Prem 7. What stopped it?

[pennywisealfie]

This year will be 15 years since we won the Premiership. I've been thinking about years that got away from us in that time and thought I'd pose the question to you guys.

What do you think was the most significant hindrance in those 15 years, that had it gone the other way, we would have won another premiership? Of course "tackling a Cowboys player after the siren in 2015" is the truest answer, but let's forget that for this (and every other thread too please).

Things I thought of were:

-Melbourne cheating the cap
-Ashton Sims dropped ball
-Gerard Beales Knee
-Greg Inglis signing with Souths

 

[Sproj]

More accurately:

- Melbourne treating the cap a little too sweetly
- Ashton Sims playing to his wage and not being expected to catch a ball
- Gerard Beale being one of the world's best defenders statistically speaking
- Greg Inglis understandably missing a plane due to...you guessed it...being a bit too wet.

But ultimately, in all honesty, I believe most of the blame comes down to the recruitment and retention team and management being shown up to be absolutely incompetent. We have ended up missing out on the likes of Smith, Slater, Cronk and worst of all, Thurston who was in Toowoomba for goodness sake. We also made a bunch of expensive signing mistakes that were never a good idea in the first place with Lodge, Boyd, Gillett (we got lucky with that one), TPJ and Thaiday. We have lost the ability to push out players, have lot all bargaining power at the trade table and completely botched the coaching transition. We also started to focus too much on NSWelshmen in our juniors.

I do feel we are pointing in the right direction now though.

 

[Nashy]

- Cyril Connell passing away.

 

[Sproj]

- Cyril Connell passing away.

End thread

 

[Broncapz]

1. BEN HUNT legendary chain of chokes.
2. Melbourne cheating the cap.
3. Roosters cheating the cap.
4. Paul White
5. Pete Nolan
6. Ashton Sims

 

[Scorchie]

1. Ben Hunt (should've locked up the ball after Milf's run)
2. Ashton Sims (can't fault him given Kennedy the other day, it happens but wow)
3. Gerard Beale (accidental, unfortunate)

 

[Alec]

2015 was the best chance.
Trying to look at it without any bias, I don't think the Broncos had a chance against Manly in 2008. I think they probably would have been outmatched in 2011 too.

 

[mrslong]

2015 was the best chance.
Trying to look at it without any bias, I don't think the Broncos had a chance against Manly in 2008. I think they probably would have been outmatched in 2011 too.

If Lockyer doesn't get injured in 2011 we could have won it all. The 2011 grand final was the softest of the last decade.

Melbourne Storm cheating the cap in 2008 and 2009 also cost us.

I will never forgive them.

 

[Super Freak]

We have ended up missing out on the likes of Smith, Slater, Cronk and worst of all, Thurston who was in Toowoomba for goodness sake.

We went for Smith. We had Priddis at the time, a premiership winning hooker and Smith saw a better pathway at the Storm.

When it comes to Cronk, people look at the finished product and think yep the recruitment team were fucking idiots there. But they don't have a crystal ball. Cronk wasn't showing anything to suggest he would have been a good NRL halfback at that time.

 

[Sproj]

We went for Smith. We had Priddis at the time, a premiership winning hooker and Smith saw a better pathway at the Storm.

When it comes to Cronk, people look at the finished product and think yep the recruitment team were fucking idiots there. But they don't have a crystal ball. Cronk wasn't showing anything to suggest he would have been a good NRL halfback at that time.

Obviously I am aware of those points, hence stating Thurston was the one we really stuffed up.

 

[Browny]

Collective mental issues post 2015 loss.
Poor recruitment
Worlds dumbest players
Lack of intestinal fortitude
Instagram

 

[thenry]

2011 was our year I'm sure of it. Lockyer would have guided us somehow to the GF then...Well when Locky plays in GFs he doesn't lose.

Having said that, I remember the Manly prelim and I forget the referee, might have been Archer or Hayne, but they gave 2 'hand on the ball' penalties against us in the first few minutes to get Manly out of their end and some momentum. Not one hand on the ball penalty for the rest of the game and there were of course a heap of very similar instances (IMO).

So who knows, even Locky can't beat shit refs..

 

[Big Pete]

Obviously I am aware of those points, hence stating Thurston was the one we really stuffed up.

I'm not even sure if that's fair. JT had a bad reputation and the Bulldogs were willing to turn a blind eye and cover his tracks. There's a reason why they spent years developing him and only giving him a taste of first grade before the Cowboys came knocking with a pretty generous contract for a fringe first grader. The gamble paid off, but that reputation JT had didn't go away and there was a lot of smoke surrounding their 2006 collapse.

JT would admit himself he didn't get his act together until 2011.

I don't think he would have been afforded the same patience at the Broncos.

 

[Financeguy]

We had the squad during the Lockyer years post 2006 but just couldn't quite peak or stay injury free when it counted.

Since Lockyer retired we have failed to have 2 of the 4 spine positions as genuine consistent top 3 in their position except 2015 and that has been revisited already.

Not having 1 or preferably 2 of the cream of Qld talent like Cronk, Thurston, Smith, Slater, DCE, or Inglis hurt and wouldn't have happened in our glory days of the 90's and the premierships generally followed those players.

 

[Sproj]

2011 was our year I'm sure of it. Lockyer would have guided us somehow to the GF then...Well when Locky plays in GFs he doesn't lose.

Having said that, I remember the Manly prelim and I forget the referee, might have been Archer or Hayne, but they gave 2 'hand on the ball' penalties against us in the first few minutes to get Manly out of their end and some momentum. Not one hand on the ball penalty for the rest of the game and there were of course a heap of very similar instances (IMO).

So who knows, even Locky can't beat shit refs..

Hand on the ball is the worst and most easy to manipulate rule in sport.

 

[Sproj]

I'm not even sure if that's fair. JT had a bad reputation and the Bulldogs were willing to turn a blind eye and cover his tracks. There's a reason why they spent years developing him and only giving him a taste of first grade before the Cowboys came knocking with a pretty generous contract for a fringe first grader. The gamble paid off, but that reputation JT had didn't go away and there was a lot of smoke surrounding their 2006 collapse.

JT would admit himself he didn't get his act together until 2011.

I don't think he would have been afforded the same patience at the Broncos.

Sure but it is still clutching at straws. I could have made my argument more convincing if I mentioned all the others that got away during that era but I thought I would just leave it to 3. We missed out on all of JT, Smith, Cronk, Slater, Inglis, Papalii, DCE, et al. Notice where 4 of the top 5 of that generation ended up?

 

[Big Pete]

Sure but it is still clutching at straws. I could have made my argument more convincing if I mentioned all the others that got away during that era but I thought I would just leave it to 3. We missed out on all of JT, Smith, Cronk, Slater, Inglis, Papalii, DCE, et al. Notice where 4 of the top 5 of that generation ended up?

I just think it highlights the systems those players came through and the lucky breaks the players and the clubs had.

Brisbane produced some quality players of their own through that era as well just quietly.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

- Melbourne's cheating
- Sims dropping the ball
- Henjak
- Beale breaking Locky's face
- Anthony Griffin
- Ben Hunt's Grand Final brain explosion