Round 1 - Bulldogs vrs Broncos; Pre-Match Discussion

[noisetheory]

i'll bet $100 that maranta is in the side.

 

[noisetheory]

i'll be quite happy if vidot is named.

really hoping we go with four big boppers and leave parker out of the prop rotation. people keep saying "he plays in the middle anyway" but thats not the point. the point is - if parker is 'prop' then thaiday or someone else will have to play in the middle. parkers greatest asset is offloads but if he's taking the first and/or second hit up of the set then its going to largely negate that.

and thaiday is best out on the edge.

please name four honest props, griffo, please.

 

[Foordy]

He might have had some help from WB, but Kearney has a World Cup win to his name. It's more than Griffin can offer at the top level of the game.

what is his highest position as a head coach at club level though? doubt he has even gotten near the finals

 

[Unbreakable]

Do we really have many other options than Maranta on the right wing if Hoffman/Barba are interchanging between Fullback and Five-Eighth? Mills didn't look that great in the trial / nines, he looked reasonable under the high ball and made a couple of half breaks (So did Maranta). Drew did nothing.

I'd say it's about a 95% chance that the back 7 tomorrow will be

1. Barba (Hoffman)
2. Vidot
3. Reed
4. Copley
5. Maranta
6. Hoffman (Barba)
7. Hunt

 

[88to2006Glorydays]

Do we really have many other options than Maranta on the right wing if Hoffman/Barba are interchanging between Fullback and Five-Eighth? Mills didn't look that great in the trial / nines, he looked reasonable under the high ball and made a couple of half breaks (So did Maranta). Drew did nothing.

I'd say it's about a 95% chance that the back 7 tomorrow will be

1. Barba (Hoffman)
2. Vidot
3. Reed
4. Copley
5. Maranta
6. Hoffman (Barba)
7. Hunt

Thats what they ran as today at training. I am 99% sure thats it. Maranta, oh dear.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Seems to me Parker is trying to pressure the coach into picking Kodi but Hook seems to have other ideas.

Seems to me Parker was specifically asked about Nikorima and gave a positive yet diplomatic response. It's what captains do.

I also really don't think he meant to imply that our five-eighth was going to be an NRL debutante when he used the word 'rookie'.

 

[noisetheory]

if hoffman and barba are going to interchange, then maranta is the best option. mills doesnt look good and drew is too raw. there isnt anyone else that i can think of.

maranta is at least safe at the back.

when one of hodgo and oates are back then it will push maranta out of the team.

 

[Big Pete]

I just moved a bunch of posts into the Sack Griffin thread.

In the future, could you please reserve your thoughts on Griffin's future or ability as a coach for that thread. This goes for Post Match Discussion too if the crux of your post is to simply comment on him positively or negatively.

 

[noisetheory]

No Cookies | thetelegraph.com.au

"While debate has raged about whether Barba will start at five-eighth, every indication at training yesterday was he would wear the No.1 jersey with former Kiwi Test fullback Josh Hoffman the likely No.6 as he defended on the left edge between Alex Glenn and Jack Reed.


If there is any rotation between the duo, it will be to get Barba’s hands on the ball more often as Brisbane look to extract every bit of attacking skill from one of the NRL’s most prolific tryscorers."


i guess that "probable" team they named at the end was just them guessing?

 

[Bucking Beads]

If that is the team named I just don't get it. Which one of Glenn, Thaiday or Gillett will be playing in the middle third of the field.

 

[Unbreakable]

Broncos likely team: Ben Barba, Stewart Mills, Jack Reed, Dale Copley, Lachlan Maranta, Josh Hoffman, Ben Hunt, Josh McGuire, Andrew McCullough, Corey Parker, Alex Glenn, Matt Gillett, Sam Thaiday. Interchange: Jake Granville, Martin Kennedy, Ben Hannant, Todd Lowrie.

That's the telegraph's bet at our team.. won't be too far off, I really hope Vidot gets first crack at the wing though.

 

[Ari Gold]

That rumoured team just looks awful. Maranta on the wing or Hoffman at five-eight. Hard to say which of those selections is the most ridiculous, but both break the meter.

 

[noisetheory]

honestly i can deal with hoffman at five-eighth/barba at the back and a bit of switching more than i can deal with thaiday playing in the middle third.

 

[Broncoman]

Barba does have experience in the halves and played a handful of games there for Canterbury but I think it would be absurd to switch the Dally M fullback from 2 years ago to the halves and Hoffman doesn't strike me as a playmaker and Griffin's philosophy of playing players out of position hasn't worked so far.

I would only switch around Barba or Hoffman if it was a last resort and we had no other choice left.

 

[Unbreakable]

If that is the team named I just don't get it. Which one of Glenn, Thaiday or Gillett will be playing in the middle third of the field.

I can see exactly what Griffin is doing, without a shadow of doubt, he's simply trying to choose the team with the least amount of risks possible, I guess the media is partially to blame for that with all the pressure they're putting on his job, this is the 13 he'll probably name, he's only naming Hoffman at Five-Eighth for his defense, Mills on the Wing for his good work under the high ball and Glenn in the starting lineup to make us seem more "Mobile".

Probable team for the Bulldogs game:

1. Barba
2. Mills
3. Reed
4. Copley
5. Maranta
6. Hoffman
7. Hunt
8. McGuire
9. McCullough
10. Parker (c)
11. Glenn
12. Gillett
13. Thaiday

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

It would be a completely different story if Griffin had absolutely no pressure on him or if we had a different coach who wasn't afraid to take risks.. this would be the team if someone without a shadow cast over them was in charge:

1. Barba
2. Hoffman
3. Reed
4. Copley
5. Vidot
6. Nikorima
7. Hunt
8. McGuire
9. McCullough
10. Kennedy
11. Gillett
12. Thaiday
13. Parker (c)

14. Granville
15. Glenn
16. Hannant
17. Hala

 

[Broncoman]

That's the telegraph's bet at our team.. won't be too far off, I really hope Vidot gets first crack at the wing though.

Disagree with that team

1- Mills needs to improve defensively if he is to have a spot. Didn't mind him in attack but he had no idea defensively
2- Maranta is just bleh, Hook has no idea if he thinks Vidot isn't a better choice
3- Would keep Hoffman on the wing
4- Parker and Thiaday out of position; switch Parker to lock (he killed it there last year) and Thiaday plays at his best on the fringes. Kennedy to start and play Glenn of the bench and drop Lowrie.

 

[88to2006Glorydays]

Vidot will be on the wing for sure. He trained there all day today. Mills didn't even get a run when the 13 were on the paddock. In that same line up, they had Kennedy and Hannant in the front row with Thaiday, Gillett and Parker.

I think the Telegraph are off the mark with the forwards.

 

[Manbush]

2- Maranta is just bleh, Hook has no idea if he thinks Vidot isn't a better choice
.

Even Hooks not that dumb so Vidots omission from the trials and possibly round 1 would have to be due to something else, attitude or behavior most likely. Remember this is a bloke who has been released early from 2 struggling clubs so there is form on the board.