Carlaw
13. Carroll

14. Meyers
15. Webb
19. Prince
21. Costigan

Panthers

1. Wesser
2. Lewis
3. Girdler
4. Whatuira
5. Rooney
6. Campbell
7. Gower
8. Clinton
21. Donato
10. Lang
11. Galuvao
12. Waterhouse
13. Sattler

14. Ross
16. Swain
17. Rodney
18. Ward

Panthers 28-18
HT Broncos 18-10

No Gee or Petero who were suspended from the last round. Brisbane got off to such a good start and Kelly scored after 80 seconds. Kelly again because of Lockyer in the 13th minute.

12-0 was 18-4 when Minto scored! Poor defence let Ross over just before half time and 18-10 was completely different.

Panthers scored 18 points in the second half and it was Brisbane eighth loss in a row.

 

[Jason Simmons]

Talk is cheap.....time for actions.

Yup. Seen this sort of talk plenty of times in the past and then they come out and do the complete opposite...

The entire concept of the quiet professional really isn't well understood amongst this lot, I am thinking...

 

[Foordy]

Yup. Seen this sort of talk plenty of times in the past and then they come out and do the complete opposite...

The entire concept of the quiet professional really isn't well understood amongst this lot, I am thinking...

or the NRL force them to talk to the media (as part of their playing contracts) who spin three words into articles such as these...

one thing journos are actually good at is asking a question that will get them the answer to fit the story they have likely already written. and if they don't get that answer they will keep asking the same question in different ways until they get the answer they want

 

[Jason Simmons]

or the NRL force them to talk to the media (as part of their playing contracts) who spin three words into articles such as these...

one thing journos are actually good at is asking a question that will get them the answer to fit the story they have likely already written. and if they don't get that answer they will keep asking the same question in different ways until they get the answer they want

No doubt, and other times they talk it up themselves, about how they have found their 'mental edge' after work with their sports pyschologist and then play like they did against the Eels at Suncorp, as a recent example for instance...

 

[Super Freak]

Alex Glenn says Anthony Milford not to blame for poor left-edge defence

September 13, 2017

ALEX Glenn says the responsibility to repair Brisbane’s left-side defensive woes on Friday night is on him, not Anthony Milford.

Glenn said Penrith will target Brisbane’s left edge after the Roosters scored their first and third tries through a disorganised line on that side last Friday to push the Broncos to the edge of the premiership cliff.

When Glenn starts a game for the Broncos, Milford stands on his left in defence, with centre Tautau Moga to Milford’s left.

Milford missed seven tackles in that loss to the Roosters, a statistic raised by some media pundits, but Glenn stoutly supports his five-eighth.

“Nothing should be pointed at Milford at all — it’s down to me,’’ Glenn said.

“I take ownership for the edge. I should be taking the decisions and getting as many numbers as we can on our side. I don’t want to be leaving the decisions to Milford and Tautau (Moga).

“We have let ourselves down, especially last week and were short of numbers on our left side too often.

“There were some poor decisions and I take all the blame for that. I need to organise that. Lifting my game in that area is very important this week — I have a feeling Penrith will try to capitalise down that edge.

“We have some points to prove and we have been working at it this week.’’

Brisbane had a better defensive record than Penrith during the regular season, conceding 27 points fewer over the 24 games and imposing a 32-18 win on the Panthers in the Round 9 encounter at Suncorp Stadium.

“Defence is everything — it wins games and it’s one thing we pride ourselves on,’’ Glenn said.

Glenn said he had a determination that the Broncos would not “strike out again’’ in the finals, with the club’s last premiership in 2006 predating his arrival at Red Hill.

“We have taken the hard road in the finals series by losing in the first week,’’ he said.

“We had a tough loss, but it’s behind us.

“I want a ring on my finger and being able to call myself a champion.

“We don’t want to fail again this year. We all believe in our abilities.’’

The winners on Friday night will play the Storm in a preliminary final in Melbourne.

“I’m not looking that far ahead — Friday night is what it’s about,’’ Glenn said.

“But Parramatta threw it all at them (in a two-point loss in the qualifying final last Saturday) and played really well. It does show they are not unbeatable if you compete for the full 80 minutes.’’

Source: Courier Mail

 

[Jason Simmons]

Glenn made 42 tackles in that game doing more defensive work than any other player on the field, besides Jake Friend. Not sure how much more he can do if his outside men can't get their together and work as a unit.

He is right through, the Panthers will probably target that side of the field. Between Milford's injury and Moga's ahem, mistakes...

 

[Super Freak]

 

[Sproj]

See who was there backing up Moga? Man Thaiday is just so good when he wants to be.

 

[1910]

Captains' run at 9am.

Broncos' right side has scored 41% of the team's tries this year another interesting stat Panthers are the best at scoring in the 70th-80th minute with 21 tries. They finish strongly- scored three against Brisbane in the last 15 minutes last time.

 

[ivanhungryjak]

 

[jarro65]

Wonder how that will change the final lineup ?

Kodi to half and Benji to the bench for mine.

Any word on TPJ ??