PRE-GAME [Round 11, 2025] Broncos vs Dragons

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Okay, I'm going to tip the dragons this week (I have forever tipped the Broncs). That should ensure a Broncs win. I don't know why but that's the headspace I'm in.
Animation Click GIF by Lucho Gastelum

Ugh done, that was a nasty, dirty experience. Doubt it will happen again unless we win 65 - 8.

C'mon Broncs!
 
Santa said:
Lol - I'm feeling more optimistic closer to the game (and further away from the Souths one). Our biggest issue seems to be our attitude. Surely that's easy enough to fix?

Broncos 65 - Dragons 8
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I feel like either this game is the turning point or the edge of the cliff. I can't tell which, but if it's not a definitive STFU the Buzz train is going to sell out of seats.
 
theshed said:
If Madge picks Carrigan at 8 and Hetherington at lock, I’m off him.

It’s so ****ing obvious at this point
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Agree @theshed

My question (not just to you, but everybody) is why? Why can we all see the glaringly obvious, but Madge cannot?

I'm a mid 50s couch fan who's never played the game, Madge is a professional coach who has lived league his whole life, so I don't want to go the classic route of "well he must be an idiot"

He must be seeing something, or accounting for something, that we aren't - but what?
 
john1420 said:
Agree @theshed

My question (not just to you, but everybody) is why? Why can we all see the glaringly obvious, but Madge cannot?

I'm a mid 50s couch fan who's never played the game, Madge is a professional coach who has lived league his whole life, so I don't want to go the classic route of "well he must be an idiot"

He must be seeing something, or accounting for something, that we aren't - but what?
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I've said in a different post that Kobe is not playing far off what he was under Kevvie, so you're getting the same performances whether he's starting or on the bench.

Patty is still doing all the ball playing and still playing long minutes.

So the differences are potentially visible with Jensen and his output compared to previous years (havent checked but guessing it's down), but there were also complaints about Jensen last year as well.

One aspect might be that Kobe is taking the initial brunt knowing Patty and Payne will do the majority of runs whenever they're out there anyway... which should then leave you bigger guys on the bench to come on against their bench forwards.

Whereas when Kobe comes from the bench you're hoping his footwork can cause issues against fresh bench forwards, but leaving it to Willison and whichever is left from Patty and Payne to do the running... and if Kobe is ever on the field with Pat, then Patty is playing prop... I think he was taking some kick offs last year as well.

If you take Kobe out of the team altogether then Patty is basically playing 80 every week, because we have no other locks... and that is the real question here and has been for awhile now.

When Patty is off the field who is doing his ball playing role?

Ever since 2022 it's become pretty clear that Patty is the most important forward to us... when he got suspended in 22 against the Tigers the team fell off a cliff.

I would absolutely kill to have an Asiata back in the squad right about now.

But even if the answer is Smoothy, Billy, etc. instead of Kobe it's not changing anything, because Patty is playing prop whenever that player is on the field.

Payne was doing a bit of ball playing as the lock when Patty goes off, but do we want Payne doing the ball playing link man role.

BTK showed some nice skills in the trials, but that's a lot to ask of a young guy trying to find his way.

Then there's Smoothy who I personally like in that ball playing role, but he's less physical than Kobe so he's in the team purely as a tackle bot and ball playing lock, and taking up that 17 jersey 20mins a game role.

Eventually that ball playing spot may have gone to Hunt for a 20mins spell, which would solve some of those problems... but he's injured now so we don't know if that mightve been the plan.

I think Billy could do the role that Hunt would've been doing, so you could start Billy, sub Paix/Mozer at 20/30mins and then Billy comes back on later at lock when Patty needs a break.

That gives us a free jersey to use however we want.

8 Jensen
9 Billy
10 Haas
11 Piakura
12 Riki
13 Patty

14 Paix / Mozer
15 Willison
16 BTK/Marty
17 whoever and whatever you want... chuck a physical winger there if you want because the forwards are covered and halves injuries are covered by Billy
 
Wolfie said:
As much as everyone around the club will deny it, i do wonder if a fair few of the players simply dont trust Madge after the way he got his blue grubs to go after Walsh in Origin. Walsh is popular, and i cant imagine that went down very well regardless of what they say in the media.
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I don't really remember this that well. Did he make some statement in the media to take Walsh's head off or something? I don't really have a problem with a coach recognising an attacking threat and telling his team to nullify it, even if that means roughing the player up a little. I mean, heaven forbid players show a little aggression.

I can see a few players having an issue with Payne and I think Reyno, commenting positively on the post by Sualeehehehe though.
 
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