OPINION Looking towards 2024

[Johnny92]

absolutely no reason to play them, if they are not the best person for the position.

The less successful clubs will play some one who isn't the current best person for the position because they are scared of losing them.

the successful teams like the Storm during their dominant run, and the Panthers now, play the best person for each position and don't let fear of losing players guide them at the selection table

Agreed,
after this season I think it's fair to say we can go on a dominant run with the crop of players we already got playing first grade.
If guys like Mariner and Piakura don't want to wait their turn and earn the spot in what could be a successful era for the broncos then it's their loss not ours.

 

[Scorchie]

Sure, but keep in mind player ages. Piakura's 22 next year and his mates are already in first grade. He's good enough, it's time.

 

[Harry Sack]

Its so far away, but:

1. Walsh
2. Oates (he was one of our best in '22 and started '23 just fine before he got a broken face and then snapped a few ligaments)
3. Staggs
4. Cobbo
5. Mariner (play him, or lose him to another club)
6. Mam
7. Reynolds
8. Jensen
9. Walters
10. Haas
11. Piakura (play him, or lose him to another club)
12. Riki
13. Carrigan

14. Smoothy (eventually being swapped out for Mozer)
15. Hetherington
16. Willison
17. Capewell

18. Arthars

That wing spot is Arthars to lose at this point IMO. He's been great.

 

[Chewed]

Don't sleep on Baker, if he plays for us as well as he did for the roosters in the finals he could start. I'll be a bit bold, but I think after his time with us he'll be an Origin forward.

Preseason will be where Haas earns his $$$. They know the level they have to be at to compete with Panthers now. Time to push it and go further and he has to drag the others with him.

Te Kura could leapfrog Willison, he's a baby still, but was dominant against men in Cup.

Be a good preseason, lots of positional battles for limited spots.

 

[GCBRONCO]

 

[Bish]

absolutely no reason to play them, if they are not the best person for the position.

The less successful clubs will play some one who isn't the current best person for the position because they are scared of losing them.

the successful teams like the Storm during their dominant run, and the Panthers now, play the best person for each position and don't let fear of losing players guide them at the selection table

That’s a fair point, but the flip side of that is how do players get better or experience if they don’t get picked?

 

[Nashy]

That’s a fair point, but the flip side of that is how do players get better or experience if they don’t get picked?

We stop persisting with the shit juniors and **** them off when it's identified early that they are shit. We also make sure the experience in our team to guide them is not stinking it up. We've played this game over the past decade, don't wanna do it again.

 

[Sproj]

Don't sleep on Baker, if he plays for us as well as he did for the roosters in the finals he could start. I'll be a bit bold, but I think after his time with us he'll be an Origin forward.

Preseason will be where Haas earns his $$$. They know the level they have to be at to compete with Panthers now. Time to push it and go further and he has to drag the others with him.

Te Kura could leapfrog Willison, he's a baby still, but was dominant against men in Cup.

Be a good preseason, lots of positional battles for limited spots.

I agree totally. He is just coming into that age where front rowers start to shine and based on his back end season form at the Roosters, he looks like he will indeed shine. I wouldn't be surprised to see him starting come round 1.

 

[Culhwch]

That wing spot is Arthars to lose at this point IMO. He's been great.

Absolutely agree. One of our best in the GF, and you could probably make the argument he was our best in that first half. If Ez didn't flick the switch in the second half, he'd have been our best back in that game.

The only game I really remember him being poor in was playing centre in the last round against the Storm, and the whole team was disjointed and poor that night.

I love Oates, but he's got a battle on his hands if he wants to get back in the team. He's absolutely great depth, though, a perfect eighteenth man and would slot in as a starter seamlessly in case of injuries or poor form.

 

[thenry]

Anyone else worried about losing 2 X rep level players, Herbie & Flegler, and a reliable middle in Palasia?

I think Willison and Te Kura will be good, but super inexperienced. Deine is quick but I still worry about his carries with his size compared to Herbie.

Not sure we'll be the side we were this year without those players tbh.

 

[Foordy]

Anyone else worried about losing 2 X rep level players, Herbie & Flegler, and a reliable middle in Palasia?

I think Willison and Te Kura will be good, but super inexperienced. Deine is quick but I still worry about his carries with his size compared to Herbie.

Not sure we'll be the side we were this year without those players tbh.

Just remember the Panthers have lost the same

 

[Xzei]

Anyone else worried about losing 2 X rep level players, Herbie & Flegler, and a reliable middle in Palasia?

I think Willison and Te Kura will be good, but super inexperienced. Deine is quick but I still worry about his carries with his size compared to Herbie.

