QLD Team - Game III

[Allo]

Let's just hope that they finish this crap off with no injuries to Broncos players. Can't wait to get back to real footy as the number 1 objective.

Agree 100%. I honestly don't care a lot for Origin anymore. It's nice for players to play in it and to do well etc etc, but I want a goddamn premiership. I'd trade a minimum 5 year period of whitewash losses in exchange for a title.

On the team, I think Cooper's partnership with JT does equal amount of good and bad for him. He's equally under- and overrated. I'm in the latter camp, because while it's great to have that sort of option, I've never seen him really do anything else. Granted I don't watch a lot of Cows games and of course he's certainly not a bad player and there have been far worse players, but I'm yet to be convinced there's anything else to him outside of running off JT'S shoulder.

Myles is purely a farewell selection. It's a shame he's fallen of a cliff in the last few years, but he deserves it after 10 years of service and the series 'over'

 

[Alec]

Agree 100%. I honestly don't care a lot for Origin anymore. It's nice for players to play in it and to do well etc etc, but I want a goddamn premiership. I'd trade a minimum 5 year period of whitewash losses in exchange for a title.

On the team, I think Cooper's partnership with JT does equal amount of good and bad for him. He's equally under- and overrated. I'm in the latter camp, because while it's great to have that sort of option, I've never seen him really do anything else. Granted I don't watch a lot of Cows games and of course he's certainly not a bad player and there have been far worse players, but I'm yet to be convinced there's anything else to him outside of running off JT'S shoulder.

Myles is purely a farewell selection. It's a shame he's fallen of a cliff in the last few years, but he deserves it after 10 years of service and the series 'over'

Running off JT's shoulder is his main role. A hole runner. He's great at it too. I hope he starts over Thaiday.

 

[Super Freak]

Okay, but don't you think that's a little selfish on your part? This is something the players have been working towards since they first raced out onto the field. Of course they're going to take any opportunity to represent Queensland, if they treated it like it was a City v Country game they would become an utter laughing stock.

And no Origin game is ever meaningless. In fact, some of the best games in recent times have been dead rubbers. 2007, 2009, 2010...2014 felt great too.

Perhaps it is a little selfish.

But right now our season is a shambles and Origin isn't helping. The post Origin hangover seems to be lasting longer this year. The players look tired, their defence is suffering as a result.

They should sit out this game, get well rested, refresh and focus all of their efforts on getting our season back on track and try to end our premiership drought. They have their whole careers to play Origin, our premiership window is not going to be open for long and once it closes it won't open again for a while. I see 2017 as the end of our premiership window. We should be focusing on getting a good win against the Rabbitohs to get some confidence back in the side. We'll have some tough games after that. On paper we should win those games, but as we've seen the game isn't played on paper.

If we were in a good position like last year then I wouldn't really have a problem with it. Because we could afford to rest players. Unfortunately, this year we can't.

Yeah, there have been some great games in dead rubbers. But at the end of the day, QLD will still be champions whether they win or lose.

I would trade all of those Origin shields for a premiership. I'm getting tired of looking back at our season during the off-season and thinking, "maybe next year.."

 

[Big Pete]

I see what you're saying, but it isn't going to make that big of a difference and there's no guarantee that resting players will make a positive difference.

Essentially you're asking them to go against their nature which is to play at the highest level and represent their state. If they pulled out in the fashion that you're suggesting they would become a laughing stock and they wouldn't feel right with the situation. This isn't some Jamie Lyon deal where he made the call before 2011 and Manly went onto win a premiership, this is just a knee-jerk response looking for a win and it's coming from the wrong places.

While the NRL always suffers due to the demands of Origin, there's other factors at play for the Broncos and until they get those issues sorted, I'd much rather see the Maroons at their best than to undermine the integrity of the competition in a petty attempt to fix our season.

It's not going to happen, nor should it.

Melbourne, Cronulla and North Queensland have had to give up their fair share of players as well. They're doing just fine, Brisbane need to man up and stop making excuses.

 

[GCBRONCO]

I'm with Big Pete on this, the Broncos(especially Bennett) have been in the competition long enough to have to know this is a position they will be facing on a season basis and there have been perfect examples of having done so(1992 vs Rabbitohs and 2002 vs Wests Tigers are two of the best examples that come to mind) with a lot less talent to work with but showed more heart, commitment and drive to go out there and not disgrace the jersey. Yes the competition does suffer in general during the SOO period, but in general there are other sides in the competition are committing just as many if not more players to SOO and as Big Pete points out our problems aren't just SOO related, they are much deeper then that, the club needs to address this and stop looking for excuses.

 

[1910]

Parker's last game, Cooper's first. Nothing meaningless about it. Smith made his debut in a series that was decided that's worked out alright for him.

Nutley played a dead rubber last game and sat on the field for longer than anyone after the game with his children not wanting to leave- he knew it was his first and only game for Queensland.

 

[gordjw]

Minor point of fact: there are no other clubs with 6 or more players in SOO this year, only the Broncos

Edit: the Sharks and Cowboys are close, with 5 each

Standalone origin weekends cannot come soon enough.

 

[GCBRONCO]

Minor point of fact: there are no other clubs with 6 or more players in SOO this year, only the Broncos

Edit: the Sharks and Cowboys are close, with 5 each

Standalone origin weekends cannot come soon enough.

I was wrong to suggest there were sides more or same I take that back, however with sides 1 less then the Broncos providing players we aren't in a position to bitch about it either. In an ideal world standalone origin weekends would occur, until they do the club has a responsibility to act professional and handle the situation.

 

[gordjw]

I was wrong to suggest there were sides more or same I take that back, however with sides 1 less then the Broncos providing players we aren't in a position to bitch about it either.

For sure. Especially since they're both above us on the table. It can't be entirely that, but it's not helping.

I really do think that bye rounds for every club during every origin week is the fairest way to go. Yes, elite players will end up playing 3 more games a year anyway, but at least nobody has to play 3 in a week.

 

[Big Pete]

I'd even argue that the Cowboys have given up as much if not more in terms of salary cap value. It's one thing to give up six players, it's another to give up five, including a future Immortal, the Test Front Row pack and the best five-eighth in the game.

The Broncos gave up six players last year and got through the Origin period OK. It's a nuisance, but it isn't like the Broncos are the only team that suffers.

 

[Super Freak]

Cowboys haven't traveled as much as us, and they have had longer turnarounds. They have had 3 home games during the Origin period so far. Well, 2 if you don't count Cairns as a home game.

We've had to travel more, and we've had shorter turnarounds.