PRE-GAME Round 1 - Eels vs Broncos

[Rally Towel]

We're gearing up for the start of another action-packed season and to kick us off we've got the Broncos and the Parramatta Eels.

BHQ, who do you think and why?

Broncos by a good margin, though not without a fight. Their left edge of Semi, Jennings and Many will be nigh impossible to contain throughout, but that's not going to be enough.

We can expect the Eels to come out firing. They'll be keen to make a statement, but as we've seen from our Rd 1, 2015 performance, change takes time.

Buying up big on blue chip recruits doesn't guarantee success. Until this new look side has time to acclimatise to each other, they're less than the sum of their parts.

We're better coached, better conditioned, and have the benefit of a settled squad /combinations. We know when to play the percentages and when to inject the flair. Conversely I think Parramatta will suffer from over enthusiasm, pushing passes, throwing speculative offloads, and squandering possession. We can beat the Eels, but I think they can beat themselves also....

Broncos 30-16, by virtue of our superior discipline, game management and IQ.

 

[rnabokov]

Always appreciate your insight rna.

Glad to have you on board for 2016.

Glad to be here - one of the few places which keeps me sane. The best NRL Forum and the best Staff by a long long way, not to mention the best team in the NRL

 

[abashii]

Broncos by a country mile.

 

[tommy]

Broncos by 30....That's what I tipped anyway.

 

[Rhino1001]

Broncos to win 38-16, due to Broncos wreaking havoc on our left edge with milf, forwards combing and a dummy and run by Hunt. Expecting all of Eels tries to come through Jennings and Radradra, a few try savers to boyd, but a good first game, with improvement in defence by Roberts and Eden.

 

[Unbreakable]

Wally just said on 9 news that there will be a couple of "surprises" in the Broncos side to take on the Eels.

Disclaimer: That could be directed at casual viewers who don't even know who Greg Eden is.

 

[Sirlee oldman]

Wally just said on 9 news that there will be a couple of "surprises" in the Broncos side to take on the Eels.

Disclaimer: That could be directed at casual viewers who don't even know who Greg Eden is.

Ese'ese maybe?

 

[Unbreakable]

could jai arrow be playing

No, he's well down the pecking order at the moment, if it's going to be a surprise inclusion on the bench in place of someone like Wallace or Ofahengaue it'll be either Ese'ese or Timu.

 

[rnabokov]

With the new rules changes, I am also expecting well, hoping to see, more of what we can be so good at - forwards passing the ball, separate to offloading, and getting our back rowers more involved in creative attack, running lines from short passes from Hunt and Milf, and this is where I think we are really superior to the Eels ... if it happens: unleashing our edge forwards with our outside backs in support.

FFS, please no one-out running up the bloody middle. Get the ball moving, moving out wide

 

[Big Pete]

Garry via Twitter reported that the same side from the WCC with the addition of Ben Hunt trained together at today's session.

He doesn't believe Ese'ese will make his club debut on Thursday.

 

[Rhino1001]

so it definately means that what wally said about suprises is about people not knowing who greg eden is

And that most people think Hunt is suspended for Rd 1

 

[M.B.88]

I was channeling ESPN's First Take, but I'll take Sterlo - thank you.

Let me begin by answering my own question and allow me to quote a fellow BHQ member.

Parramatta will win the battle, but they won't win the war.

When it comes to James Roberts, I believe fans need to be very patient with him. The transition from club player to a bonafide star takes time and does not happen overnight. I suspect certain sections of the media and some fans will expect the personnel to make him look like a star right off the bat like they did with Milford and as we all saw it took a few months for things to click into gear. To make matters worse, he's coming up against arguably the best centre/wing combination in Jennings and Radradra who will be the focal point of the Eels attack. If the Broncos are to win, they'll have to minimize the damage down that right edge.

And for the most part, I believe they will.

While a lot has been made about the Eels transformation, we all know it usually takes time for those changes to take effect. Usually the timing isn't there or the communication breaks down in defence and somebody loses faith in their outside men creating opportunities - y'know the usual. So while they'll have their work cut out for them, I believe the combination of Milford/Boyd will prove too lethal for the Eels and they'll blink more than the boys from Red Hill.

So Jennings to win his battle with Roberts, but not enough to make up for the rest of the team.

At least that's the way I see it going.

I see it this way too. Great analysis! We will start to win this after the initial 1/4 grind is over, they'll come out quick in the second half but we will score at the beginning of the 4th quarter with some hole pinching from nikorima and milford.

Broncos by a good margin, though not without a fight. Their left edge of Semi, Jennings and Many will be nigh impossible to contain throughout, but that's not going to be enough.

We can expect the Eels to come out firing. They'll be keen to make a statement, but as we've seen from our Rd 1, 2015 performance, change takes time.

Buying up big on blue chip recruits doesn't guarantee success. Until this new look side has time to acclimatise to each other, they're less than the sum of their parts.

We're better coached, better conditioned, and have the benefit of a settled squad /combinations. We know when to play the percentages and when to inject the flair. Conversely I think Parramatta will suffer from over enthusiasm, pushing passes, throwing speculative offloads, and squandering possession. We can beat the Eels, but I think they can beat themselves also....

Broncos 30-16, by virtue of our superior discipline, game management and IQ.

I agree with what you've said mostly. They aren't greater than the sum of their parts at all yet which will come in time, but we however already have a great amount of synergy in our squad. We will be too clinical for an almost "throw together" team of single talents. I really think radradra and Jennings on the same edge is a waste. I am thinking eventually they will be split up.

Wally just said on 9 news that there will be a couple of "surprises" in the Broncos side to take on the Eels.

Disclaimer: That could be directed at casual viewers who don't even know who Greg Eden is.

I'm thinking this is all to do with eden being included like you said but also the notion of thaiday coming off the bench.

 

[Morkel]

Discipline. We are by far the more disciplined team, especially in the forward pack. Meaning it will come down to the refs. Will they ping Thaiday and Wallace the first time they do something the Eels pack have been doing all game? Some of the Eels forwards are experts at dumb brain farts at crucial moments, but will they get pinged? Will Scott be pulled up on his thuggery? Will we be playing the ball correctly all night while they tunnel-ball and get away with it?

 

[Art Vandelay]

Ese'ese maybe?

From memory Ese'ese is outside the top 25. If so, it would make sense not to eat into that second tier cap this early in the season when everybody's still fit.

 

[Big Pete]

From memory Ese'ese is outside the top 25. If so, it would make sense not to eat into that second tier cap this early in the season when everybody's still fit.

Correct.

Boyce, Eden, Funaki, Maranta, Molo, Nicholls, Waddell and Whitchurch are the fringe first graders in the Broncos Top 25.

 

[Danoz Direct]

Correct.

Boyce, Eden, Funaki, Maranta, Molo, Nicholls, Waddell and Whitchurch are the fringe first graders in the Broncos Top 25.

I believe Ese'ese is in the top 25 going by the season launch.

 

[ivanhungryjak]

@proshenks BREAKING: Hearing Kieran Foran is in doubt for round one with a hamstring problem. @TheParraEels @LeagueHQ1

 

[Sirlee oldman]

Do they publish a list of the top 25?