Round 15 Discussion

[Big Pete]

Canberra Raiders v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
GIO Stadium, Friday 20 June 2014
Kickoff 7:45pm

Referees: Ashley Klein, Alan Shortall; Sideline Officials: Jason Walsh, Chris Sutton; Video Referees: Luke Phillips, Henry Perenara;

1. Anthony Milford 2. Matthew Allwood 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Jack Wighton 5. Sami Sauiluma 6. Terry Campese 7. Josh McCrone 8. David Shillington 9. Glen Buttriss 10. Brett White 11. Jake Foster 12. Jarrad Kennedy 13. Shaun Fensom
14. Mitch Cornish 15. Kyle O'Donnell 16. Dane Tilse 17. Shannon Boyd

1. Mitch Brown 2. Corey Thompson 3. Krisnan Inu 4. Timoteo Lafai 5. Drury Low 6. Josh Reynolds 7. Trent Hodkinson 8. Sam Kasiano 9. Michael Ennis 10. James Graham 11. Josh Jackson 12. Tony Williams 13. Greg Eastwood
14. Dale Finucane 15. Tim Browne 16. Pat O'Hanlon 17. Reni Maitua 22. Lloyd Perrett
Official Match Hashtag: #NRLcancby

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New Zealand Warriors v Brisbane Broncos
Mt Smart Stadium, Saturday 21 June 2014
Kickoff 5:30pm

Referees: Jared Maxwell, Dave Munro; Sideline Officials: Russell Turner, Anthony Elliott; Video Referees: Steve Chiddy, Steve Folkes;

1. Sam Tomkins 2. David Fusitua 3. Konrad Hurrell 4. Ngani Laumape 5. Manu Vatuvei 6. Chad Townsend 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Jacob Lillyman 9. Nathan Friend 10. Sam Rapira 11. Jayson Bukuya 12. Simon Mannering 13. Sebastine Ikahihifo
14. Feleti Mateo 15. Suaia Matagi 16. Charlie Gubb 17. Ben Henry

1. Ben Barba 2. Daniel Vidot 3. Jack Reed 4. Dale Copley 5. Lachlan Maranta 6. Josh Hoffman 7. Ben Hunt 8. Josh McGuire 9. Jake Granville 10. Ben Hannant 11. Alex Glenn 12. Corey Oates 13. Todd Lowrie
14. Jarrod Wallace 15. David Stagg 16. David Hala 17. Francis Molo
Official Match Hashtag: #NRLwarbri

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Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks v Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Remondis Stadium, Saturday 21 June 2014
Kickoff 7:30pm

Referees: Gavin Morris, Gavin Reynolds; Sideline Officials: Steve Carrall, Ricky MacFarlane; Video Referees: Matt Cecchin, Luke Phillips;

1. Nathan Gardner 2. Sosaia Feki 3. Blake Ayshford 4. Jonathan Wright 5. Michael Gordon 6. Todd Carney 7. Jeff Robson 8. Siosaia Vave 9. Michael Lichaa 10. Bryce Gibbs 11. Luke Lewis 12. Wade Graham 13. Paul Gallen
14. Fa'amanu Brown 15. Chris Heighington 16. Anthony Tupou 17. Sam Tagataese 18. Tinirau Arona

1. Brett Stewart 2. Jorge Taufua 3. Jamie Lyon 4. Steve Matai 5. Peta Hiku 6. Kieran Foran 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Josh Starling 9. Matt Ballin 10. Brenton Lawrence 11. Anthony Watmough 12. Justin Horo 13. Jamie Buhrer
14. Jesse Sene-Lefao 15. Dunamis Lui 16. Tom Symonds 17. Jason King 18. James Hasson 20. Jack Littlejohn
Official Match Hashtag: #NRLcroman

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Melbourne Storm v Parramatta Eels
AAMI Park, Sunday 22 June 2014
Kickoff 2:00pm

Referees: Ben Cummins, Grant Atkins; Sideline Officials: Michael Wise, Adam Reid; Video Referees: Bernard Sutton, Luke Patten;

1. Billy Slater 2. Sisa Waqa 3. Will Chambers 4. Mahe Fonua 5. Young Tonumaipea 6. Ben Hampton 7. Ben Roberts 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith 10. Bryan Norrie 11. Kevin Proctor 12. Ryan Hoffman 13. Ryan Hinchcliffe
14. Kenneath Bromwich 15. Tohu Harris 16. Junior Moors 17. Jordan McLean 18. Tim Glasby 19. Joel Romelo 20. Kurt Mann