Not sure we'll be the side we were this year without those players tbh.

Only one im worried about but a little less after the tail end of the year seeing carrigan come out of the line to put shots on is flegs

 

[Culhwch]

We’re definitely not replacing like for like, but I don’t think it will necessarily weaken us in the longer term. In the short term there’s going to be a little bit of adjustment, of course, in terms of new combinations and positions.

I think Cobbo will move into Herbie’s centre spot, so It’s not so much what do we lose going from Herbie to Mariner, it’s what we lose going from Cobbo to Mariner. I think Cobbo is still going to bring that physicality on get-out sets that Herbie did, and with luck being one in will get him involved more – not that h ever really shirked going looking for those carries off his wing. I don’t know that we lose much there.

We obviously haven’t seen much of Mariner so far, but what we have has been very solid, with some really good plays sprinkled in. He’s going to be a different type of winger to Cobbo, not as physical but still very quick and deadly in space. Hopefully he works well defensively with Staggs.

Up front we lose Flegler’s aggression, so it would be good if someone steps up to take on that role. I feel like Piakura has it in him to be a hitman in defense, if he claims a starting second row spot, and Carrigan has shown he has a bit of enforcer in him. I didn’t see much of Baker outside of his finals appearances, but I liked what I saw – seems like the kind of guy that does those little one percenters, like chasing back to cover a kick. It’s a loooong way out, but I’d feel fairly comfortable with him or Jensen starting, and the other coming off the bench with Willison or Tapau.

I trust this coaching staff to adjust our style of play to suit the players we have. I’m really excited to see how we come out next year. It’s criminal that it’s so far away…

 

[Big Del]

I love Oates, but he's got a battle on his hands if he wants to get back in the team. He's absolutely great depth, though, a perfect eighteenth man and would slot in as a starter seamlessly in case of injuries or poor form.

If ,,, he can regain his sprinting speed yes .
If he runs like a front rower with a busted knee . Then no .

 

[Culhwch]

If ,,, he can regain his sprinting speed yes .
If he runs like a front rower with a busted knee . Then no .

It's been awhile since he could be called anything like a particularly quick winger - even last year when he had a great year, he didn't have breakaway speed. I'll take his experience and tough carries at the expense of a bit of speed over anyone south of him on the depth chart.

 

[Skathen]

If ,,, he can regain his sprinting speed yes .
If he runs like a front rower with a busted knee . Then no .

He's lost too much speed - we have been denied tries due to him not being able to keep pace with the play.

His greatest asset was being about to consistently break the line and find his front for a quick PTB on a kick return / tackle 1 hit up. Not that he had a lot of opportunity this year, but in the games he did play, particualrly in the dead rubber Storm game before the finals, he didn't look to be having a lot of impact there compared to Oates of old. If he can't get that right, he's going to really struggle to get back into the first grade squad, which is a damn shame. He's not even old yet, just busted....

 

[Morkel]

He's lost too much speed - we have been denied tries due to him not being able to keep pace with the play.

His greatest asset was being about to consistently break the line and find his front for a quick PTB on a kick return / tackle 1 hit up. Not that he had a lot of opportunity this year, but in the games he did play, particualrly in the dead rubber Storm game before the finals, he didn't look to be having a lot of impact there compared to Oates of old. If he can't get that right, he's going to really struggle to get back into the first grade squad, which is a damn shame. He's not even old yet, just busted....

I'm pretty sure he was denied a try, ONCE, because the play was so slow to get to him that he had to slow down before he even got the ball, so his defender caught up to him and tackled him just after he received the pass. He's no whippet but he was never super fast anyway. He got his rep because he could drag 3 defenders and still get the ball down while his whole body was out, and because he could drag Dylan Walker for 30 metres...

Everyone, myself included, was impressed that Arthars made those breaks in the grand final, and I'm not knocking him in the slightest (or suggesting he doesn't deserve his shot over Oates), but Oates has been punching kick-return line breaks for 10 years by pushing between defenders, his lack of elite speed has never been an issue.

 

[Big Del]

He's lost too much speed - we have been denied tries due to him not being able to keep pace with the play.

His greatest asset was being about to consistently break the line and find his front for a quick PTB on a kick return / tackle 1 hit up. Not that he had a lot of opportunity this year, but in the games he did play, particualrly in the dead rubber Storm game before the finals, he didn't look to be having a lot of impact there compared to Oates of old. If he can't get that right, he's going to really struggle to get back into the first grade squad, which is a damn shame. He's not even old yet, just busted....

I said If .
Not when .