Round 1 - Bulldogs vrs Broncos; Pre-Match Discussion

[Morkel]

I think we may need to consider the possibility that Anthony Griffin is a great coach, and he's simply just being poisoned by Stephen Kearney.

This photo was taken of them at last weeks trial game.

The Broncos' budget is fantastic. It stretches to invisible hats with Fluoro names on the front. That's secret military spec technology!

 

[Huge]

complImented, complEmented...........my compliments to the author,I hope this complements the post.


prick,aren't I lol....

 

[Alec]

complImented, complEmented...........my compliments to the author,I hope this complements the post.


prick,aren't I lol....

Complitely.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

Do you know who the #6 will be, mate?

Parker basically confirmed it'll be Nikorima.

No Cookies | Fox Sports News, Live Sport, Sports | Fox Sports

 

[1910]

Molo was pretty poor today, he was paddlin' badly for Norths and spent a lot of time struggling to get across in defence.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Molo was pretty poor today, he was paddlin' badly for Norths and spent a lot of time struggling to get across in defence.

Any reason why?? Did he do full pre season??

 

[rnabokov]

Totally agree. A big part of this will be if our forwards can hold their own and give the halves some space to work with and whether Hook can develop a game plan where they stand a little deeper in attack. The halves seem to be the big talking point at the moment and I know it is a cliche, but it's our forwards that really need to stand up and provide some sort of platform for them to work with. Thurston would struggle behind our pack the way they are going.

This is one point where I disagree to a large extent. Thurston, like, Lockyer, would be the conductor, the director in the middle, motivating, providing shape and structure as well as positioning his runners.

My biggest issue with our team is that we have no true leaders in the halves, no play makers who can direct the team around the park.

While I have always supported Strasser (and Taylor), and so want Kodi to shine, it's going to take a long time for a rookie to cut the mustard at this level, as the Warriors game so painfully showed.

Personally, I don't like the prospect of Kodi taking on Pritchard et al as they run at him all day and we sure better offer him some effective protection.

This MUST be the season Hunt stands up and shows real leadership and direction, along with Macca, or we are going to end up a Dog's breakfast next week.

Equally, now is the time Parker also needs to show true leadership in the middle and gets the forwards moving up quickly in defence, hurting in their tackling, re-forming quickly positionally for each play the ball in defence and ensuring our pathetic marker defence shapes up.

At this point in time, I don't see this season being much different to the last 3, Barba, Vidot and the other new recruits notwithstanding.

That performance v Warriors knocked my earlier optimism for 6. Still, hope springs eternal

 

[Allo]

To continue the team predictions

What I want:

1.Barba
2.Hoffman/Vidot }
3.Copley/Reed } Whichever side each player plays best on
4.Reed/Copley }
5.Vidot/Hoffman }
6.Nikorima
7.Hunt
8.Hannant
9.Macca
10.McGuire
11.Thaiday
12.Gillett
13.Parker

14.Glenn
15.Kennedy
16.Hala
17.J Wallace

What I expect:

1.Barba/Hoffman
2.Mills
3.Reed
4.Copley
5.Maranta > just ... ugh
6.Hoffman/Barba > In saying that the recent articles suggest he will play Niko. In which case Hoff #2, Mills other wing. Maranta out.
7.Hunt
8.McGuire
9.Macca
10.Thaiday > Stupid
11.Glenn
12.Gillett
13.Parker

14.Granville
15.Kennedy
16.Lowrie
17.Hala (maybe ... for 7 mins)

 

[Cult]

I love how the team predictions all name numerous players for the positions that are yet to be decided haha

 

[Super Freak]

[FONT=&amp]Gorden Tallis says Sam Thaiday is wasted at prop and should be playing in the backrow [/FONT]

• [FONT=&amp]Peter Badel [/FONT]
• [FONT=&amp]The Sunday Mail (Qld) [/FONT]
• [FONT=&amp]March 01, 2014 10:00PM [/FONT]

BRONCOS legend Gorden Tallis fears Sam Thaiday is being wasted at prop and has called for coach Anthony Griffin to return him to the backrow for the sake of Brisbane’s season.

As Griffin prepares to name his squad for Brisbane’s season-opener against Canterbury next Friday night, Tallis hopes Thaiday is not forced to again play a sacrificial role in the Broncos’ engine-room.

Famed for his punch in the second row, Thaiday played 14 of 21 games last season as a prop largely because of the number of back-rowers at Griffin’s disposal.

Tallis has urged Griffin to end the Thaiday front-row experiment. The former Broncos forward believes Thaiday should not have been axed as skipper, and says handing Thaiday the No. 10 jumper when the team is announced on Tuesday would only rub salt into deep wounds.

