Round 1 team prediction

[nopatience101]

I agree I like the idea less and less despite wanting Hunt to get some experience. You cannot afford to have a half on the bench the way the game is played now, Glenn is the ideal bench utility because he can play halves or hooker if we really need it but is primarily a second rower/lock.

Glenn can slot into the 5/8th or hooker but that doesn't mean his going to be as effective when it comes to the playmaking and creative requirements if an injury occurs in the halves or hooker or a change in the attack is needed, someone like Hunt or Smith on the otherhand can slot in and provide that which can be critical in a match. You do not need a 4 man forward bench especially when you have players like Glenn and Parker who are capable of playing 80 minutes there, 3 forwards(2 frontrowers, one backrower) on the bench with a utility would be effective.

hunt and smith are not utilities, if Glenn is in the centers, the perfect replacement on the bench is Gillett, very similar player and can handle center, 5/8, backrow, lock.... id imagine with our lack of prop depth thaiday will push up at stages to play there, meaning another backrower on the bench will be needed... im not convinced Glenn is physically up to starting in the backrow just yet and if not needed in the centers should still be on the bench...

 

[Black Philip]

Yow yeh injured?

http://www.broncos.com.au/default.a...darren-lockyer-cleared-but-jharal-yow-yeh-out

4 weeks with a knee injury

 

[m1c]

With Hoffman injured I think you will almost certainly see Beale start the year at fullback. If he impresses I'd say the number 1 will be his jumper to lose for the rest of the season. Most of the team falls into place IMO, with the major points of contention being who partners Izzy in the 3/4 line and the makeup of the bench.

Assuming Hoffman and Yow Yeh are out of the mix I think the following are positional certainties for round 1..

1. Beale
4. Folau
6. Lockyer
7. Wallace
8. Anderson
9. McCullough
10. Kenny
11. Thaiday
13. Parker

Winterstein will be somewhere in the backs and of course Glenn will be in squad there somewhere. With Copely, Kemp, Michaels, Teo, Setu, Sims, McGuire, Hala, Britt and Ahern the remaining players in contention.

 

[m1c]

So 4 weeks of the regular season? That means his injury is an 8 week injury. Pretty serious.

It was quoted on the radio tonight as a 4-12 week injury. Specific, I know.

 

[GCBRONCO]

I agree I like the idea less and less despite wanting Hunt to get some experience. You cannot afford to have a half on the bench the way the game is played now, Glenn is the ideal bench utility because he can play halves or hooker if we really need it but is primarily a second rower/lock.

Glenn can slot into the 5/8th or hooker but that doesn't mean his going to be as effective when it comes to the playmaking and creative requirements if an injury occurs in the halves or hooker or a change in the attack is needed, someone like Hunt or Smith on the otherhand can slot in and provide that which can be critical in a match. You do not need a 4 man forward bench especially when you have players like Glenn and Parker who are capable of playing 80 minutes there, 3 forwards(2 frontrowers, one backrower) on the bench with a utility would be effective.

hunt and smith are not utilities, if Glenn is in the centers, the perfect replacement on the bench is Gillett, very similar player and can handle center, 5/8, backrow, lock.... id imagine with our lack of prop depth thaiday will push up at stages to play there, meaning another backrower on the bench will be needed... im not convinced Glenn is physically up to starting in the backrow just yet and if not needed in the centers should still be on the bench...

Hunt and Smith can provide things that Glenn and Gillett can't during a match, the sort of game that is required in the halves and hooker that they simply can't provide where it counts and all it takes is an injury in the halves or the need to change the gameplan to need someone capable of filling that role, without Hunt and no Berrigan I see a real need for someone who can be that player. Take Lockyer his getting on in years, are you suggesting we rely strictly on Wallace and McCollough to handle the direction of the side if something happened to Lockyer like what happened in the allstars game? No disrespect to Glenn or Gillett but I know I'd rather have Hunt or Smith there as an option to play. As for the lack of depth in at prop, Kenny, Anderson, Sims, Mcguire, Hala, Britt and even Thaiday for example are all options to play there before you start looking at the real lower depth of the prop position, With at least 4 props( 2 starting and 2 on the bench) AND Thaiday capable of playing there.

Glenn is more then capable of playing in at lock and after the season he had last season deserves to be in the starting side, be that in the centres or at lock and to be honest I believe we need him there in the starting 13, with him and Parker in the side thats at least two backrowers who are capable of playing the full match. as for Gillett his certainly a player I want to see make his debut this season in the NRL but with Setu and Te'o contenders for the bench I would have to see how he goes early on in the Queensland Cup this season before rushing him in.

