Round 11 - Bulldogs vs. Broncos - Post Match Discussion

[rnabokov]

We speak of many things we lack but IMO, the 3 things that make the Broncos vulnerable are:

1. Our halves and hooker seldom own the game. Last night, as I saw it, Ennis owned us the way he directed his forwards, gave them width, relentlessly quick service, and had structured options on both sides of the ruck;

2. Our game plan is from the 1980's, the worst aspects of which are yes, again, a flat attacking structure, or rather, lack of any, except on those good 2nd man plays. We have no passing game. As a few posted, we too often run one out then pass to the halves on the 4th or 5th tackle for a predictable kick.

3. A serious failure to support the ball runner. The criticisms of Gillett are unwarranted in that situation. He should have had 3 players preferably backs, running at full speed in support as soon as they saw him make the line break. Instead, it was only Granville.

Macca is not a patch on any of the top hookers despite his solid, simple plays. He provides no width to our forwards from dummy half, and Hunt as someone else posted is simply too timid to own anything other than his shorts.

Our forwards are not the problem.

As well, Norman doesn't help at FB. He is too slow and runs with no impact. All he does well is 2nd man plays. He is NOT a FB.

 

[Viti]

When is someone going to step up and sort this side out? They turn up once every five weeks FFS.

AMEN, consistency is all I want. We've shown we can compete with the top sides in the comp but then we go and lose to the 3rd last team on the ladder a week after almost losing to the team running 2nd last.

 

[Mr Fourex]

Our forwards are not the problem.

We have problems all over the park tbh ........the forward pack is no exception from that.

Front rowers singling out small men on the try line......???

Inability to dominate your opposition?

Sounds like problems in the forwards to me. The Bulldog pack made us their bitches.

 

[rnabokov]

We have problems all over the park tbh ........the forward pack is no exception from that.

Front rowers singling out small men on the try line......???

Inability to dominate your opposition?

Sounds like problems in the forwards to me. The Bulldog pack made us their bitches.

Like I said, our forwards can only play as well as our halves and hooker let them. Last night, our halves and hooker were ordinary. They let Ennis and his halves own the middle and edges which is where we really lost it

 

[Mr Fourex]

Like I said, our forwards can only play as well as our halves and hooker let them. Last night, our halves and hooker were ordinary. They let Ennis and his halves own the middle and edges which is where we really lost it

Yeah .....no offence, but I think you've got that arse backwards. Your halves usually play well on the back of a dominant forward pack, not the other way round ......Hodgiskin is no star but he looked it behind his pack last night.

You're right in applying some of the blame to the dummy half though.......McC was ordinary, again.

 

[rnabokov]

Yes and No. A forward pack is dominant when they are given quick service, have good wide and deep structure on both sides of the ruck. Then the halves do their job.

Our forwards are almost herded into the middle like sheep. No wonder they find it hard to dominate. Aside from which they just die with the ball.

Also, Thaiday's runs are soooo predictable, made worse 'cos he is rarely supported.

If you watch the Dogs, and the other top teams, it's an interchange of passing in the middle that spreads the defensive line, which is why their forwards score so many tries, which is both the hooker's job, and the .... dare I say it ..... the coach's.

​

 

[Son Edo]

Inconsistent, hot and cold footy team.

 

[rnabokov]

Inconsistent, hot and cold footy team.

Yes and yes, aside from the issues in the middle and lack of support play.

So who is responsible for the TEAM's performance?

 

[Son Edo]

The coach and our captain wasn't inspirational,

 

[rnabokov]

The coach and our captain wasn't inspirational,

Yea verily.

Our halves and hooker fail to own the middle and the edges, simple as that.

Gillett and Glenn are wasted most of the time and the only time we look dangerous is when Norman comes into the line on the left.

Our right side is a dog's breakfast

 

[Bucking Beads]

We certainly don't play to our strengths. Our game plan is very hit and miss because when we are over powered by the oppositions forward pack we just crumble.

 

[Bull Shark]

Inconsistent, hot and cold footy team.

I think this current broncos team hovers between cold and luke warm ....

if you want to see 'hot' watch the roosters, souths & melbourne when they snap out of their current coma ...

 

[Dexter]

We certainly don't play to our strengths. Our game plan is very hit and miss because when we are over powered by the oppositions forward pack we just crumble.

That's what I find a mystery Beads, if you know what's coming at you then surely during the week you adjust your attack to get your play the ball faster, particularly the first or second tackle. That would mean a bit of deception around the ruck or a quick player out of dummy half to to set up a decent roll down the park.
As everyone can see we go straight to the one out hit ups and run straight into 3 defenders waiting for us get dominated and then do it again.
The forwards are trying their best but you can't maintain that effort all night especially with our bench rotation.

I don't think we can win a Gf this year but I have no doubt we could go deep into the finals if we had some forward structures that helped a bit.

 

[Bucking Beads]

It shits me that Griffin hasn't adapted his game style at all. It is basically Bennett ball. All he wants is completions and doing the basics right. Our forward pack personnel wise is pretty good but we don't use them right. We just have no hope while Griffin is at the helm. It doesn't help not having a dominant play maker or having no assistant coach with a clue about attacking football.

 

[jarro65]

That's what I find a mystery Beads, if you know what's coming at you then surely during the week you adjust your attack to get your play the ball faster, particularly the first or second tackle. That would mean a bit of deception around the ruck or a quick player out of dummy half to to set up a decent roll down the park.
As everyone can see we go straight to the one out hit ups and run straight into 3 defenders waiting for us get dominated and then do it again.
The forwards are trying their best but you can't maintain that effort all night especially with our bench rotation.

I don't think we can win a Gf this year but I have no doubt we could go deep into the finals if we had some forward structures that helped a bit.

And yet, not that long ago either, we had props giving little tip ons to a support player.... right before they hit the line.

Where has this gone ?

 

[Dexter]

Yep that's the frustration, we've all seen it's there but where the **** does it go and why.

 

[rnabokov]

That's what I find a mystery Beads, if you know what's coming at you then surely during the week you adjust your attack to get your play the ball faster, particularly the first or second tackle. That would mean a bit of deception around the ruck or a quick player out of dummy half to to set up a decent roll down the park.
As everyone can see we go straight to the one out hit ups and run straight into 3 defenders waiting for us get dominated and then do it again.
The forwards are trying their best but you can't maintain that effort all night especially with our bench rotation.

I don't think we can win a Gf this year but I have no doubt we could go deep into the finals if we had some forward structures that helped a bit.

We will go nowhere until we have that, and that means yet again, halves and hooker who OWN THE MIDDLE and EDGES, and a game plan built around passing the ball to support runners.

Flame me if you will, but the only times we have come close was when Prince was at 6. Who played 5/8 when we won most of our games and when we had some creative right side attack?

I don't care what people say, at this stage, Hunt has NFI of organizing the right side, although Hodges makes that a mammoth task in itself with his belief he can win a game on his own.

 

[Porthoz]

Rnabokov, when you grab hold of a thought, you don't let go, do you? :laugh:

No halves can do a job without their forward pack dominating the opposition, that's just basic footy!
Good, crisp, quick service from your hooker goes a long way, as was illustrated yesterday in the difference between the Ennis grub and McCullough.

Yesterday we were mostly on the back foot due to a combination of factors, like dropped ball, critical ref decisions and our forward pack being monstered by theirs, but there wasn't much difference in the way both teams played. Neither was expansive before the 4th and 5th tackle, and the rest was a big slugfest, where the Dogs won, once again, because Ennis gave Macca a clinic.

Blaming the halves yesterday is just more of the biased blind "our halves are shit" tripe, seriously... :glare: