PRE-GAME NRL Round 1 - Cowboys vs Broncos

[Gaz]

I am carrying no burden of expectation for the Broncs this year (It feels so light and breezy) so I will be happy if they can stay in the 8 and win a game or two against the storm and roosters. Expecting a 10th place approximately.

I think the best fit for all of the results and lack of structure over the past year could be explained most simply by a team carrying at least a few players with an indifferent attitude towards what it takes to win combined with a board + recruiting and coaching combo that is comfortably average.

The results are going to be interesting to watch and I hope that a ranking in top 4 or better and staying there will prove my assesment wrong, heres to blind optimism :)

Well said. Must admit my expectations are down on what they usually are at this time of the season. But I remain positive if only for the cause. Have to say my confidence in the coaching staff has slipped a tad since this time last year. Happy to be proven wrong though.

 

[Wild Horse]

Broncos for the win.

 

[Medic]

Bring on the season, i think we are looking good.

 

[HarryAllan7]

More and more teams are catching on to the optimal way to play modern rugby league - creating momentum up the middle with quick PTB's and electric dummy half play to create opportunities around the ruck or put themselves in a position to force pressure and repeat sets.

A defensive system which backpedals and doesn't push forward and allows the ball to come to them is completely ineffective against such an attacking system. It is no surprise we are sliding down the ladder if we are employing defensive tactics which are the single worst way to defend the most common and effective attacking strategy in the game today.

We need to recognise this and adapt

 

[Waynesaurus]

More and more teams are catching on to the optimal way to play modern rugby league - creating momentum up the middle with quick PTB's and electric dummy half play to create opportunities around the ruck or put themselves in a position to force pressure and repeat sets.

A defensive system which backpedals and doesn't push forward and allows the ball to come to them is completely ineffective against such an attacking system. It is no surprise we are sliding down the ladder if we are employing defensive tactics which are the single worst way to defend the most common and effective attacking strategy in the game today.

We need to recognise this and adapt

Amen brother!

 

[rnabokov]

More and more teams are catching on to the optimal way to play modern rugby league - creating momentum up the middle with quick PTB's and electric dummy half play to create opportunities around the ruck or put themselves in a position to force pressure and repeat sets.

A defensive system which backpedals and doesn't push forward and allows the ball to come to them is completely ineffective against such an attacking system. It is no surprise we are sliding down the ladder if we are employing defensive tactics which are the single worst way to defend the most common and effective attacking strategy in the game today.

We need to recognise this and adapt

Well, we used the "wait for them" approach defence in 2015 - coached by Kearney, and it worked a treat, especially against the Storm who used that very tactic of momentum up the middle and quick ptb's. Our defence suffocated them. Thing is then, we had a brickwall where the whole line was coordinated and moved as one, and the tackles were all "hit and stick".

Either way, we need a disciplined defensive line where everyone plays with and for each other, and tackles are exactly hit and stick. Nothing else will work.

 

[HarryAllan7]

Well, we used the "wait for them" approach defence in 2015 - coached by Kearney, and it worked a treat, especially against the Storm who used that very tactic of momentum up the middle and quick ptb's. Our defence suffocated them. Thing is then, we had a brickwall where the whole line was coordinated and moved as one, and the tackles were all "hit and stick".

Either way, we need a disciplined defensive line where everyone plays with and for each other, and tackles are exactly hit and stick. Nothing else will work.

The game has changed a lot since 2015. More and more teams are now adopting this type of attack which we are not equipped to defend against.

Yes, it worked in 2015 but it has not worked since and will continue to become more ineffective. We don't have the squad and leadership we had back then and if we are still trying to implement a defensive system which was successful ( but already sub-optimal) back then, our results are going to keep getting worse. We can't just keep doing the same thing hoping that because it worked once 5 years ago, it can work again.

 

[rnabokov]

The game has changed a lot since 2015. More and more teams are now adopting this type of attack which we are not equipped to defend against.

Yes, it worked in 2015 but it has not worked since and will continue to become more ineffective. We don't have the squad and leadership we had back then and if we are still trying to implement a defensive system which was successful ( but already sub-optimal) back then, our results are going to keep getting worse. We can't just keep doing the same thing hoping that because it worked once 5 years ago, it can work again.

Can't agree. The Storm developed that style of play back when and still use it. Other sides have followed. We do have the squad, and this season, we look like having the leaders we have lacked since then.

You write : "we are still trying to implement a defensive system which was successful ( but already sub-optimal) back then ... " No it wasn't - it got us to the grand final and we beat the Storm using that defensive structure - see my post above where Matthew Elliott analyses it.

The problem with our recent defence is that it hasn't been coached properly. Kearney did that so well back then. The last 2 years have been ordinary - ill disciplined and poorly organized. I actually prefer the defence moving up in a straight line to cut down the metres made and momentum, however, that will also fail without discipline - players not putting in 110% and arm grabbing which was a feature of our poor defence all too often last year.

 

[HarryAllan7]

Can't agree. The Storm developed that style of play back when and still use it. Other sides have followed. We do have the squad, and this season, we look like having the leaders we have lacked since then.