1. Jarryd Hayne 2. Semi Radradra 3. William Hopoate 4. Willie Tonga 5. Vai Toutai 6. Corey Norman 7. Chris Sandow 8. Tim Mannah 9. Isaac De Gois 10. Junior Paulo 11. Ken Edwards 12. Pauli Pauli 13. Joseph Paulo
14. David Gower 15. Lee Mossop 16. Peni Terepo 17. Luke Kelly
Official Match Hashtag: #NRLmelpar

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Gold Coast Titans v St. George Illawarra Dragons
Cbus Super Stadium, Sunday 22 June 2014
Kickoff 3:00pm

Referees: Bernard Sutton, Gavin Badger; Sideline Officials: Nick Beashel, Jeff Younis; Video Referees: Ashley Klein, Ben Galea;

1. William Zillman 2. Kevin Gordon 3. Brad Tighe 4. James Roberts 5. David Mead 6. Brad Takairangi 7. Maurice Blair 8. Luke Bailey 9. Beau Falloon 10. Luke Douglas 11. Greg Bird 12. Mark Minichiello 13. Ashley Harrison
14. Matt White 15. Caleb Binge 16. Ben Ridge 17. Matt Srama 18. Dave Taylor 19. Nate Myles

1. Adam Quinlan 2. Charly Runciman 3. Josh Dugan 4. Gerard Beale 5. Jason Nightingale 6. Gareth Widdop 7. Benji Marshall 8. Ben Creagh 9. Mitch Rein 10. Michael Cooper 11. Leeson Ah Mau 12. Joel Thompson 13. Trent Merrin
14. Jack de Belin 15. Will Matthews 16. Shane Pumipi 17. Bronson Harrison
Official Match Hashtag: #NRLgldsgi

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Newcastle Knights v North Queensland Cowboys
Hunter Stadium, Monday 23 June 2014
Kickoff 7:00pm

Referees: Matt Cecchin, Henry Perenara; Sideline Officials: Paul Holland, Dave Munro; Video Referees: Steve Clark, Luke Patten;

1. Darius Boyd 2. James McManus 3. Dane Gagai 4. Joseph Leilua 5. Akuila Uate 6. Jarrod Mullen 7. Tyrone Roberts 8. David Fa'alogo 9. Kurt Gidley 10. Willie Mason 11. Beau Scott 12. Robbie Rochow 13. Jeremy Smith
14. Adam Clydsdale 15. Korbin Sims 17. Chris Houston 18. Joseph Tapine 19. Clint Newton

1. Michael Morgan 2. Matthew Wright 3. Brent Tate 4. Kane Linnett 5. Antonio Winterstein 6. Johnathan Thurston 7. Ray Thompson 8. Matthew Scott 9. Rory Kostjasyn 10. James Tamou 11. Ethan Lowe 12. Tariq Sims 13. Scott Bolton
14. Robert Lui 15. Glenn Hall 16. Ashton Sims 17. Jason Taumalolo

 

[Big Pete]

You may as well wait until Thursdays because that's the real teamlist day during the Origin period.

However, as it stands...

Bulldogs/Raiders, Warriors/Broncos, Storm/Eels, Knights/Cowboys are all interesting games.

Raiders couldn't have picked a better time to face the Dogs who are down on troops and beginning to luck very very average. Unfortunately for them, they're also without two of their better forwards in Papalii and Vaughan and it appears Ricky isn't going to go with young talent like Mago and is instead opting for the safe approach with Foster. In addition, the only real change he's made to the side that was easily beaten by the Broncos was the omission of Robinson for Allwood who will be playing out of position on the wing. It just seems so strange, a lot of the issues are there starring Ricky in the face and he won't budge.

Interesting test for the Broncos on Saturday. All of their past four games have been against opponents they've been expected to beat but they'll be really up against it v the Warriors without a few key players and their Origin representatives. They'll give it a red hot go but if the Warriors that beat Newcastle turn up, I can see it being a long afternoon for Griffin's men.

I'm really interested to see how the Eels will do in Melbourne. I imagine both Slater and Hayne will struggle to back up and while there were a lot of positives to take out of Sunday's performance for Parramatta, I can't help but think the Storm will be a much bigger test for them. However, this is also going to be a good evaluation of Melbourne. The Storm team of the past would have found a way to win this, if they struggle here then 2014 maybe the year for them to miss out.

Knights/Cowboys is much of the same. Interested to see how the Cows will travel on the road. If JT backs up, this game will definitely be interesting, if not, Newcastle maybe able to snap their seven game losing streak. Either way, cannot believe this side from Bennett.

 

[Porthoz]

I don't think the Broncos were "expected" to beat the Tigers away or Manly at home.

