Round 1 lineup

[Old Mate]

How will we ever know how good Beale and the likes are if they are stuck behind De Vere???

We will know because if they are better than De Vere they will get picked.

 

[Black Philip]

How will we ever know how good Beale and the likes are if they are stuck behind De Vere???

We will know because if they are better than De Vere they will get picked.

Well that wasn't always the case in the past under Bennett. Hopefully there will be no pussyfooting this year.

 

[Coxy]

How do you know Scotty? Can you be sure guys like Kemp would've performed as they did last year if blooded in first grade a year earlier?

 

[schmix]

Um duh because Bennett obviously knows diddly squat about blooding young players so he must be wrong all the time. And it's not as though he gets to see them behind the scenes in situations that we never witness, so he wouldn't know any more than we do about each individual.

 

[Coxy]

Ah ok. Cool, thanks for clarifying! I had this crazy idea that Bennett had been a first grade coach at the one club for 21 years, winning 6 premierships and blooding dozens and dozens of young players who went on to represent their club, state and country with distinction.

My bad! :P

 

[Black Philip]

Yeah thats what I said!
Seriously though, there have been times when it has been frustrating watching Bennett pick someone crap when we could be giving someone else a go.

 

[GCBRONCO]

1. K Hunt
2. J Yow Yeh
3. S Michaels
4. M Devere
5. I Folau
6. D Lockyer
7. P Wallace
8. J Clinton
9. A Gorrell
10. N Kenny
11. C Parker
12. S Thaiday
13. L Setu

14. PJ Marsh
15. B Te'o
16. A Simms
17. D Taylor

 

[Beale]

Round 1 lineup:

01. Hunt
02. Michaels (Left)
03. Devere (Left)
04. Folau (Right)
05. Yow Yeh (Right)
06. Lockyer (c)
07. Wallace
08. Kenny
09. Marsh
10. Clinton
11. Te'o
12. Thaiday
13. Parker (vc)

14. Sims
15. Setu
16. Taylor
17. Gorrell

 

[Jeba]

I'm surprised Scotty didn't name the Broncos Under 20's side as the one to take on Jt's men, just to "give them a go".

 

[Black Philip]

I'm surprised Scotty didn't name the Broncos Under 20's side as the one to take on Jt's men, just to "give them a go".

Go f*** yourself jeb. Any opinion against Bennett and all the admins & co jump down your throat. Pathetic.

 

[Nashy]

I've got an idea. Why don't we belittle Scotty's opinion on Bennett because you think it's wrong.

Oh wait, you sneaky fella, you're already two steps ahead of me...

 

[Coxy]

Scotty, Beads et al...the point is that some young guys are super talented, and potentially great players, but first grade is cut throat. There's very little room for error, and your opponents will work you over to soften you up. Fact is, a lot of kids just aren't ready for it at 19 or 20 years old.

Have a look at some of the other clubs who do blood really young guys. A fair number of them crack and simply can't handle it. Others do handle it.

Bennett's approach has always been case by case, give them a few shots in first grade and see how they handle it, then give them a break to go away and process what they've just seen.

Very seldom in the Broncos' history did Bennett ever throw kids straight in, and only if he was supremely confident they would succeed - and most times he was right.

Examples:
Willie Carne. Threw him into first grade early in 1990 and he was playing Origin that season.
Darren Lockyer. Debuted as an 18 year old in 1995 and probably only played another 2 or 3 lower grade games after that point.
Karmichael Hunt. Debuted as a 17 year old and has never played reserve grade as far as I know.

You can say what you like about guys like Taylor, Kemp, Moon etc, but obviously Bennett saw something that concerned him and so he didn't give them too long in the top grade. Given his history I'm prepared to accept his judgement, even if I don't understand his reasons.

Henjak's a different coach with different ideas so we may see a different approach. Time will tell.

 

[Black Philip]

I appreciate that Coxy, and I understand Bennett would be the best possilbe judge out of anyone. But that said, when someone who plays like poo gets selected week in and week out while there is a young fella showing some potential in Q-cup or whatever, it gets annoying that they aren't considered or Bennett seemed too cautious.

 

[Coxy]

I can understand that Scotty. Believe me! And again I've had to trust that Bennett saw something in said underperformers that I wasn't seeing. And let's admit it, sometimes he's been right, they've come good.

I think it's only natural as a fan that if you see your team not playing as well as you know they can that you want answers and you want changes.

It'll be VERY interesting if Bennett uses a similar mentality at the Dragons. When they get on losing streaks their fans don't just grumble about selections, they get in the club's face and DEMAND action...how Bennett handles that inevitable situation could make or break his tenure there to be honest.

Dragons fans will sing his praises deluxe before the season starts but if results don't come they will turn on him far worse than Broncos fans ever did. I have no doubt about that.

 

[Black Philip]

Yeah I understand, it's easy to get over excited about a potential gun of a player. But there IS a difference between blooding them too soon and them being a dud. Some of them look alright but just can't handle the pressure of the NRL. Even from QRL to NRL its surely a massive jump for even the most talented player.
If we were to choose a safe option rather than throw Yow Yeh into the deep end, who could we pick? We still have Frawley don't we? :P

 

[Coxy]

And in the cases of Anderson and Bott, there were definite attitude problems as well. For instance, Bott was cripplingly shy and as such wouldn't talk to anyone. Anderson for whatever reason didn't get along with some of the coaching staff.

That's the side of things we don't see, and it's absolutely critical. The team isn't just the 17 players that take the field each week, it's the entire squad, it's the coaching staff, it's the trainers, it's the physios and doctors, everybody. If you're not getting along with certain elements of it, then you're not giving to the team everything that's required.

Who's the one trying to pull it all together? The head coach. He has to either try and mould the individual who's falling out of step with the rest of them into the way he wants them. Or he has to say good bye.

So yeah, just being a potentially gun player who seems to have all the natural talent and skills to be an NRL superstar isn't a guarantee. And a player who may not be producing the best form on the field could be a vital member of the "intangible" side of the team - the guy who gives his younger teammates confidence, talks them up, encourages them, works hard at training and sets the example etc.

As fans all we want is the results at the end of the day, and so we get shitty if we see someone like that making mistakes or not making breaks or whatever while a kid is ripping new arseholes for his opposition in lower grades.

But by putting the young guy in, what are you also taking away? That's the question Bennett has always asked himself.

 

[Bucking Beads]

I still reckon De Vere will be an almighty FAIL.

 

[mrslong]

When he puts on the blew jersey. Fail.