PRE-GAME Round 1 - Broncos vs Rabbitohs

[BroncosAlways]

Honestly, some of you guys are just incredible.. imagine if Maranta, after (potentially) working his butt off all season to improve on his speed, handling, hitups and finishing... plays very well in the WCC, impresses the best coach in the game and wins his spot... only for you lot to crucify him based on a few poor games last year.

Let's be grown ups and consider a few things:

1) Maranta improved immeasurably between 2013 and 2014 and is only still what, 22?? Coming into his third year in first grade, maybe Wayne's mentorship, a bit of confidence and experience is all he needs to take it to the next level. But hey... maybe not... in that case Vidot and (when Boyd returns) Kahu are waiting to fill his spot. The best, most consistent performer will cement their spot. Each winger has their strengths and weaknesses.

2) Wayne, Kevvie and co have had a full off-season with these boys. Even putting aside attitude, performance, injuries etc... let's think about tactics... maybe they figured with a couple more big aggressive forwards we don't need Vidot's metres as much as we need safe hands and speed. Maybe, they just ran some numbers and worked out that xx% of South's tries come from Reynolds kicking to the corners in which case Maranta reduces their points by a fair margin. With all the sports science and full time training these days, he simply couldn't hide \ fake it if he wasn't in our top 3 o 4 wing options.

3) Reed - hasn't replicated his rookie season form... but again, we simply don't know if he has dropped some weight and picked up a bunch of speed... its too early to write him off before a ball has been played in 2015. I'd say they want a consistent defender while the likes of Milf, Dale and Kahu find their feet in scoring points.

Don't get me wrong, if I had to pick a side based on 2014 form I'd have Copley over Reed and Vidot over Maranta... but we aren't in 2014 anymore. The team dynamics have changed, the coaching staff has changed, the boys would have responded differently to these circumstances and challenges in the off season... some better for it, other not so much... so my suggestion is to make some sense\logic from these selections (of which there is plenty), enjoy the footy, assess how people play and see how Wayne and co respond. Sure we can discuss thoughts on selections but don't hate on anybody...

The only circumstance in which I'd be pissed is if Wayne's personal fondness of Lachlan or Barry Maranta swayed his decision slightly... but honestly the club and the man himself are too professional for that to happen.

We should be excited at how a team featuring Hodges, Hunt, Milford, Parker, Thaiday, Gillett, Blair, McGuire and so on and so forth is always going to be a good team, and with Wayne behind them, will give the reigning premiers a real run for their money. Stop the whining over which style of winger the coach picks FFS.

P.S I hope Maranta kills it.

A few poor games ? His career is flooded with **** ups. Don't get me wrong I'd love it if maranta came out and set the world on fire and I would be the first to admit I was wrong, but it's so damn annoying when fans blindly believe in him no matter what. He is not up to NRL standard from what I've seen, but again I hope I'm wrong and I hope he kills it.
Just don't say the people on BHQ are too hard on him because I promise you he deserves 95% of the criticism he cops.

Also for the record, I've never been involved in this whole Bennett/Hook coach crap fight, I just genuinely don't think maranta should be in the team.
Come game time though ill be cheering him on like the other 16 players that take the field

 

[Morkel]

Oates has never, ever looked out of place in first grade. He was exceptional as a rookie and though he was limited in his appearances last year I never thought he looked out of place. To put him back into QLD Cup now doesn't really strike me as being incremental development. More like backwards. With our backrowers, I can understand why he might not give our 17 the best balance, but I don't agree that this is helpful to his development. IMO he's well and truly proven he is above QLD Cup.

In this particular example, I'm hoping it's just for match fitness after his surgery and interrupted trials. Same theory though - why sacrifice proper development (and/or recovery) on a game that, while it would be nice to win for a morale boost, is no more important than the remaining 24 (hopefully plus) games this year.

 

[Ari Gold]

For the record, I actually believed in Maranta in his debut season. When he was dropped for the start of the subsequent season, I thought it was unfair as I wanted to see him build on what I thought was a strong debut few games. However, since then he's only ever really regressed. He bombs a number of tries that a competent winger needs to be scoring and looks incapable of creating one of nothing. Even Jack Reed has that "still Jack Reed" try against the Storm.

 

[Super Freak]

For the life of me I've never seen Maranta show speed or confidence in anything except defending kicks.

Catching up to Inglis last year wasn't enough to show he has speed? Sure, Inglis is not as fast as he used to be but he isn't bloody slow.

If he had got his tackle right, Inglis doesn't score.

 

[Ari Gold]

Catching up to Inglis last year wasn't enough to show he has speed? Sure, Inglis is not as fast as he used to be but he isn't bloody slow.

If he had got his tackle right, Inglis doesn't score.

You're right, Inglis isn't as fast as he used to be. And it took Maranta, what? Half the field and Inglis having to hurdle another player'st tackle for Maranta to catch up?

Maranta might well be fast over 100m like lots of articles suggest, but he's not very fast over 10m or 20m. He has shown no acceleration. Look at a guy who has actual speed like Roberts or Fisiiahi etc. They'll just keep running down the sideline, beat their man and score. Never seen Maranta do that.

Happy to be proven wrong as we need that type of player. I just don't have any real basis to think it will happen.

 

[Unbreakable]

Can we take a small moment guys.. I've been a Maranta hater for good reason over the last couple of years..