I know you're not the type to do that, but I really hate people diminishing their team's achievements with the customary "the opposition team played really crap, are worthless, etc... and when we play a real team, we'll get trashed." type of remarks.

Credit where credit's due... the Broncos have been playing strongly since we lost the souffs game. Coincidently, we had 46 missed tackles in that game, and have been averaging less than 20 missed tackles since then!

The Warriors game will definitely be a test, especially if their expansive style sticks, so we need to keep the defense going at the same level. We need to target their defensive weaknesses (Tomkins, Hurrell and Vatuvei), and we cannot offer a broken line to Johnson or Tomkins, or they will tear us to shreds...

 

[Big Pete]

I don't think the Broncos were "expected" to beat the Tigers away or Manly at home.

You're right there was definitely some scepticism but come Game Day I was pretty confident the Broncos could win both.

Manly were without DCE & Watmough coming off an Origin game where the Broncos players had a bit to prove. It turned out to be one of the best Broncos performances of the season but for me, it was always a case of 'by how many'.

Pre-Origin affected games are usually a lottery because there are so many make-shift combinations but Origin was kinder than usual for the Broncos and a lot of the elements that had made the Broncos succesful were there. Meanwhile, Tigers were without Farah & Tedesco, IMO two of their three big elements and while it was a tough slog I thought as long as the Broncos played well, they'd be too good for the largely inexperienced Tigers. Brisbane didn't and still came away with the two points.

With this Warriors game, I don't even think a good performance will be good enough given the conditions. If both teams were at full strength and the game was contested on even ground I'd be a lot more confident but everything is pointed towards the Warriors favour.

Make no mistake about it, if the Broncos win here, they deserve all the accolades and I think they've basically booked their place in the finals.

 

[GCBRONCO]

You're right there was definitely some scepticism but come Game Day I was pretty confident the Broncos could win both.

Manly were without DCE & Watmough coming off an Origin game where the Broncos players had a bit to prove. It turned out to be one of the best Broncos performances of the season but for me, it was always a case of 'by how many'.

Pre-Origin affected games are usually a lottery because there are so many make-shift combinations but Origin was kinder than usual for the Broncos and a lot of the elements that had made the Broncos succesful were there. Meanwhile, Tigers were without Farah & Tedesco, IMO two of their three big elements and while it was a tough slog I thought as long as the Broncos played well, they'd be too good for the largely inexperienced Tigers. Brisbane didn't and still came away with the two points.

With this Warriors game, I don't even think a good performance will be good enough given the conditions. If both teams were at full strength and the game was contested on even ground I'd be a lot more confident but everything is pointed towards the Warriors favour.

Make no mistake about it, if the Broncos win here, they deserve all the accolades and I think they've basically booked their place in the finals.

Personally I think your underestimating the difficulty the Broncos were facing against Manly, they were also without Hodges, could have easily been heavily distracted by the off field drama that had only just unfolded and though Manly were missing DCE, they still had Foran and got a decent replacement for DCE, we on the other hand had Hoffman in at 5/8th who belongs as close to the touchline as you can get him. I've seen plenty Bronco teams loaded with stars compared to the current one come undone under lesser pressure, let alone the same or more, this game wasn't ever close to being confident of a win prior to the match even on gameday, Just like Canberra at Canberra, I never ever go into a game against Manly confident of a win, especially not with what I have seen of this side over recent years.

 

[Big Pete]

Each to their own.

If it was any other decent side, I would have expected them to win all four games.

This is their toughest test.

 

[Big Pete]

Rumour going around that Brenko Lee will make his debut tonight for the Raiders.

While I haven't been impressed with his progress in the reserves, I like that Ricky is trying something because I don't think either Allwood or Sauiluma have the natural ability to play first grade. I would have liked to have seen Hawkins get the first shot but then again, that's purely a 'greener grass' scenario and what I saw from him in the NYC.

Still think he should consider giving Mago a go off the bench. Another very talented backrow prospect and with Papalii out, worth a shot off the bench.

Speaking of giving young talent a go, I hope you guys got a chance to check out Ari's 'This is how you fix' Newcastle post. It's a good read and I agree with a lot of his points. Usually, I'm a big proponent of minimal roster changes, achieving balance and all that boring 1%er say your prayers, eat your vitamins rhetoric but considering Bennett plays such a one-out style based on individual talent, I believe changes should be made.

