Lockyer/Hunt/Hodges + 2009!

[Bucking Beads]

I agree mate The Broncos had a tough early season draw and to be sitting where they are now is a good effort.. SUre they have lost a few games and there defence is looking shocking but you can never write a team off with D. Lockyer in the side....

 

[rnabokov]

FFS I love this, a few losses and suddenly everything the club is doing is wrong. Take a look at the table, take a look at our results (including a win against melbourne I think?) before the fkn rep games screwed us up the pooper, and stop being so dramatic everyone. We have a great team who are only going to get better once the idiotic rep season is done with.

It's not the losses I'm talking, or even worried about. Far from it. It's the WAY we're playing, and have been playing. And I don't feel it's got ANYTHING to do with the rep season.

In any case, the wins we've racked up have, IMO, been scratchy and against teams whose form now is WAY way better than it was when we (just) beat them.

For example, are you seriously comparing the Storm's form now, to when we just scraped home against them?

What I am worried about is that teams like the Dragons, Storm, Bulldogs, Knights, Titans, and particularly Manly are consolidating and improving.

IMO, given the style of our game as it stands, we'd have no hope of beating any of them.

Whether my issues have any foundation will of course be tested in the next month or so.

I hope I'm wrong. Honestly.

 

[Alec]

We always look bad during the rep season and a little after. Last year we lost to the Bulldogs, who had the worst team in the NRL at that point. Then we improved dramatically, and JUST at the right time.

I don't mind if we continue to play poorly through the rep season as long as we save our peaking til just before the finals.

 

[Raw Boned Youngster]

I agree again with Rnabokov.
The Broncos need to play with more intelligence. Gut, it is the same comment I have made for some time; maybe rnabokov explains it better.
We are a dumb team in many areas and don't appear to learn from past mistakes.
It has nothing to do with drama, but everything to do with the way we do things.

I actually thought that Henjak would have introduced a little more in the way of creativity around the rucks, being an ex halfback and all.
I don't see it.
What I do see is some ill-disciplined and ad hoc plays in both attack and defence.

Lockyer's rush ups in defence and Parker's flick passes for example.
Both examples highlight a lack of communication / planning / focus.

Over the past decade, the Broncos have played like the quiet kid at school who slogs it out, isn't particularly clever but relies on attitude and effort to get by.
Now it's is like the kid has just discovered girls and is confused about stuff.

Wayne would have phoned the kid's parents to pull him into line.
Then it would have been back to the grind.

The kid needs an inspiring teacher to motivate and provide a vision.
C's may get degrees, but we are a D at best.
That doesn't get much.

 

[Raw Boned Youngster]

I agree again with Rnabokov.
The Broncos need to play with more intelligence. Gut, it is the same comment I have made for some time; maybe rnabokov explains it better.
We are a dumb team in many areas and don't appear to learn from past mistakes.
It has nothing to do with drama, but everything to do with the way we do things.

I actually thought that Henjak would have introduced a little more in the way of creativity around the rucks, being an ex halfback and all.
I don't see it.
What I do see is some ill-disciplined and ad hoc plays in both attack and defence.

Lockyer's rush ups in defence and Parker's flick passes for example.
Both examples highlight a lack of communication / planning / focus.

Over the past decade, the Broncos have played like the quiet kid at school who slogs it out, isn't particularly clever but relies on attitude and effort to get by.
Now it's is like the kid has just discovered girls and is confused about stuff.

Wayne would have phoned the kid's parents to pull him into line.
Then it would have been back to the grind.

The kid needs an inspiring teacher to motivate and provide a vision.
C's may get degrees, but we are a D at best.
That doesn't get much.

 

[Bucking Beads]

I'd love to know where this was in the early rounds whilst the Broncos were sitting on top of the ladder.. ALl of a sudden they lose 2 games and they are dumb useless footballers who need a new coach and wil struggle to make the finals...

 

[Jeba]

I'd love to know where this was in the early rounds whilst the Broncos were sitting on top of the ladder.. ALl of a sudden they lose 2 games and they are dumb useless footballers who need a new coach and wil struggle to make the finals...

Mate this happens around the same time every year. Origin comes around, we struggle to even get our full strength team on the field and all of a sudden we're not gonna make the finals. The usual suspects sound the doomsday whistle, I say let them have their say because they won't come on here later in the season when we are winning [icon_wink

And yes I know I have been critical of the Broncos in recent weeks but there is no way I am giving up yet. I am still very confident we can give this Premiership a shake.

 

[rnabokov]

I'd love to know where this was in the early rounds whilst the Broncos were sitting on top of the ladder.. ALl of a sudden they lose 2 games and they are dumb useless footballers who need a new coach and wil struggle to make the finals...

Mate this happens around the same time every year. Origin comes around, we struggle to even get our full strength team on the field and all of a sudden we're not gonna make the finals. The usual suspects sound the doomsday whistle, I say let them have their say because they won't come on here later in the season when we are winning [icon_wink

And yes I know I have been critical of the Broncos in recent weeks but there is no way I am giving up yet. I am still very confident we can give this Premiership a shake.

I still can't see how our results this year have anything to do with the rep season, in that we are playing pretty much the same way every game.

And I for one am not saying we're not going to make the finals - just that the only thing we are going to shake for the rest of this season unless we play more creatively is ... Milk.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Don't start dragging MILK into this .. One glass keeps Lockyer going all night.

