Round 1 - Bulldogs vrs Broncos; Pre-Match Discussion

[broncos4life]

What I would love to know is where are our young big islander wingers? Most other clubs have plenty

Why would we need them when we have Maranta?

Griffin's game plans are about 20 years too old so he probably just havent caught on. I can imagine in the off season of 2036 Griffin walking into Gee's office saying "What about this kid, Uate, Akuilla Uate I think it is, let's sign him up... I think big islander wingers are going to be the next big thing"

 

[Financeguy]

What I would love to know is where are our young big islander wingers? Most other clubs have plenty

I'd settle for someone who is just genuinely quick. It is strange that other clubs seem to be able to pluck wingers out of nowhere and find ones that can do the job.

 

[noisetheory]

What I would love to know is where are our young big islander wingers? Most other clubs have plenty

we dont like tall fast blokes on our wings.

 

[Alec]

Remember Time to Poo?

 

[noisetheory]

we seriously would of been better off signing tuquri than the two blokes we had on the wing on the weekend.

not that that would have improved our defense up the middle or poor halves or anything else.

 

[nostradamus]

1 Ben Barba
2 Stuart Mills
3 Josh Hoffman
4 Jack Reed
5 Dale Copley
6 Kodi Nikorima
7 Ben Hunt
8 Ben Hannant
9 Andrew McCullough
10 Josh Mcquire
11 Sam Thaiday
12 Todd Lowrie
13 Cory Parker

14 Alex Glenn (Hooker,2ndrow,Centre)
15 Martin Kennedy
16 Francis Molo
17 Jarrod Wallace/David Hala

Heard a rumor Gillet out for 6-8 weeks injured Warriors trial only plyed 25mins?????

 

[Sproj]

Gillett out? YES!! Means Hook can't stuff up the prop/second row to fit everyone in.

 

[GCBRONCO]

So not only did we lose, show the same problems as the last two season but we didn't even achieve what Hook wanted most from the trials, no injuries, fantastic.

 

[coreyh88]

so our defensive issues on sunday were between glenn, reed, mills also with hunt and copley. interesting that copley and reed were both on their unnatural sides. hoffman and reed had a great combination in attack and defence in fact we had one of the best sliding defences in the game with those two. our other issue was being rolled in the middle. granville was smashed so maybe macca plays 80 particularly as he is our best playmaker. i'd like hunt and macca halves combo but we lack a hooker. we need to have one of kennedy or hannant on at all times.

1. barba

r.wing. hoffman (im not sure what sides better as i don't know if he has a preference)

r.cen. reed (apparently his natural position)

l.cen. copley (apparently his natural position)

l.wing. vidot/oates (would help get our sets off to a good start)

6. gillett (is quite skillful and hopefully makes a good defensive half rather than a poor defensive forward also solves
our too many forwards issue)

7. hunt (he was a seven at the end of last year wasn't he. i don't want anything different to then)

8. Kennedy (we need size for 80 minutes especially the start)

9. macca (if granville is playing i'd like to see him spend time at 6)

10. moose (hopefully can play 60)

11. glenn (definitely needs to lift his game. he used to be hard to tackle and great defensively what happened)

12. Thaiday (possibly the best wide running 12 in the game on form, can almost pass as well as sbw and if in form is as damaging when he runs)

13. cp-13 (any questions?

14. Hannant (hopefully somewhere close to 60)
15. lowrie (should get about 40 minutes giving thaiday and glenn breaks)
16. molo (2x10 min stints of powerful running i expect him sprinting, if we are being rolled he can replace glenn with parker moving a little wider)
17. granville(granville as he moves to 9 i want to see macca at 6. give gillett a break and he is the best controller we have and is really trying to step up into that senior playmaking role, he's taken on a lot of responsibility this season and i think hunt thrives with a steady partner)

 

[Allo]

Gillett out? YES!! Means Hook can't stuff up the prop/second row to fit everyone in.

Hahahaha yeah right

 

[bazza]

I would run with this team for round 1:

1. Barba
2. Vidot
3. Reed
4. Copley
5. Hoffman
6. Strasser
7. Hunt
8. Kennedy
9. McCullough
10. Hannant
11. Glenn
12. Thaiday
13. Parker

14. Granville
15. McGuire
16. Gillett
17. Green/Martins/Lowrie/Hala/Molo/Wallace/Paki

My last bench player is a bit out of left field, but I still feel we're a prop short, especially when we opt to play Thaiday or Parker there. Green is by far not a star player, and I'm not saying I'm completely convinced he should get a shot, but its not like any of our other props have looked better.

Based on the Redcliffe trial, he was probably one of the better players on the field, while everyone else looked rather disappointing throughout the trials. Green is also surprisingly big at 6 ft 3 and 107 kg. At least with him, you know he'll do his job. Plus his NRL experience is also a positive.

If not him, I wouldn't mind seeing the French International Martins, get a run. He too is quite big, tall, strong, surprisingly quick and rather skilful. He could be a handful, plus he has played in the English Super League.

Our biggest problem is the lack of big, strong, tall front rowers. Our props are too small, almost the equivalent of most other teams back rowers, and hence we get easily dominated in attack and defence. That's the only reason I didn't pick Lowrie on the bench, while Hala just seems too lazy.

