POST GAME Round 1 - Cowboys vs Broncos

[Fitzy]

Had to love at Kevvie at the end, saying that Broncos got the win but don’t forget the Cowboys are without McGuire. Bloke is bitter as ****.

Mate he is just doing his job.... why would he be bitter as **** if he is one bad broncos season away from a coaching gig

 

[Foordy]

With how our young outside backs are going could we see Oates on the bench round 2 as a second rower?

with the tendency to keep a back on the bench these days due to the HIA, i certainly wouldn't be against this.

with someone like Farnworth on the bench, he is pretty much limited to the backline ... but Oates could come on as another edge forward if we needed as well as play in the backs if we lose someone.

 

[Foordy]

Mate he is just doing his job.... why would he be bitter as **** if he is one bad broncos season away from a coaching gig

I doubt he is one bad season away from the coaching job ...

 

[Fitzy]

anyone else see the guys try a three man tackle then peel away to give Milf a chance at the strip..? Didnt work but id like to see us try that again with the proviso it isnt Milf who's the one trying to grab the pill. Turps for me would have the strength and tenacity to do that...

Still unsure about the bench; next game, if we play it, will be more instructive. Haas, TPJ & Fifita played the whole 80. Macca for Turps ok...if you have to....Rhys rotated through for Flegs and Paddy.

That 4th spot is a emergency type thing. Is that the best use of it though..?

Yeah only two forwards are needed at the moment.... apart from flegler none of the other forwards really needed a break.... like they can all play bloody 80... at worst tpj and Carrigan would struggle.... also the 4th spot for a backline utility was shown why it’s needed... farnworth played in both backline wing and centre for the last 20 minutes.... it was also shown when our entire backline started cramping

 

[Mitchell_Broncos]

Whens Lodge, Joffa and Lexy all expected back?

 

[Thelmus]

It’s been done but thus might be my only chance all year:

14. Isaako - He was good. You would never know he was second choice. Some big runs and actually broke a few tackles which for someone with his physique hasn’t really done enough of before. Cramping stifled him from scoring higher. 6
2. Oates - Absolute shocker! He did some nice carries but was the worst on the park by some distance. May be scared of coronavirus given his history of contracting infections and played like he didn’t want to be there. 3
3. Staggs - He is a deceptively strong little Berrigan nugget isn’t he. Still had defensively lapses and finished his night early, hopefully only due to cramp. Great try. 6
4. Boyd - He was solid and that’s about all you can expect from him these days. Looked like he was learning the position and fair enough, was not bad by any means and pulled out some defensive magic. 6.5
5. Arthars - Looked good on the wing, looked lethal at centre. I think we might just have a top class centre in waiting just quietly. Great speed and pretty agile. Seems to read plays well. Very impressed. 8
6. Milford - Definitely looked under instruction to run first, think later. He wasn’t at his best by any means but most importantly, looked like the spark might still be there and he’s found how to unleash it, just needs time. Love how he allowed Croft to take over organisation as the game went on and he was popping the ball out regularly. 7.5
7. Croft - Scintillating debut, absolutely stunning. The team looked like it had direction, purpose and organisation. Dream debut and he looked dangerous every single touch. 9
8. Flegler - To be honest, I wasn’t overly impressed with him early but he played safe and stayed in check. His second stint was destructive though. He was making metres for fun and cutting down players in their tracks. Given how good his front row partner went, his outstanding performance might get unfairly overshadowed. He was immense. 8.5
9. Turpin - Played like he earned his spot. Scored the first try in the stadium and the fact the team looked so slick is in large part thanks to his service because it definitely clunked a little after he went off. Still has that great stinging defense. 7
10. Haas - Best player in the comp hands down and still so young. He has absolutely everything. I’ve never seen a forward this good this early. He’s fast, he’s agile, he has a motor to match anyone and he’s mature on the field. He makes so many crucial plays on the field with and without the ball, it’s freakish. Need a big run? He’ll do it. Last man back to take an intercept late in the game when he should be out in his feet? He’s there too. Shane he dropped it, otherwise no hesitation giving perfect scores. 9.9
11. Fifita - This is the beauty of the kid. Don’t really notice him and then BANG, out of nowhere in a crucial time of the game, he pulls out one of the all-time great tries...again. It is really hard to score him because that play was worth points on its own. 7
12. TPJ - He’ll be in trouble again and given O’Neill went off and failed a HIA, it doesn’t look good for him. Outside of that, he was actually great. Menace in defense and threatened every run, scored a try and ran a great line to get another had it not bounced end over end to Indonesia. Really good game but that incident loses points. 7
14. Carrigan - He was almost as good as Haas. Totally unbelievable but true. Played like a seasoned captain and absolutely led from the front. Truly inspirational stuff. Hit everything hard and ran with purpose. Relentless. 9

15. McCullough - Paying homage to Jack Bird? He got smashed by a shoulder charge but that all got ignored in the immediate aftermath of that Fifita try. He was solid, certainly not bad by any means but that hair has to go. 6
16. Kennedy - I didn’t really notice him but he was solid. Seemed to do his job from what I did notice. Definite noticeable shift in forward dominance when he came on, Broncs lost some momentum for a little while. 5
17. Hopoate - I really liked his debut. He ran well and hit hard. Helped steady the slight momentum slide when he cane on. Impressive debut. 7
19. Farnworth - I like this kid, I think he and Oates should swap. He looked really good when he came on and continues to impress. 6

Its like you read my mind eerie :)

 

[Foordy]

Whens Lodge, Joffa and Lexy all expected back?

