POST GAME Round 18 - Titans vs Broncos

[Jedhead]

I think i would actually drop Carrigan for the rest of the year tbh. I think we have run him into the ground physically and mentally. For his own good he needs a break now. We have nothing to play for so i dont see the point flogging him anymore.

I'm not convinced he'd be willing to sit out the rest of the season. He's fairly switched on though and I'm sure he'll let his body heal over the long break as we've got no finals to worry about.

 

[rnabokov]

I think i would actually drop Carrigan for the rest of the year tbh. I think we have run him into the ground physically and mentally. For his own good he needs a break now. We have nothing to play for so i dont see the point flogging him anymore.

Maybe part of the reason he's a such a champ is because he just loves playing. I'm surprised the Gold Coin Titans didn't offer him a deal. He's worth a lot more than Wallace, but I digress.

 

[Wolfie]

I'm not convinced he'd be willing to sit out the rest of the season. He's fairly switched on though and I'm sure he'll let his body heal over the long break as we've got no finals to worry about.

Maybe part of the reason he's a such a champ is because he just loves playing. I'm surprised the Gold Coin Titans didn't offer him a deal. He's worth a lot more than Wallace, but I digress.

A good coach though would do it for the good of the player imo.

 

[rnabokov]

A good coach though would do it for the good of the player imo.

I am just suggesting that if he feels good, and wants to play, and enjoys it then why not. 2 games to go, and also, who else have we got keeping the middle together defensively, as well as his post contact metres? I shudder to think what we would be like without him in the middle given the lack of any alternative. So yes, I agree with you about player welfare being an issue, but if he can, and wants to keep on going, it's for the benefit of the team. Equally, by your logic, we should rest Haas. Imagine the consequences of that.

 

[Wolfie]

I am just suggesting that if he feels good, and wants to play, and enjoys it then why not. 2 games to go, and also, who else have we got keeping the middle together defensively, as well as his post contact metres? I shudder to think what we would be like without him in the middle given the lack of any alternative. So yes, I agree with you about player welfare being an issue, but if he can, and wants to keep on going, it's for the benefit of the team. Equally, by your logic, we should rest Haas. Imagine the consequences of that.

Payne had a little break tbf with his suspension. We are in a position though where we are struggling for numbers.

 

[Huge]

If we were being honest, despite his soft kick returns and a few bad defensive errors, Darius Boyd has been like a top 3 player for us since the NRL resumed. Obviously that’s not saying much because he hasn’t been great, but he’s been better and has made more of an impact and been involved in more point scoring opportunities than anyone else running around in a Broncos jersey. We would have been worse off without him this year and if things don’t change we will struggle even more next year.

C'mon mate, that's totally not the narrative as you well know. To be a solid bhqer you must not see things as they are, you must simply criticize any error, no matter how small and reference past seasons. Like when we had 52 points already scored on us and DB couldn't cover two attackers you must refer to the resulting try as 'critical points' he allowed in.

 

[theshed]

The inference was they’ll never win a premiership

I get that but we aren’t exactly in a position to be making comments about who will and won’t win a premiership any time soon.

 

[Kimlo]

If we were being honest, despite his soft kick returns and a few bad defensive errors, Darius Boyd has been like a top 3 player for us since the NRL resumed. Obviously that’s not saying much because he hasn’t been great, but he’s been better and has made more of an impact and been involved in more point scoring opportunities than anyone else running around in a Broncos jersey. We would have been worse off without him this year and if things don’t change we will struggle even more next year.

I don't know about top 3, but definitely top 5. He's easily one of our most likely players to actually put on a try or linebreak in the opposition 20, and his cover defence might leave a bit to be desired but the rest of the backline could learn a lot from his safe play. He deadset rarely drops a ball, doesn't give away dumb penalties, keeps his body in top shape, isn't up to dumb shit off the field. He may be past it, but he's still a good example for the team.

Not everyone is a Billy Slater who's a fantastic player until their very last game, he's slowed down a lot but he's still had a good career. I hope we send him off with a couple of wins. What a depressing last season. It's actually sad that as much as he's regressed, we don't have an obvious better fullback.