 

[Jeba]

Absolutely spot-on there GC. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Also, (and I know Gymp you're not really keen on this), the experience that Hunt (or Smith for that matter) will gain from playing with Lockyer and Wallace will be absolutely invaluable. We've got 2 really good options here for our future in the halves and if we don't give them game time this year they'll surely be snapped up by a rival club who can guarantee them a start. Ben Hunt - former Under 20's Player of the Year, and Tim Smith - former Dally M rookie of the year - they will have plenty of clubs chasing an easy signature. If we give Hunt or Smith some game time it will increase our chances of retaining them and they will be so much better players later down the track. As Coxy said last year, it could potentially cost us a game or two, but the long-term benefits will be priceless.

 

[lyn]

If Yow Yeh is out:
1.Josh Hoffman
2.Antonio Winterstein
3.Israel Folau
4.Alex Glenn
5.Denan Kemp
6.Darren Lockyer
7.Peter Wallace
8.Nick Kenny
9.Andrew McCullough
10.Ashton Sims
11.Sam Thaiday
12.Ben Te'o
13.Corey parker

14.Matt Gillette
15.Josh McGuire
16.Lagi Setu
17.David Hala/Scott Anderson

Beale to be on stand by for the backs and if he is going really well in QLD Cup/NYC then I would be fine with bringing him in and moving Glenn back to the back row where he is best.

I also rate Gillette highly and think he can be our 2010 Alex Glenn.

I haven't seen any of the trials so I don't really know how some of these players have been performing.

BTW Rohan Ahern is gone for the season if anyone didn't already know. He done his ACL. Really dissapointing, sorta reminds me of Spence last year. A young and promising back rower who is looking to debut in the season cops a season ending injury. I hope he can recover well and gets another shot.

Also I don't see how giving Hunt or Smith 10-20 mins a week is going to improve their game more than 80mins a week in the QLD Cup.

 

[ethos]

I can't really understand the point of having a half on the bench. Realistically, an injury to either Wallace or Lockyer during a game is pretty unlikely (unless they go into a match half injured, in that case Smith or Hunt as cover makes sense), so where would they play when they come on the field? I can't see them getting more the 15-20 minutes tops. And who would come off the field?

And I'm not sure playing off the bench would help their development - they'd only be getting 15 minutes-ish of competitive footy per week. Hunt would be best served in the Queensland Cup at the moment and, unless he's starting with the Broncos, Smith will have to play QCup as well. If they want to leave because of that, then, well, so be it. Their incentive to stay is the opportunity to train with Lockyer, Wallace and learn under Henjak and then push for a long term spot when Lockyer goes in a few years time.

I also think we need the four forwards (Glenn included) on the bench. Sims, Setu and Te'o have, so far, been consistently inconsistent and the extra fresh go forward would be handy.

 

[nopatience101]

the games changed... with the reduced interchange you cant afford to carry a half on the bench at the off chance one of them might get injuried... you don't carry an extra center or fb just in case, you make do, thats why coaches want versatile, skillful and mobile sides, players these days are very rarely tied down to one position, apart from the exception of props, look at talk of teo' playing center or sutton, bird or mateo at 5/8 for example... backrowers that can handle a game at hooker, 5/8, or center is dime a dozen these days because of the limited interchange... and with hunt gone its not a matter of trying to replicate the same play with different actors, you change the gameplay...

 

[mArKuS]

1. Denan Kemp
2. Antonio Winterstein
3. Israel Folau (Right Centre)
4. Justin Hodges/Alex Glenn
5. Jharal Yow Yeh
6. Darren Lockyer
7. Peter Wallace
8. Nick Kenny
9. Andrew McCullough
10. Ashton Sims
11. Ben Te’o
12. Sam Thaiday
13. Corey Parker
14. Tim Smith/Ben Hunt
15. Lagi Setu
16. Josh McGuire
17. Scott Anderson

 

[QUEENSLANDER]

the games changed... with the reduced interchange you cant afford to carry a half on the bench at the off chance one of them might get injuried... you don't carry an extra center or fb just in case, you make do, thats why coaches want versatile, skillful and mobile sides, players these days are very rarely tied down to one position, apart from the exception of props, look at talk of teo' playing center or sutton, bird or mateo at 5/8 for example... backrowers that can handle a game at hooker, 5/8, or center is dime a dozen these days because of the limited interchange... and with hunt gone its not a matter of trying to replicate the same play with different actors, you change the gameplay...

