PRE-GAME Round 1 - Storm vs Broncos

[Dee]

Not expecting a win against our bogey side but what I am expecting and hoping for is the following.

- great ball control (85% and over)
- tough and uncompromising defense
- very few penalties (3 or less)
- relentless and smart attacking plays, decoy runners running with intent, at speed with the ball player knowing exactly who's getting the ball (no confusion or second guessing) and the ball receiver carrying the ball at the defensive line with venom and intensity
- an 80 minute performance with a positive attitude and never giving in

These are simple fundamentals if you think about it, so I expect nothing less. All this doesn't guarantee victory but it goes a long way. There are no excuses.

 

[Alec]

Not expecting a win against our bogey side but what I am expecting and hoping for is the following.

- great ball control (85% and over)
- tough and uncompromising defense
- very few penalties (3 or less)
- relentless and smart attacking plays, decoy runners running with intent, at speed with the ball player knowing exactly who's getting the ball (no confusion or second guessing) and the ball receiver carrying the ball at the defensive line with venom and intensity
- an 80 minute performance with a positive attitude and never giving in

These are simple fundamentals if you think about it, so I expect nothing less. All this doesn't guarantee victory but it goes a long way. There are no excuses.

How many teams get 3 or less penalties these days? Refs have a number they try to aim for too, like a KPI.

 

[Dee]

How many teams get 3 or less penalties these days? Refs have a number they try to aim for too, like a KPI.

I'm hoping the referees wake up to themselves and ref the game normally.

 

[Broncos Maestro]

How many teams get 3 or less penalties these days? Refs have a number they try to aim for too, like a KPI.

I'm hoping the referees wake up to themselves and ref the game normally.

I would love the druggies Sharks to be stripped of their “clean” Grand Final win and to bang a supermodel but I live in the real world with certain people/groups having an agenda to “manage” the game to “appear” fair and balanced.

 

[_wwong]

I would love the druggies Sharks to be stripped of their “clean” Grand Final win and to bang a supermodel but I live in the real world with certain people/groups having an agenda to “manage” the game to “appear” fair and balanced.

Would a super model be a guaranteed good bang though?

 

[Dee]

I would love the druggies Sharks to be stripped of their “clean” Grand Final win and to bang a supermodel but I live in the real world with certain people/groups having an agenda to “manage” the game to “appear” fair and balanced.

Why all the doom and gloom? What I'm saying is I want our team to play better and I expect better. We all should.

 

[Alec]

Would a super model be a guaranteed good bang though?

As Socrates once said, part of a good bang is a good brag.

 

[Broncos Maestro]

Why all the doom and gloom? What I'm saying is I want our team to play better and I expect better. We all should.

Not disagreeing with you Dee but watch most games last year and you’ll notice that penalties are always close unless one team is blatantly doing it or “protected by the 3rd ref (a one C.Smith).

Hopefully it’s a good game of free flowing footy but with the way the game is currently run, I’m not all that convinced.

 

[Thelmus]

Not expecting a win against our bogey side but what I am expecting and hoping for is the following.

- great ball control (85% and over)
- tough and uncompromising defense
- very few penalties (3 or less)
- relentless and smart attacking plays, decoy runners running with intent, at speed with the ball player knowing exactly who's getting the ball (no confusion or second guessing) and the ball receiver carrying the ball at the defensive line with venom and intensity
- an 80 minute performance with a positive attitude and never giving in

These are simple fundamentals if you think about it, so I expect nothing less. All this doesn't guarantee victory but it goes a long way. There are no excuses.

The penalties may be unrealistic (given its the 1st round and we, like everyone else, will be feeling out the referees), but other than that it sounds like a good summation. In round 1, I'd settle for a good performance with strong defence and simple but effective attacking game based on forward dominance, combined with effective kicking in general play. If we win, all the better, but its not do or die and building into the season should be the aim.
I remember a few round 1 when we got blown out of the water and would like to avoid them (I think we won the lot in one of those season though :)

 

[Big Pete]

Last year, it was Newcastle (85%) and the Wests Tigers (84%) who had the best completions of any side and it's fair to say they achieved that by playing extremely simple football.

It worked for them in the opening round but when they needed to evolve their style of play, they were left wanting.

While other teams developed their combinations, both Newcastle and Wests were desperately trying to find ways to score points and when the bounce of the ball was going against them, it got really ugly really quickly.

Watching South Sydney last season, it appears that Seibold likes his players to take risks and challenge the opposition at every turn.

The down side is that it can lead to errors which can lead to indiscretions, so I'd be surprised if the Broncos were able to hit 85% completions more than 5 times this season. For the record, Souths only managed to hit that mark 4 times last year.

As far as penalties are concerned, these days it isn't about how many penalties you give away, but when you give them away that counts. If you give the opposition leg-ups inside their half or forth or fifth tackle penalties it's costly and there's usually a dozen or so games a season that come down to those calls.

At times it feels like a lottery when the referees will make those calls, the players just have to be in a position where they win the ruck and can't give the referees ammunition.

I expect Pangai Jr and Flegler will be cited in the second half at some point.

 

[Sirlee oldman]

Would a super model be a guaranteed good bang though?

Yes

 

[Battler]

I'm hoping the referees wake up to themselves and ref the game normally.

Agreed, but then the count would be like 30-3 in our favour because of the ruck being policed properly which obviously isn't going to happen.

 

[Kyall]

Is anybody else really surprised that Sua got picked for run on over Fifita. What more could he have done to get a run on spot, I thought he deserved it.

 

[Foordy]

Is anybody else really surprised that Sua got picked for run on over Fifita. What more could he have done to get a run on spot, I thought he deserved it.

Not really ...

It is all about team balance, it is a 17 man game after all ...

 

[Aldo]

Not expecting a win against our bogey side but what I am expecting and hoping for is the following.

- great ball control (85% and over)
- tough and uncompromising defense
- very few penalties (3 or less)
- relentless and smart attacking plays, decoy runners running with intent, at speed with the ball player knowing exactly who's getting the ball (no confusion or second guessing) and the ball receiver carrying the ball at the defensive line with venom and intensity
- an 80 minute performance with a positive attitude and never giving in

These are simple fundamentals if you think about it, so I expect nothing less. All this doesn't guarantee victory but it goes a long way. There are no excuses.

Geez, you don't want much from a round 1 game....... From a semi final team, yep, totally agree but to expect all that to happen in round 1......

 

[Kyall]

Not really ...

It is all about team balance, it is a 17 man game after all ...

Yea sure that’s true but this means that Su’a will see more game time than Fifita and that Su’a is assured the right side and that seems to be Fifita’s preference too.

 

[Browny]

Would a super model be a guaranteed good bang though?

All the ones I’ve been with were starfishes

 

[Gaz]

Not expecting a win against our bogey side but what I am expecting and hoping for is the following.

- great ball control (85% and over)
- tough and uncompromising defense
- very few penalties (3 or less)
- relentless and smart attacking plays, decoy runners running with intent, at speed with the ball player knowing exactly who's getting the ball (no confusion or second guessing) and the ball receiver carrying the ball at the defensive line with venom and intensity
- an 80 minute performance with a positive attitude and never giving in

These are simple fundamentals if you think about it, so I expect nothing less. All this doesn't guarantee victory but it goes a long way. There are no excuses.

Love your enthusiasm but you are really talking about a team going into a finals series, not a team playing their first game of the season under a new coach. Considering the Storms records of at home and first game of the season, my only hope is that we are competitive which is also my sole expectation at this stage.