PRE-GAME Round 1 - Broncos vs Eels

[Sproj]

As long as they don’t get destroyed in the second half as per usual or even just slightly destroyed, I’ll take it as a step in the right direction. In fact, if they can hold Parra to under 30, I’ll take that as improvement.

 

[Jedhead]

I'm not one for sticking my neck out and making outlandish predictions, but somehow I just feel the Eels game is the perfect opportunity for this group of men to make a statement. This is the team that dusted us up badly in the finals and then followed it up the next season with a real gubbing.

I smell a furious payback coming up. This is one game where Kevvie wants an all out assault.

Broncos by 14.

 

[Kooly87]

I still can’t believe that we let Macca walk with 1 year left and now we are in a position where Croft at 14 doesn’t even sound like an outlandish selection. If these idiots let him go due to some pipe dream Smith would be coming to the club, without a strong behind the scenes indication of doing so, then nothing has changed on the bad decision making front.

That 400K+ better end in some amazing unforeseen pick up before kick off or it’s more incompetence. The club needs a second row, hooker, centre, and fullback before round 1. If we get at least one of those I’d be feeling a lot better about the direction of the club.

I knew things were grim when @Big Pete was already voicing his concerns his off season, and he is right. I backed the Copley, and Mead signings as cultural moves but my perspective on those signings change significantly when they and Asiata are all we bring in, and we lose one of the only guys we had who could defend and be a voice of leadership when things weren’t going our way in Macca. The team is undeniably worse than last season.

I do expect improvement this year simply from Seibold not being around but I find it very hard to see us cracking the top 12 as it stands.

I may be wrong here, but as I understood it we wanted to keep Macca and it was Macca himself agitating for a release to take up a long term and fairly lucrative Dragons offer.

I'm not saying we couldn't have used him this year, but in truth, he was on borrowed time at best, and for a guy who has given so much to the club, to then deny him the chance to go and take up a big money deal this late in his career when we probably wouldn't have offered him a new deal at all would be fairly harsh from the club. It probably also had the potential to cause discontent amongst the playing group if Macca had to stick around all year with his nose out of joint.

 

[007]

Broncos by 2.

 

[mrslong]

Just win ffs.
Or, just don't be winning with 10 minutes and capitulate like a bunch of sissy's ffs.
Or, just don't get flogged ffs.
Or, just score a try ffs.
Or, just hop off the bus on time ffs.

 

[Waynesaurus]

The trial has shaken me and I must admit I'm a little concerned we still haven't adapted to the new rules, if we don't start playing touch footy and find some speed in the play the ball and around the ruck we are screwed.

I thought in the first half our tackle technique was ok, it was only in the second half when they really stepped up hammering us from dummy half with speed on the back of fast play the balls and mistakes that the we lost our bottle due to fatigue.

 

[Kooly87]

The trial has shaken me and I must admit I'm a little concerned we still haven't adapted to the new rules, if we don't start playing touch footy and find some speed in the play the ball and around the ruck we are screwed.

I thought in the first half our tackle technique was ok, it was only in the second half when they really stepped up hammering us from dummy half with speed on the back of fast play the balls and mistakes that the we lost our bottle due to fatigue.

So essentially just a carbon copy of where it all went wrong for us all of 2020.

 

[Waynesaurus]

So essentially just a carbon copy of where it all went wrong for us all of 2020.

Yep.....

We are not doing enough in attack to wear down the opposition. Slow forwards, with slow play the balls, using up too many tackles in a set. Turpin was running in the first half and we were building a bit of momentum on the back of it but we were still a lot slower than the cows.

 

[Broncapz]

I'm looking forward to a good solid 40 minutes of football from the boys!

 

[theshed]

This is a great perspective that I wish I thought of earlier. I’m just gonna turn off the tv at half time.

I'm looking forward to a good solid 40 minutes of football from the boys!

 

[Broncapz]

This is a great perspective that I wish I thought of earlier. I’m just gonna turn off the tv at half time.

Hey! If the Broncos can switch off at half time, why can't you!

 

[Allo]

One thing I still can’t understand is how we just seem to have no time. Unless we have them backpedaling and Turps is running/able to run, no matter who we play and where, the second our forward gets the ball he has defenders in his face. I cannot see how teams are always onside maintaining that line speed

I don’t want to jump back on my refs fault stance from my last post in the trial thread, but let’s say it’s something I’ve noticed

 

[Wolfie]

Broncos by 30. We have this in the bag.

 

[Renegade]

Parra by 12

 

[PNG Broncos fan88]

We need to be up in their faces on defence, dont let Brown, Paulo or C.Gillard work up a head of steam and scatter our front line.
If the lads are back peddling all night, we all now what the result will be.

 

[winslow_wong]

We need to be up in their faces on defence, dont let Brown, Paulo or C.Gillard work up a head of steam and scatter our front line.
If the lads are back peddling all night, we all now what the result will be.

I think you just listed all the reasons why we might be getting pumped

 

[Dash]

One thing I still can’t understand is how we just seem to have no time. Unless we have them backpedaling and Turps is running/able to run, no matter who we play and where, the second our forward gets the ball he has defenders in his face. I cannot see how teams are always onside maintaining that line speed

I don’t want to jump back on my refs fault stance from my last post in the trial thread, but let’s say it’s something I’ve noticed

The Cows were 5m offside the entire game. It's impossible to build momentum when the defence have crossed the advantage line before the dummy half can even pick the ball up.

 

[Gaz]

I may be wrong here, but as I understood it we wanted to keep Macca and it was Macca himself agitating for a release to take up a long term and fairly lucrative Dragons offer.

I'm not saying we couldn't have used him this year, but in truth, he was on borrowed time at best, and for a guy who has given so much to the club, to then deny him the chance to go and take up a big money deal this late in his career when we probably wouldn't have offered him a new deal at all would be fairly harsh from the club. It probably also had the potential to cause discontent amongst the playing group if Macca had to stick around all year with his nose out of joint.

Think it was more a case of how much we had to compensate Dragons rather than standing in his way.