Milford's confidence returns in Eels win

Super Freak

Super Freak

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Jan 25, 2014
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Brisbane five-eighth Anthony Milford has hinted that there is more to come after an outstanding performance helped the Broncos secure their second win in a row.

Milford starred for Brisbane in their 22-point win over the Parramatta Eels on Friday night, with the Samoa international wowing the Suncorp Stadium crowd with his scintillating footwork and lightening speed.

It was his best performance since Brisbane's 24-point demolition of the Sea Eagles in Round 10, and it has many thinking the Broncos may once again be premiership contenders.

That may come down to whether Milford can repeat his efforts in the coming weeks, and the man of the moment said that although his confidence is back, the team still has some areas they need to work on.

"A performance like that tonight was very important for my confidence," Milford said.

"Not only that, as a group we needed a game like Friday night's win. We all performed to the best of our ability.

"There were a few areas where we clocked off, but that's something we can look at during the week and we can fix.

"We want to build on this confidence and take it into Thursday."

Thursday night will see Brisbane host Canterbury-Bankstown – a team that has won three in a row and is sitting entrenched in the NRL top four.

The clash will have huge ramifications on the Broncos' chances of gaining a spot in the top four, with a loss all but ending any chance of a double chance in the finals.

For Brisbane to defeat the Bulldogs, they must run the ball in a bid to try and tire out the huge Canterbury-Bankstown forward pack.

It's a fact not lost on Milford, with the future Origin star hoping he can emulate his performance on Friday night that saw him run for 171 metres.

"I play my best footy when I come onto the ball at speed so that's what I've been trying to do," he said.

"I wanted to run the run ball more tonight. Things just happen when I'm running onto the ball.

"I'm getting a lot of go-forward from the front-rowers. They're doing their job so it's up to us backs to do ours as well."

The Broncos are not just doing their job – they are enjoying it. That's had a huge benefit on their teamwork, with their recent wins a result of great team performances.

Milford is a prime example of that, with his smile beaming when he spoke to the media after the match.

"If I enjoy my football I usually play well so that's a key to it," he said.

"I was definitely enjoying myself on Friday night.

"We never want to let each other down so we made sure we focused on that."

But it will be back to business on Monday, with the Bulldogs already proving a huge threat to Brisbane this season.

Des Hasler's side defeated the Broncos 40-14 just weeks ago in Round 16 at ANZ Stadium, and Brisbane will have to improve significantly if they are to turn that result around.

Milford's confidence returns in Eels win - NRL.com
 
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Definitely ominous, but time will tell. I hope the boys enjoy the win, and remember how to do it. If they can carry it on, we're a damn good shot. Play an up tempo game, and we will come up trumps far more often than not.

Having said that, it really does show how much of an impact the referees have on the game. If they allow the wrestle, we just can't compete. If they don't put up with the shit in the ruck, the game is so much faster, more enjoyable, and it allows us to get on the front foot. Is consistent application of their own game's rules too much to ask? Especially after all the talk about how they want faster games, more fatigue of the big boys etc etc. There was still a lot of rubbish in the ruck lastnight but at least it was getting penalised a bit. LET THE DAMN GAME FLOW YOU NUMPTIES!!!

I don't like it but I really do think a lot of our premiership chances comes down to how the ruck is policed. You could argue that makes us not as good a team as the Cows or Storm, who can either play the wrestle OR up-tempo footy. I really do appreciate that we're generally an honest team; I hate that it loses us games.
 

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