I can't begin to express my disappointment for them that Bennett basically stuck with the same 17. Sadly, it will probably be rewarded with victory since the Cowboys lost two of their best players in Tate & Scott but I thought it would have been a good opportunity to push Mamo to the wing, in place of McManus who I believe has been relatively useless so far in 2014 and promote Sims in place of Fa'alogo. I think young Korbin would have relished the opportunity to take on his brothers in a starting spot and while I wouldn't consistently give him long minutes, this would have been one of those games where I'd unleash him.

 

[Big Pete]

Canberra Raiders
19. Reece Robinson

2. Matt Allwood

3. Jarrod Croker
4. Jack Wighton
18. Brenko Lee
6. Terry Campese (C)
7. Josh McCrone
8. David Shillington
9. Glen Buttriss
10. Brett White
20. Joel Edwards
12. Jarrad Kennedy
13. Shaun Fensom

1. Anthony Milford
15. Kyle O’Donnell
16. Dane Tilse
17. Shannon Boyd

Confirmation of Brenko Lee's debut. Thought it'd be a nice move but then they've gone and spoiled it all by playing Reece Robinson infront of Milford and Cornish. I cannot believe the way Ricky has handled Cornish...I just cannot understand the rationale.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

1. Mitch Brown
2. Corey Thompson
3. Krisnan Inu
4. Tim Lafai
5. Drury Low
6. Josh Reynolds
7. Trent Hodkinson
8. Sam Kasiano
9. Michael Ennis ©
10. James Graham
11. Josh Jackson
12. Tony Williams
13. Greg Eastwood

14. Dale Finucane
16. Tim Browne
20. Reni Maitua
22. Lloyd Perrett

Surprised to see Hodkinson there, thought he was ruled out this afternoon? That's a nice boost for the Bulldogs, they've missed his direction and he really make this the best week of his sporting career by ending his team's losing streak.

Happy to see Lloyd Perrett receive an opportunity. He's somebody I believe the Broncos should be looking at if they want a middle forward and hopefully he rips and tears in for the Doggies. Will be nice to see another Queensland prop.

 

[Kimlo]

Milford benched? C'mon immediate release to us!

 

[Alec]

No Vaughn, they are fucked.

 

[Alec]

Inu is such a goddamn shit player these days.

 

[Ari Gold]

Reece Robinson! Softest line you could possibly run in that situation and he takes it, and decides that's not enough to let his team down.

 

[broncos4life]

Robinson is so bad. Like reserve grade bad. The raiders are just shit. Give us milf now before your mediocrity rubs off on him

 

[Big Pete]

Pet Hate: Referee calls held and the defence takes it as an invitation to take the stationary player to the ground.

Shouldn't that be a penalty? You're basically denied the offence a good play the ball.

 

[Brett]

This Canberra team. They're amongst the worst teams I've seen play the game.

 

[Big Pete]

This Canberra team. They're amongst the worst teams I've seen play the game.

Yep.

So many issues with the team at the moment.

Robinson, Campese, McCrone, Buttriss just aren't good at their jobs.

Both wings are out of position and that has cost them.

Need to cut their losses and rebuild for the future.

 

[Kaz]

Inu is such a goddamn shit player these days.

What do you mean these days. He has always been shit.

 

[Big Pete]

What do you mean these days. He has always been shit.

Nah, Inu on his day is one of the most talented backs in the game.

Played a big hand in the Eels reaching the prelims, grand final and same with the Doggies initially.

Sadly he can be shit and arguably always has been. Don't know what it is, just think he's too passive because as an athlete, there is a ton who'd want his ability.

I'm still shocked at Canberra under Stuart...

I would have thought he'd come into help bring the team some discipline and really strike a nice balance between youth and experience. While the Raiders recruitment left a lot to be desired, they still had plenty of young talent on their roster worth risking. However, Sticky seemed to stay true to his nickname and virtually stuck to the same gameplan as Furner...only looking to bring in Shannon Boyd who I believe was on the outer beforehand.

The big problem I have with Stuart is the way he's handled Cornish's development. Now, I could understand looking to blood Cornish off the bench to begin with but to wait 10 weeks to do it, then drop him after one bad performance is just bad form. Mitch has a lot to learn about first grade football, but he's only going to learn about it if he gets the opportunity. Being made the scapegoat of a bad team performance to me is just a horrible decision.

It's changes to their halves & hooker that Sticky really needs to consider. Only then will the Raiders be able to recover.

Meanwhile, Canterbury weren't much better but they just kept their composure and made the most of their opportunities. Didn't think they played that well, but their pack had the edge and the backs made the most of their opportunities. Lafai in particular did well to set up Low on two occasions, while Thompson exposed Allwood's experience with a nice in and a way that left Allwood completely flat footed.

They'll be right the Bulldogs. I don't think this is their year but they'll continue to keep teams honest.