You write : "we are still trying to implement a defensive system which was successful ( but already sub-optimal) back then ... " No it wasn't - it got us to the grand final and we beat the Storm using that defensive structure - see my post above where Matthew Elliott analyses it.

The problem with our recent defence is that it hasn't been coached properly. Kearney did that so well back then. The last 2 years have been ordinary - ill disciplined and poorly organized. I actually prefer the defence moving up in a straight line to cut down the metres made and momentum, however, that will also fail without discipline - players not putting in 110% and arm grabbing which was a feature of our poor defence all too often last year.

I'm glad you're a fan of the system and believe in it - I guess the Broncos agree with you.
I hope for everyone's sake that you're proved right.. But I remain dubious.

 

[rnabokov]

I'm glad you're a fan of the system and believe in it - I guess the Broncos agree with you.
I hope for everyone's sake that you're proved right.. But I remain dubious.

Actually, for mine the Broncos don't believe in that system or they would be emulating the fantastic efforts back then.

As far as I am concerned, we have been light years away from the defensive rigor we used in 2015 - no comparison with our recent appalling efforts. Our defence must lift a lot which ever structures we use - or it's curtains this season.

 

[Thelmus]

Defence more so than attack has been our Achilles heel, in particular our outer edge (especially our right).
When everyone talks of the virtues of our young guns (tpj, fiffita and staggs) they forget about our atrocious at times defence.
Your halves will always be a defensive weak spot and tiring front rowers are a part of the game, but your edge defence should not be beaten as easily as our has been.
The trials were a concern, but they were just that. I really hope we have been drilling the house down in the off-season.
Anyway I'm prepared to cut them slack for the trials but that stops round 1. There is no reason we can't win against the cowboys and regardless of who you play, a well disciplined approach will let you succeed in these early rounds. I hope we bring that.

 

[M.B.88]

I think JT13 will have a field day rolling over our young and inexperienced props who are being asked to seemingly play huge minutes due to lack of interchange big fellas.

 

[M.B.88]

More and more teams are catching on to the optimal way to play modern rugby league - creating momentum up the middle with quick PTB's and electric dummy half play to create opportunities around the ruck or put themselves in a position to force pressure and repeat sets.

A defensive system which backpedals and doesn't push forward and allows the ball to come to them is completely ineffective against such an attacking system. It is no surprise we are sliding down the ladder if we are employing defensive tactics which are the single worst way to defend the most common and effective attacking strategy in the game today.

We need to recognise this and adapt

Top post.

Our defence is SOFT and huggy.

Literally no one bar Turpin is a specialist hitter apart from maybe TPJ who always gets pinned for it...

We need a player in the FRF rotation who hits hard and cuts blokes down.

Fleggler plays with aggression but he gives away far too many penalties. He's the new Wallace.

 

[Waynesaurus]

I think JT13 will have a field day rolling over our young and inexperienced props who are being asked to seemingly play huge minutes due to lack of interchange big fellas.

...especially after we've given away so much field position waiting in defense and then have to hit it up from our try line set after set.

 

[rnabokov]

Top post.

Our defence is SOFT and huggy.

Literally no one bar Turpin is a specialist hitter apart from maybe TPJ who always gets pinned for it...

We need a player in the FRF rotation who hits hard and cuts blokes down.

Fleggler plays with aggression but he gives away far too many penalties. He's the new Wallace.

Hoppa hits hard I hear
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Defence more so than attack has been our Achilles heel, in particular our outer edge (especially our right).
When everyone talks of the virtues of our young guns (tpj, fiffita and staggs) they forget about our atrocious at times defence.
Your halves will always be a defensive weak spot and tiring front rowers are a part of the game, but your edge defence should not be beaten as easily as our has been.
The trials were a concern, but they were just that. I really hope we have been drilling the house down in the off-season.
Anyway I'm prepared to cut them slack for the trials but that stops round 1. There is no reason we can't win against the cowboys and regardless of who you play, a well disciplined approach will let you succeed in these early rounds. I hope we bring that.

From what I saw of Croft in the trials, he defends really well - lots of effective tackling. As for our young guns, they are pop guns unless they tackle hard and effectively for the whole time they are on the park

 

[heartly87]

With that bench i would be tempted to strap a few rolls of tape on Oats and tell him he is Petro 2.0 this week and maybe for the rest of the year. Get the man himself in to show Oats everything he knows.

Having Isaako on the bench makes no sense to me. Having a guy who runs like a prop on there and can give you two 15 minute stretches does.

 

[pagey]

With that bench i would be tempted to strap a few rolls of tape on Oats and tell him he is Petro 2.0 this week and maybe for the rest of the year. Get the man himself in to show Oats everything he knows.

Having Isaako on the bench makes no sense to me. Having a guy who runs like a prop on there and can give you two 15 minute stretches does.

He's cover for bird, I'd say isaako comes on and bird goes to lock if he is still on the park.

 

[heartly87]

He's cover for bird, I'd say isaako comes on and bird goes to lock if he is still on the park.

Interesting. Changing your fullback is never a good option mid game unless you have no other option. Plus having somebody like Oats gives you second row cover, wing and he is big enough to play prop. Just pop him into wing if Isaako has to move to fullback.