 

[Broncs_Fan]

Broncos ... QLD’s shame.

Sorry I am late to the party seeing this sign. But I lol’d.

 

[Kooly87]

I think i would actually drop Carrigan for the rest of the year tbh. I think we have run him into the ground physically and mentally. For his own good he needs a break now. We have nothing to play for so i dont see the point flogging him anymore.

He almost certainly will be part of the Queensland setup this year so hopefully that change of environment and (dare I dream it, some on field success) may really help rejuvenate and freshen him up for 2021.

 

[Mightybroncs2k17]

The difference in running metres doesn't come from the forwards, it's the outside backs that are the issue.

Boyd, Oates, Farnworth, Staggs & Kennar combined for 427 metres from 45 runs.
Brimson, Don, Tonumaipea, Spry & Thompson combined for 683 metres from 77 runs.

I've been saying it all year, until we get some outside backs who aren't afraid to do some dirty work out of our own end and are actually strong enough runners to make the necessary yardage, we're not going to win field position battles, ever. The fact that the Titans outside backs took 32 more runs than ours really tells you all you need to know. We lose the outside back metre battle every single week.

Do strongly agree with this, its a massive benefit to have an outside back who can do his job as a back but also double as a battering ram to start our sets. I think back to when we had Moga and the good version of oates. Moga may not have been the greatest centre but 9 out of 10 times when we were stuck bringing it out of trouble he would get us on the front foot followed by a strong oates carry and suddenly we had a good set of 6.

Part of the reason i want bird to stay next year is i feel he could play the role of strong early carry to get us on the front foot. I feel the likes of issako, Farnworth, Niu and Coates just don't bring that ability. Granted a full offseason of bulking up and Coates may develop that ability. Also, would totally take Moga back in a heartbeat!

 

[Tristan1990]

Do strongly agree with this, its a massive benefit to have an outside back who can do his job as a back but also double as a battering ram to start our sets. I think back to when we had Moga and the good version of oates. Moga may not have been the greatest centre but 9 out of 10 times when we were stuck bringing it out of trouble he would get us on the front foot followed by a strong oates carry and suddenly we had a good set of 6.

Part of the reason i want bird to stay next year is i feel he could play the role of strong early carry to get us on the front foot. I feel the likes of issako, Farnworth, Niu and Coates just don't bring that ability. Granted a full offseason of bulking up and Coates may develop that ability. Also, would totally take Moga back in a heartbeat!

remember when 200m was the norm for vidot... miss those days

 

[Big Pete]

The Broncos were off the pace from the opening whistle. That opening set is always a good gauge to see if the team is switched on, usually the good teams keep their opposition to 40m, the Broncos gave up 60m. Linespeed is an issue, but it's their first contact that's the main issue. Hardly anybody has any sting in their tackles, so the ball-carriers shake them off and the players tend to find themselves on the ground when the ball is being played. They lose the ruck and they struggle to win it back. What they would give to have somebody like Mitchell Dodds.

Their work coming up with yardage needs an entire re-think. They have Corey Oates who on his day is one of the best carriers bringing the ball out from his own half and defer to Richie Kennar. Yes, that's Kennar's strong suit but if you're going to play Oates on the wing and hope for a resurgence he has to be a priority. Kennar struggled and Oates was basically invisible.

There's way too much emphasis on making metres. It's nice that forwards can bend the line, but the goal at the end of the day is to play the ball before the defence has time to reset. There were very few occassions the Broncos were able to achieve this and when they did, they kept up with their obsession to turn it back into the middle, a set-up play that made things very easy for the Gold Coast to telegraph.

The Broncos needed to test the Titans more on the edges. Even if it was just to give Farnworth some early ball or a Darius Boyd cut-out to the winger coming out of trouble, just something to test out the compressed Gold Coast defence. As it was, the Broncos made it clear as day they were either going to beat you with Fifita or with Staggs and when the Gold Coast were able to shut down both, Brisbane had no answers.