Joffa has one more week to serve on his club suspension

Glenn is touch and go, maybe next week, probably round 3

Lodge best case towards the end of the season, they might keep him on ice until 2021, unless we're desperate

 

[Mister Wright]

Wow, the amount of bloody salt and outrage coming from Cowboys fans since they lost fair and square has been astonishing.

So far I’ve seen one ask why Staggs try wasn’t a double movement, seen one say Morgan’s captain challenge should have been overturned as he didn’t lose it, a forward pass in the lead up to Fifita’s try and then multiple comments about how we got all of the rub of the green, how cowboys were robbed like they had some divine given right to win the game, and how we could barely put away a team that finished bottom 8 the previous year.

I know they are notorious for whinging but this is taking the absolute piss. The refereeing was actually almost spot on and has actually been pretty decent for the entire opening round. This is a game where you are really stretching and are clearly butt hurt if you mention the referees in this one. At worst they probably missed one forward pass and one missed penalty in the air which would have been our penalty anyway. Absolute sooks.

How did sleeping overnight in the new stadium during the week to get a leg up prior to the game work out for you, you whinging entitled flogs?

Maybe you should concentrate on making sure you remain above the Titans as the second best team in QLD before you compete against the big boys. That was almost a B team with the outs we had and we still put them to the sword like it was a training drill.

It is the Cowboys fan’s MO. They are the saltiest fans in the NRL. They find absolutely anything to whinge about. Starts with their coach and is a leftover of Thurston’s legacy. That’s why they are my most hated team and the team I need to win against the most.

 

[broncos4life]

I do believe one of their tries only happened because isaako cramped. Otherwise I don’t think he would have dropped it cold the way he did.

Exactly! Most of their tries just came from our errors.

 

[Fitzy]

He didn't go too well Coates would of been better imo.

No cause Coates is just a big body he doesn’t have the footwork or energy every run going into a tackle for the last 20 minutes.... also can’t play fullback whereas farnworth can

 

[Thelmus]

It is the Cowboys fan’s MO. They are the saltiest fans in the NRL. They find absolutely anything to whinge about. Starts with their coach and is a leftover of Thurston’s legacy. That’s why they are my most hated team and the team I need to win against the most.

To be fair they're the only team to get beaten with 7 tackle set against them...twice in finals. That said they got all their luck back and THEN some with the 2015 grand final.
After watching that game they might have plenty of opportunity to whinge this season anyway. I feel a corona virus shortened season would be much more a blessing for that team than ours.

 

[Mitchell_Broncos]

Joffa has one more week to serve on his club suspension

Glenn is touch and go, maybe next week, probably round 3

Lodge best case towards the end of the season, they might keep him on ice until 2021, unless we're desperate

Damn I didnt think Lodgys was that bad in the end. Oh well if we played like last night we can do without him even though his impact will be missed.

 

[Morepudding]

Exactly right. He doesn't have the lateral movement for a centre. Given the absolute shit Oates dished up I'd look to moving Boyd to left wing, arthars to left centre and Farnsworth or Coates on the right wing.

Not trying to shit on boyd but the break was made by marsters stepping on the inside of boyd. Marsters did this on a few occassions during the match.

 

[Morepudding]

That would require him having a brain.

His brain was somewhere else tonight, happening far too often for my liking.

 

[M.B.88]

Did tpj even make contact with the head? I couldn’t see from the angles shown, I’m not convinced he did at all.

Yeah exactly... Even commentator was saying it was "late" .. then brandy was saying he was entitled to the shot but can't make contact with the head and he did so he's therefore going to miss games for it.

But I didn't see him hit his head at all. It was just aggressive.. exactly like last year.

Why can't the NRL just admit that a front rower isn't allowed to play rough with backs

 

[Morepudding]

Not all clubs feel the same way. All it takes is for them to refuse to play in empty stadiums.

At the end of the day it’s not up to the coaches. It’s the CEO’s call.

If they refuse to play in empty stadiums, the broadcasters fan refuse to pay. Unless there is a genuine risk, they need to okay behind closed doors. The TV rights is a lot more than the gate takings. Most of the games in NSW have crowds under 10k so only making a couple hundred thousand from ticket sales.

 

[M.B.88]

It may be early ... but i'm calling it anyway:

Bellamy has made a mistake allowing Croft to walk.

We looked soooooooo much better with a genuine halfback. and I think Croft being away from Smith, will lift his game to another level, since he can now own the team, something he couldn't do at the Storm with Smith around

Was already calling it before we signed him but welcome to the party

 

[M.B.88]

1. Isaako - 9/10 - Actually elite, RTS with cramps
2. Oates - 3/10 - Coronavirus hands
3. Boyd - 6/10 - Dummy half runs are better than missed tackles I suppose
4. Staggs - 7/10 - Nice
5. Arthars - 9/10 - WTF, best outside back on the team by far
6. Milford - 7/10 - One point for each offload
7. Croft - 8/10 - Cronk with a straight nose
8. Flegler - 8/10 - Gun
9. Turpin - 8/10 - Best hooker on the Broncos since Matt Parcell
10. Haas - 10/10 - No words required
11. Fifita - 8/10 - Nearly blew out my achilles cheering on his try
12. TPJ - 8/10 - Get the rubbish out of his game and he's elite
13. Carrigan 9/10 - Parker with hair

Staggs was better then just nice.

Line breaks, tries... THAT HIT ON JT13! leveled him!! He did it laughing his arse off too [emoji1787]