“Sam is not a front-rower, nowhere near it. He is not big enough,” Tallis said.

“They have to get him in the back row, 100 per cent, Sam is most effective there.

“If you watch him in Origin, Sam is outstanding running on an edge and then he comes back to the Broncos and he’s stuck in the front row.’’

At the club’s season launch on Friday, Thaiday was evasive when asked where he would play, saying sarcastically: “I had a chat to Hook (Griffin) and he wants me to play five-eighth. I’ll have the six on my back.’’

The Sunday Mail understands Thaiday may be retained at prop in the starting side alongside Josh McGuire, with Martin Kennedy and Ben Hannant likely bench options to face the Bulldogs.

Former Maroons captain Tallis is adamant Thaiday playing wider would give Brisbane’s right-side attack a more potent look, especially when Justin Hodges returns from an achilles injury.

“Sam has a show-and-go, he’s got footwork, he’s got a different style of run in him every time that not many back-rowers have,’’ Tallis said.

“He looks as fit as I’ve seen him. If they play him where he really wants to be, alongside Hodgo when he returns, and he has Ben Barba sniffing around the back, that’s a lethal combination.’’

When he was stripped of the captaincy in January, Thaiday conceded he needed to lift his game at club level.

“(His form) wasn’t that bad, but I need to start showing a little bit more consistency at the Broncos,” he said. “Personally I think I’ve been good for my state and country, but I’ve got to be good for my club first.’’

Tallis, who played 160 games for the Broncos between 1997-2004, cherished the captaincy and believes Griffin erred by replacing Thaiday with Corey Parker and Justin Hodges.

“You learn a lot from a job like that and it should never have been taken away from him,” Tallis said.

“I think it (axing Thaiday as skipper) would have hurt him and it will for a long time.

“Why would you take the job from one guy and give it to two? If Hodgo or Parker aren’t better as a single captain than Thaiday, why not add one of them as a co-captain with Sam?

“That’s commonsense in my eyes. You don’t sack one bloke and get two others.

“They could have had a bigger leadership group to help Sam, I think he’s their most inspirational player.

“If I was going to give him any advice, I would say don’t give up Sam because I think he can do the job again one day.”

Tallis caused a stir last season when he claimed the Broncos had lost their aura and he believes Griffin will need luck for Brisbane to be a legitimate title threat this year.

“A lot has to go their way to be a force this year,” he said.

“This is the first time they are playing without a superstar. They’ve had Wally Lewis, they’ve had Allan Langer, Kevin Walters and Darren Lockyer and last year they had former Origin halves Scott Prince and Peter Wallace.

“This is the coach’s side now. All the players he had in the team that made the under-20s grand final (in 2008), they have played 50 or 70 NRL games now.

“This is not a rebuilding year. Guys like Ben Hunt and Andrew McCullough have been in the system for five years. They have Martin Kennedy upfront, so they are not rookies anymore.’’

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[Ari Gold]

Umm... did Tallis just say Peter Wallace was a bigger superstar than Ben Barba?...

 

[Super Freak]

Tallis has never been the sharpest tool in the shed.

 

[Brett]

Gordin "Um, listen, 'cause, um, ya'know what I mean" Tallis.

Edit: To be fair to him though, he makes some valid points. It'd be a whole new level of stupid if Griffin names Thaiday in the front row for round 1. I thought Thaiday was good in the 9's and got to display some of his passing and creating skills. We really need that on the right edge.

 

[Broncoman]

I like Gordie he is knowledgable about the game and does make sense when he speaks. He did make some very good points in that article regarding how Thiaday should be played and how this isn't a rebuilding year and most of our players have been in the system for a while.

 

[Unbreakable]

Agree with Gordie, Thaiday is a backrower, certainly not a prop / lock.

8. Hannant
9. McCullough
10. McGuire
11. Gillett
12. Thaiday
13. Parker

14. Granville
15. Kennedy
16. Lowrie
17. Glenn

That is what our rotation should look like.

 

[noisetheory]

i'd start with kennedy to be honest. big bopper to eat the metres in the first 20 mins.

 

[rnabokov]

Poor Oates. What was it ... 8 tries in 8 games last year? Gave Uate the slip? Better leave him in QCup, yep.

Sound selection strategies will win us the comp this year for sure

 

[Cult]

Poor Oates. What was it ... 8 tries in 8 games last year? Gave Uate the slip? Better leave him in QCup, yep.

Sound selection strategies will win us the comp this year for sure

Was he named in a Qcup team to play this weekend? He's still recovering from an injury I thought.