I'm disappointed with the role O'Sullivan and Dearden are playing. I don't get the sense that they're working together and it's very much a case of the left and the right not knowing what's going on. I understand they're a fresh pair and they're both back-up options but I'd prefer to see O'Sullivan as the halfback with Dearden running off of him as opposed to having two halfbacks. I'm disappointed too that we haven't seen the Broncos use Darius more as a Gutherson type who can be an option down the blind-side to keep the line honest and potentially catch teams down those sides. Darius is never going to be a Tedesco, Papenhuyzen or even Edwards but he can throw a good pass so play to that strength.

I thought the Broncos attack went from impotent to diabolical when Paix came on. His service leaves a lot to be desired and the only thing he really brings to dummy half is speed. There were always going to be teething issues and I see this as a prime example as the Broncos using this Covid season to get experience into long term players well before they're ready, but if he is going to have a career in the NRL, then he's really going to have to work on himself in the QCup. I'm not convinced #9 is his position and feel the Broncos are repeating the same mistakes they made with Ben Hunt. Let him be a half and if he can't make it in that position, then see if his experience at 7 can be used to be an effective 9.

Glenn was clearly off the pace for his first game back after 9 weeks. It's been an awful season for Glenn and he's struggled to play anywhere near the type of football he's capable of. He isn't a match-winner, but just having that reliable option in the second row who can make their tackles is something the Broncos are terribly missing. He's going to have to improve a lot heading into the Gold Coast game. I'm surprised that Te'o doesn't come under any fire. He's worse than Thaiday circa 2018 and has nothing left in the tank.

Two more weeks of this for the Broncos fans. I just hope now that the Broncos can see the finish line it gives them a sense of freedom and they just lay it on the line. If they get flogged by 50 it doesn't matter, just throw the ball around, look for some big hits and when you get the chance, turn the opposition around with a deep kick and smash whoever gets it.

 

[M.B.88]

Why are we so afraid to pass the ball in attack

 

[M.B.88]

The Broncos were off the pace from the opening whistle. That opening set is always a good gauge to see if the team is switched on, usually the good teams keep their opposition to 40m, the Broncos gave up 60m. Linespeed is an issue, but it's their first contact that's the main issue. Hardly anybody has any sting in their tackles, so the ball-carriers shake them off and the players tend to find themselves on the ground when the ball is being played. They lose the ruck and they struggle to win it back. What they would give to have somebody like Mitchell Dodds.

Their work coming up with yardage needs an entire re-think. They have Corey Oates who on his day is one of the best carriers bringing the ball out from his own half and defer to Richie Kennar. Yes, that's Kennar's strong suit but if you're going to play Oates on the wing and hope for a resurgence he has to be a priority. Kennar struggled and Oates was basically invisible.

There's way too much emphasis on making metres. It's nice that forwards can bend the line, but the goal at the end of the day is to play the ball before the defence has time to reset. There were very few occassions the Broncos were able to achieve this and when they did, they kept up with their obsession to turn it back into the middle, a set-up play that made things very easy for the Gold Coast to telegraph.

The Broncos needed to test the Titans more on the edges. Even if it was just to give Farnworth some early ball or a Darius Boyd cut-out to the winger coming out of trouble, just something to test out the compressed Gold Coast defence. As it was, the Broncos made it clear as day they were either going to beat you with Fifita or with Staggs and when the Gold Coast were able to shut down both, Brisbane had no answers.

I'm disappointed with the role O'Sullivan and Dearden are playing. I don't get the sense that they're working together and it's very much a case of the left and the right not knowing what's going on. I understand they're a fresh pair and they're both back-up options but I'd prefer to see O'Sullivan as the halfback with Dearden running off of him as opposed to having two halfbacks. I'm disappointed too that we haven't seen the Broncos use Darius more as a Gutherson type who can be an option down the blind-side to keep the line honest and potentially catch teams down those sides. Darius is never going to be a Tedesco, Papenhuyzen or even Edwards but he can throw a good pass so play to that strength.