He's 22 years old.......... Vidot turns 26 this week, if we're talking about building for the future and highest upside/potential.. Maranta is a great choice (Which isn't the end of the world either.. Bennett will drop him if he doesn't validate the selection over the next couple of months)

 

[rnabokov]

Can we take a small moment guys.. I've been a Maranta hater for good reason over the last couple of years..

He's 22 years old.......... Vidot turns 26 this week, if we're talking about building for the future and highest upside/potential.. Maranta is a great choice (Which isn't the end of the world either.. Bennett will drop him if he doesn't validate the selection over the next couple of months)

For mine, the point is Bennett has seen something in Maranta and maybe under Bennett - which is the key issue for me, Maranta will fulfill whatever potential he has ... or will show he hasn't got.

I have never liked Vidot on the wing and never will until he can run like a winger and not a prop. The metres he makes are great but so are McGuire's. I want a winger on the wing who plays like one, not a prop out of position.

We will soon find out about Maranta

 

[1910]

Vidot will play prop for the Jets. He will never play wing for them, he couldn't do it.

 

[Financeguy]

Really excited for the game, i think we have a great chance if we come out of the blocks fired up and get in Souths face early.

Re the team selection, like most i am not a fan of Maranta. Even on his best days he can only be described as "safe" and he the poster child for a dime a dozen winger. Personally i would pick Vidot every day of the week in front of him but having said that i am not privy to the reasons why Maranta got the nod so maybe it was justified.

I'm not sure why people are surprised by Reed being in the side? Wasnt it pretty much confirmed a few days ago that Reed and Copley would be sharing the wing/centre combo.
As someone earlier said, you cant have 17 superstars in the squad and Reed is one of our lower paid players. Sure he is not an elite centre but he can do a job shutting down an opposite number such as Lyon and Wighton last season, and i'm sure others.

Whitchurch i also would not personally pick, he screams of a Bennett pet project but its not like he is any more or less a risk than Nikorima, who will get his turn eventually. I personally was hoping for Parcell at 17.

 

[noisetheory]

I'm not sure why people are surprised by Reed being in the side? Wasnt it pretty much confirmed a few days ago that Reed and Copley would be sharing the wing/centre combo.

yes

 

[redbur95]

Oates has never, ever looked out of place in first grade. He was exceptional as a rookie and though he was limited in his appearances last year I never thought he looked out of place. To put him back into QLD Cup now doesn't really strike me as being incremental development. More like backwards. With our backrowers, I can understand why he might not give our 17 the best balance, but I don't agree that this is helpful to his development. IMO he's well and truly proven he is above QLD Cup.

I think Bennett wants to have Oates playing 80 minutes in the Queensland Cup to build up his stamina. Bennett would know how talented he is, but talent isn't the issue.

I could see Bennett introducing Oates into the side at around Round 10 after he's put a few 80-minute performances under his belt. By then, he'll have no problems playing a solid 80 in the NRL or 40 minutes where he can go nuts as an impact player.

 

[Alec]

Can we take a small moment guys.. I've been a Maranta hater for good reason over the last couple of years..

He's 22 years old.......... Vidot turns 26 this week, if we're talking about building for the future and highest upside/potential.. Maranta is a great choice (Which isn't the end of the world either.. Bennett will drop him if he doesn't validate the selection over the next couple of months)

Whoa 26 this week...might as well start looking for nursing homes now, right?

 

[Unbreakable]

Whoa 26 this week...might as well start looking for nursing homes now, right?

Settle down spud, I was comparing him to Maranta, not implying that he's near the end of the road, 4+ years younger as a winger means a lot in this day and age, most wingers primes are from 21-27, from what I've seen anyway.

 

[Wolfie]

We are struggling for good wingers. I can see why Vidot has been dropped, i like him but he is very error prone. I also heard a few things about him not pulling his weight in the pre season torture camp so i am not surprised Bennett has dropped him.

I would rather see Opacic on the wing instead of Maranta tbh as at least he seems capable of scoring tries judging by his U20 games. He is pretty solid and would do a good job in the mould of a James Mcmanus imo.

 

[kingpest]

Vidot playing prop for jets haha that is hilarious

 

[kingpest]

If vidot plays prop for the jets for a while you'd have to think his days as a brisbane winger are over, how's he going to improve as a winger playing in the front row

 

[noisetheory]

pretty surprise by how much butthurt there is over vidot being dropped. maybe its just cos maranta took his spot haha.

good times.

 

[Anonymous person]

2014: "Reed is useless, hes only in the team because our coach is a moron. If Bennett was our coach he'd never play first grade! Same with Maranta, that guy has bricks for hands and has bombed 150000 scoring opportunities. He's useless, Bennett hates players like him!"

2015: "**** yeah Reed and Maranta are in the team! They're both so great, Maranta has the speed of a gazelle and Reed is an attacking dynamo! Both are the best catchers of the high ball in the competition! What a masterstroke by Coach Bennett having them *both* in the team!"

And I thought the "Bennett won't bring Boyd to the Broncos, he doesn't play favourites" conversations were funny lol. This takes the cake. 2 guys who are among the worst in their position in the entire NRL and literally everyone on here wanted dropped last year are selected and now the decision is being applauded lol. Absolute gold.