If only we had Suaia Matagi. I think he is one of the hardest running props in the game, albeit he only plays in short bursts. The way he sprints it back from the kick off is inspiring to say the least, especially for his team mates as well as the fans.

Other props I would love to have would be Ben Matulino and Sam Tagataese. Their just big, imposing forwards, something we have lacked since the Webke, Civoniceva, Thorn, Carroll and Carlaw days.

If Gillett is out, I guess Lowrie would be the logical replacement.

I wouldn't mind another prop on the bench though. That way we could start with Hannant/Kennedy, and replace them with two bench props through the middle, while McGuire could rove around the edges, almost as a backrower.

 

[Allo]

Also sounds like Hoffy is in the running for the 6:

No Cookies | thetelegraph.com.au

[h=1]Josh Hoffman in contention for Brisbane Broncos five-eighth jersey[/h]

CHRIS GARRY
JOSH Hoffman has rocketed into contention for the ever-mysterious Broncos No.6 jersey, just days after a crisis meeting was needed to ensure he remained committed to the club.
The Broncos are only ten days away from round one, having lost their two trials 80-12, yet coach Anthony Griffin admits he does not know who his five-eighth is.
To make matters worse, Griffin also revealed superstar centre Justin Hodges would not return from his achilles injury early.
He said Hodges was little chance of playing prior to round six.
The Broncos desperately need their co-captain’s creativity in the early rounds with their five-eighth options now two fullbacks and a 170cm 19-year-old in Kodi Nikorima.


Ben Barba, Hoffman and rookie Nikorima are vying for the playmaker role against Canterbury on Friday-week, despite Jordan Kahu (injured) and Zach Strasser training in the position this pre-season.
Hoffman and Nikorima both spent time outside halfback Ben Hunt in their 48-4 loss to the Warriors on Sunday and both played fullback as well.
It is likely Barba and Hoffman will interchange between the five-eighth and fullback spots during NRL games this year.


Griffin experimented with in-game rotation last year, when Hoffman and Hodges would switch between fullback and centre.
Hoffman came off in the second half against the Warriors clutching his ribs but will be recovered in time to face the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium.
The Broncos returned to Brisbane yesterday morning following the horror show in Dunedin and Griffin, despite his job being under pressure, asked if he could be interviewed instead of the pre-arranged Corey Parker.


Griffin said Hoffman and Barba were realistic chances for the No.6 role this year.
“He’s (Hoffman) an option there. Before he got hurt yesterday he was handling it well wherever he played,” Griffin said.
“I haven’t decided (five-eighth) yet.
“I wanted to give Kodi and Hoffy time at five eighth (against the Warriors).
“We’ve tried a few guys there. We will sit down in the next few days and sort it out.”
Last week Hoffman and his manager Paul Hogan held a meeting with Broncos officials to discuss several issues and the hard-working back committed to see his contract out.
They would never let him go anyway considering how bereft of attack they were against a rampaging Warriors side.


Their lone try by Jack Reed came from a dropped Warriors bomb. At one point Josh McGuire was passed the ball on the last tackle and was promptly swamped by defence.
Griffin said while the performance was below standard he predicted his team would be much-improved come round one.
“I don’t know if we need wake up calls. Everyone is very disappointed but in saying that round one is in two weeks’ time and we will be at our best,” he said.
“People will make assumptions and predictions and everyone is entitled to do that. Our job is not to make predictions but be as strong as we can for round one.
“As a group we are better than that. I don’t think there were too many people in the group that were at their best.
“Everything is about the 24 games in the season. Apart from yesterday it has been a very good off-season.”

 

[noisetheory]

ffs is he serious jaskldfsakl;fdjkl;asjdfal

 

[Super Freak]

GODF******DAMNIT HOOK! You bloody moron.

Well, if Hoffman is 5/8, then our season is well and truly screwed.

 

[Super Freak]

Gillett out? YES!! Means Hook can't stuff up the prop/second row to fit everyone in.

He'll find a way.

 

[noisetheory]

why we interested in halves that cant pass when we have a hooker who already cant.

 

[bazza]

Also sounds like Hoffy is in the running for the 6:

No Cookies | thetelegraph.com.au

I'm all for it. I was calling for this a long time ago, wanting Hoffman to continually switch throughout a game with Barba between second receiver and fullback, creating doubt in the opposition defence. I noticed Hoffman practising his left foot kick pre game against the warriors, which suggested he was in consideration.

I think Hoffman will surprise a lot of people at five-eighth, as he is more talented than we get to see. Quite frankly he didn't look to bad passing out the back to his fullback. In his brief time in the trials, our attack looked sharper, as we were stringing a few passes together. It certainly looked better than when Nikorima or Strasser played five-eighth alongside Hunt.

The interesting thing is, that Hoffman seems to play differently in whatever position he is playing. At five-eighth, he passed the ball more in that short amount of time, than in his combined time at fullback. I don't know whether that is due to coaching and just the gameplan.

Either way, Hoffman played five-eighth alongside Barba during his whole junior footy days, so they have that familiarity and knack of knowing what the other ones doing. Hoffman did express his desire to play five-eighth after Locky's retirement. I think that could be a real possibility.

 

[Super Freak]

Hoffman can't pass, well not a good pass anyway. He will fail.