I thought the Broncos attack went from impotent to diabolical when Paix came on. His service leaves a lot to be desired and the only thing he really brings to dummy half is speed. There were always going to be teething issues and I see this as a prime example as the Broncos using this Covid season to get experience into long term players well before they're ready, but if he is going to have a career in the NRL, then he's really going to have to work on himself in the QCup. I'm not convinced #9 is his position and feel the Broncos are repeating the same mistakes they made with Ben Hunt. Let him be a half and if he can't make it in that position, then see if his experience at 7 can be used to be an effective 9.

Glenn was clearly off the pace for his first game back after 9 weeks. It's been an awful season for Glenn and he's struggled to play anywhere near the type of football he's capable of. He isn't a match-winner, but just having that reliable option in the second row who can make their tackles is something the Broncos are terribly missing. He's going to have to improve a lot heading into the Gold Coast game. I'm surprised that Te'o doesn't come under any fire. He's worse than Thaiday circa 2018 and has nothing left in the tank.

Two more weeks of this for the Broncos fans. I just hope now that the Broncos can see the finish line it gives them a sense of freedom and they just lay it on the line. If they get flogged by 50 it doesn't matter, just throw the ball around, look for some big hits and when you get the chance, turn the opposition around with a deep kick and smash whoever gets it.

Already getting beaten by 50, exactly. Might as well go down swinging. Should have been doing hat weeks ago.

 

[berrigan]

A good coach though would do it for the good of the player imo.

If he can't handle it, he shouldn't be there.

 

[Sproj]

Why are we so afraid to pass the ball in attack

Because there is no one to pass to, no one running on to a pass, they all just stand there hoping someone else will get tackled.

 

[Tomato Sorcerer]

The Broncos were off the pace from the opening whistle. That opening set is always a good gauge to see if the team is switched on, usually the good teams keep their opposition to 40m, the Broncos gave up 60m. Linespeed is an issue, but it's their first contact that's the main issue. Hardly anybody has any sting in their tackles, so the ball-carriers shake them off and the players tend to find themselves on the ground when the ball is being played. They lose the ruck and they struggle to win it back. What they would give to have somebody like Mitchell Dodds.

There's way too much emphasis on making metres. It's nice that forwards can bend the line, but the goal at the end of the day is to play the ball before the defence has time to reset. There were very few occassions the Broncos were able to achieve this and when they did, they kept up with their obsession to turn it back into the middle, a set-up play that made things very easy for the Gold Coast to telegraph.

The Broncos needed to test the Titans more on the edges. Even if it was just to give Farnworth some early ball or a Darius Boyd cut-out to the winger coming out of trouble, just something to test out the compressed Gold Coast defence. As it was, the Broncos made it clear as day they were either going to beat you with Fifita or with Staggs and when the Gold Coast were able to shut down both, Brisbane had no answers.

I'm disappointed with the role O'Sullivan and Dearden are playing. I don't get the sense that they're working together and it's very much a case of the left and the right not knowing what's going on. I understand they're a fresh pair and they're both back-up options but I'd prefer to see O'Sullivan as the halfback with Dearden running off of him as opposed to having two halfbacks. I'm disappointed too that we haven't seen the Broncos use Darius more as a Gutherson type who can be an option down the blind-side to keep the line honest and potentially catch teams down those sides. Darius is never going to be a Tedesco, Papenhuyzen or even Edwards but he can throw a good pass so play to that strength.

I thought the Broncos attack went from impotent to diabolical when Paix came on. His service leaves a lot to be desired and the only thing he really brings to dummy half is speed. There were always going to be teething issues and I see this as a prime example as the Broncos using this Covid season to get experience into long term players well before they're ready, but if he is going to have a career in the NRL, then he's really going to have to work on himself in the QCup. I'm not convinced #9 is his position and feel the Broncos are repeating the same mistakes they made with Ben Hunt. Let him be a half and if he can't make it in that position, then see if his experience at 7 can be used to be an effective 9.

Spot on. The guys need to compete more in the tackle, in D and attack.
Instead of Haas skull dragging half a dozen blokes for an extra 5 post contact meters every hit up only to end up on his back, and the opposition definsive line set, I’d rather see him use that strength to get to ground quickly and punch out a quick play the ball and create momentum.

It’s a lot easier to find gaps and create attacking opportunities with a retreating defensive line.