 

[rnabokov]

Don't start dragging MILK into this .. One glass keeps Lockyer going all night.

Same as Fittler [icon_lol1.

 

[Coxy]

Awww fudge. I'd just gone through the first 11 rounds and reviewed our games and then closed the tab. FIREFOX FAIL!!!!!!

Anyway, I'll recap my ratings.

Outstanding: vs Warriors (won 26-10).
Good: vs Titans (won 32-18), vs Eels (won 40-18 - although that could've been a very different game if Jarryd Hayne could catch that night)
Average: vs Panthers (Won 38-18) (Being kind...I think that was the worst performance from a team that's ever won by 20 points! Flattered by a flurry in the last 10 minutes).
Lucky: vs Cowboys (won 19-18), vs Storm (won 16-14), vs Tigers (won 20-18) - all three were on the backs of controversial 50-50 decisions and/or fortunate mistakes by the opposition.
Below Average: vs Bulldogs (lost 44-22), vs Roosters (won 28-24) (I say the Roosters game is below average because of the complete snooze the Broncos were in for the last 20 minutes, similar capitulation as against the Bulldogs last week. Difference being the Broncos had enough of a lead)
Poor: vs Dragons (lost 25-12), vs Knights (lost 26-12)
Abysmal: vs Storm (lost 48-4)

So in my opinion, of the 12 games we've played in the first 13 rounds, we've had 3 good performances, 4 average and lucky wins, 5 sub-par performances.

3/12? I don't think we've got anything to be thrilled about. If we can recapture the form in those 3 games, then maybe, but the last 6 weeks since the Titans game has been terrible.

 

[gUt]

Yep there was only one team in all those games.

 

[ethos]

Think you're being a touch harsh in judging our wins over the Cowboys and Storm.

Granted they were close games but the manner of footy we played, from memory, was definitely up there with the best of the season.

In saying that though, the poor performances definitely outnumber the good ones. But the first month of the season proves what we're capable of and I'm going to refrain from being too critical until two or three weeks after the Origin series is dusted.

 

[Coxy]

Yep there was only one team in all those games.

:roll: I was judging the Broncos' performances. Yes in the losses the other teams obviously played well, but on many occasions the Broncos made their opposition look much better than they were with lacklustre, disinterested performances.

Am I the only one that saw the performances against Manly, Newcastle, Penrith and Wests Tigers as average to poor despite winning 2 of them?

Re: Cowboys and Storm. I didn't say they weren't OK performances, but they were lucky wins. So to consider the 4 points we gained from those games as anything other than lucky is giving you a false economy of how the season is progressing.

 

[gUt]

And i think that in general, Broncos fans have been slow to realise that the competition is the most even it has ever been in its history and we find it hard to cop a loss or three.

The evenness of the comp is another reason to move the damn SOO.

 

[Coxy]

And i think that in general, Broncos fans have been slow to realise that the competition is the most even it has ever been in its history and we find it hard to cop a loss or three.

The evenness of the comp is another reason to move the damn SOO.

You're preaching to the choir on moving Origin. It'll never fucking happen though. Too many idiots lap it up like it's the best thing, and thus tolerate the NRL premiership going to shit.

It wasn't so bad when the salary cap wasn't so restrictive that you could have very good players to cover some of your rep stars.

As for not being able to cop a loss or three...not true on my part. I can't stomach the thrashings, particularly when the Broncos don't even look to put in an effort, but I get more disappointed in wins where we have the opposition completely and utterly shot and then invite them back into the game.

Apart from the odd game (notably vs Knights 2007, vs Knights semi 2006, vs Eels 2005), the Broncos have failed to show that ruthlessness that the Broncos teams of the 90s showed.

 

[lynx000]

Yep there was only one team in all those games.

:roll: I was judging the Broncos' performances. Yes in the losses the other teams obviously played well, but on many occasions the Broncos made their opposition look much better than they were with lacklustre, disinterested performances.

Am I the only one that saw the performances against Manly, Newcastle, Penrith and Wests Tigers as average to poor despite winning 2 of them?

Re: Cowboys and Storm. I didn't say they weren't OK performances, but they were lucky wins. So to consider the 4 points we gained from those games as anything other than lucky is giving you a false economy of how the season is progressing.

No I agree with you about that Coxy. To me, our form peaked with the game against the Warriors and has been steadily on the slide ever since. I just don't know why. But it has to be a combination of the coaching and the player's attitude. (BTW, I am not saying that Ivan needs to be sacked, just that there might be some tweaking needed in what all of the coaches are doing)

 

[lynx000]

Yep there was only one team in all those games.

:roll: I was judging the Broncos' performances. Yes in the losses the other teams obviously played well, but on many occasions the Broncos made their opposition look much better than they were with lacklustre, disinterested performances.

Am I the only one that saw the performances against Manly, Newcastle, Penrith and Wests Tigers as average to poor despite winning 2 of them?

Re: Cowboys and Storm. I didn't say they weren't OK performances, but they were lucky wins. So to consider the 4 points we gained from those games as anything other than lucky is giving you a false economy of how the season is progressing.

No I agree with you about that Coxy. To me, our form peaked with the game against the Warriors and has been steadily on the slide ever since. I just don't know why. But it has to be a combination of the coaching and the player's attitude. (BTW, I am not saying that Ivan needs to be sacked, just that there might be some tweaking needed in what all of the coaches are doing)