100% agree. its like come origin time, someone ALWAYS suggests playing prince on the bench in case lockyer gets injured or something. that chance is slim, and so a spot on the bench is wasted

 

[Coxy]

Agree very much at Origin level, or in an NRL game against a top notch forward pack. But a game which should be easy to win - eg, against the teams running in the bottom 3 without a dominant pack - I think you can afford to carry a young half on the bench and give them 25 minutes to have a go.

That's why I'd like to see Hunt get a go on the bench for the first 4-6 weeks while teams are feeling their way into the season.

But yes, when the shit hits the fan, if you want to have a bench utility that can cover the halves they need to be a tough nut like Alex Glenn (who can play lock, second row, five-eighth or centre) or Shaun Berrigan (same plus hooker).

 

[Black Philip]

Pretty sure Glenn can play hooker too actually. So he covers the same positions as Berrigan.

We shall call him.... black berro.

 

[sydney_bronco09]

"kiwi berro"

 

[GCBRONCO]

For me its concerning that with both Berrigan and Hunt now gone people pushing for a 4 man forward bench are relying on what can be regarded as 3 creative players in the side that doesn't leave much room for problems during a match(and those saying that injuries aren't likely haven't considered the amount of the injuries Lockyer at his age is starting to rack up), Sure Glenn and Gillett could slot into say 5/8th but I wouldn't regard either as having the creativity required to provide the necessary direction(and while I wouldn't regard Berrigan a playmaker he still would offer more then either Glenn and Gillett would at 5/8th or hooker) that when circumstances come about are needed and lets be honest here, you lose Lockyer during a match and you don't have a player like Smith or Hunt to come into the side, your putting a lot of pressure on the shoulders of Wallace and McCollough to get us home which could prove very costly in a season like the one we are going to face.

Having said that I don't entirely have a problem with a 4 man forward(one being a utility) bench, I see advantages and disadvantages in both instances, perhaps if we had someone at fullback who played like Karmichael Hunt did then I would tend to agree with a 4 man forward bench, is there anyone who can fill that role? Perhaps Corey Norman?

 

[GCBRONCO]

the games changed... with the reduced interchange you cant afford to carry a half on the bench at the off chance one of them might get injuried... you don't carry an extra center or fb just in case, you make do, thats why coaches want versatile, skillful and mobile sides, players these days are very rarely tied down to one position, apart from the exception of props, look at talk of teo' playing center or sutton, bird or mateo at 5/8 for example... backrowers that can handle a game at hooker, 5/8, or center is dime a dozen these days because of the limited interchange... and with hunt gone its not a matter of trying to replicate the same play with different actors, you change the gameplay...

The game hasn't changed that dramatically, yes some players have got more athletic and skillfull there have been players such as Gene Miles, Tonie Carroll and Darren Smith for example who were playing in and out of centres and the backrow that often during limited and unlimited interchanges were in the game, theres not much difference between the backrow and playing in the centres. On the otherhand while there are players capable of slotting into 5/8th and Hooker defensively, attacking wise that doesn't necessarily mean they are as capable of handling the key duties there and that is an important consideration, for instance if Lockyer got injured during a match are you going to suggest Glenn slots in there to cover the loss in playmaking and general game kicking duties? Without a player capable to step up your putting a lot of pressure on McCollough and Wallace, especially with no Karmichael Hunt there at fullback, making it really only 2 players capable of handling the direction of the side, one very inexperienced too. You have to be honest here, Lockyer's injuries are becoming more frequent and thats not surprising given his age, we need to make sure we are in a position to be capable of handling a worse case scenario involving him during a match to the best of our ability, not just making do, having someone like Tim Smith or Ben Hunt who is there to be utilised offers more options to the side then just sticking Glenn or Gillett at 5/8th or hooker and making do.

 

[GCBRONCO]

Agree very much at Origin level, or in an NRL game against a top notch forward pack. But a game which should be easy to win - eg, against the teams running in the bottom 3 without a dominant pack - I think you can afford to carry a young half on the bench and give them 25 minutes to have a go.

Exactly, on the one hand your talking about opposition where they are fielding a side made up of players representing the best of the state, and on the other you could be facing opposition that are struggling to climb the competition ladder, different circumstances bring different needs, I will grant if we are facing a side that has a very strong forward pack there is need for a 4 man forward pack, but against the weaker sides I'm not so convinced.

 

[nopatience101]

and if lockyer doesn't get injured, which is more likely then he does, what is hunt/smith going to do? waterboy? injuries are going to happen during a game, you make do and bring a replacement in for the next game... Glenn/Gillett/parker etc. are all capable of filling in at hooker and macca can shift to 5/8 for a game... thats why theres a coaches box...