PRE-GAME Round 19 - Knights vs Broncos

[Foordy]

NRL - Round 19
Saturday, 15th of July, 2017
​

1. Nathan Ross 2. Chanel Mata’utia 3. Dane Gagai 4. Peter Mata’utia 5. Brendan Elliot 6. Brock Lamb 7. Trent Hodkinson 8. Daniel Saifiti 9. Danny Levi 10. Josh King 11. Sione Mata’utia 12. Lachlan Fitzgibbon 13. Mitchell Barnett 14. Jamie Buhrer 15. Luke Yates 16. Joe Wardle 17. Jacob Saifiti 18. Sam Stone 19. Jacob Gagan 20. Tyler Randell 21. Mickey Paea	1. Jordan Kahu 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. James Roberts 4. Tautau Moga 5. Jonus Pearson 6. Benji Marshall 7. Ben Hunt 8. Korbin Sims 9. Andrew McCullough 10. Adam Blair 11. Sam Thaiday 12. Matt Gillett 13. Josh McGuire 14. Alex Glenn 15. Tevita Pangai Junior 16. Joe Ofahengaue 17. Kodi Nikorima 18. Salesi Funaki 19. Jai Arrow 20. Jaydn Su’A 21. Anthony Milford 22. Marion Seve
Coach: Nathan Brown	Coach: Wayne Bennett
Officials: Adam Gee; Chris James Sideline Officials: Russell Turner, Chris Treneman Review Officials: Bernard Sutton, Bryan Norrie	Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium Kick-Off: 5:30pm Broadcasters: Fox-Sports

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[ZTop]

Knights to slay us

 

[Allo]

Time to ring in the changes Wayne. Mead, Moga, Thaiday, Hunt all out. Cut the dead weight

 

[cakeGG]

Thank ****. Gotta get our 30 points back, after tonight's cancer.

 

[PerthBrissy987]

we need to put 50 on them

 

[PerthBrissy987]

can we give allen a run at fb in this game , kahu cant defend there

 

[Sproj]

If everyone is back minus Boyd and Milford, I'd go with:

1. Allen
2. Oates
3. Roberts
4. Kahu
5. Pearson
6. Benji
7. Hunt
8. McGuire
9. McCullough
10. Blair
11. Glenn
12. Gillett
13. Arrow

14. Nikorima
15. Ofahengaue
16. Pangai Jr
17. Sims

 

[Accept]

If everyone is back minus Boyd and Milford, I'd go with:

1. Allen
2. Oates
3. Roberts
4. Kahu
5. Pearson
6. Benji
7. Hunt
8. McGuire
9. McCullough
10. Blair
11. Glenn
12. Gillett
13. Arrow

14. Nikorima
15. Ofahengaue
16. Pangai Jr
17. Sims

I don't mind this side actually but there is no way in the world that Sammy or Moga will be dropped. They probably deserve to but wholesale changes aren't need to a side who are 10-6 and sitting in the top 4 and heading into the stretch drive.

 

[Sproj]

I don't mind this side actually but there is no way in the world that Sammy or Moga will be dropped. They probably deserve to but wholesale changes aren't need to a side who are 10-6 and sitting in the top 4 and heading into the stretch drive.

I completely agree, hence only dropping Moga and Thaiday. Moga needs to be dropped and upon reflection, I would actually play Oates at centre for the rest of the season. He is transitioning to backrow anyway apparently but I think he would make a quality centre and I actually think Kahu should only be on the wing or not in the side at all come to think of it.

I want Thaiday back in before the season is out but he is hopelessly out of form and needs a real wake up call. I would also consider dropping Sims for Ese'ese just quietly but again, don't want to make wholesale changes.

 

[Danoz Direct]

Sims has been a major disappointment and getting him and not retaining Ese'ese is a big mistake in my opinion.

 

[Allo]

Sims has been a major disappointment and getting him and not retaining Ese'ese is a big mistake in my opinion.

Sims is like a slightly lesser Blair who just shows up less often. He's not a metre-maker, and it's one of my big concerns with Herman 99% leaving. TPJ and Joffa do what they can, and TPJ does a lot, but with two similar starters in Blair/Sims, we're generally on the back foot when our starting props can't make a lot of metres.

Ese'ese was starting during our 6 match run. A lot of other factors involved, but he generally only played one stint and got his 10+ for 100+ done in that time. Blair and Sims split their work over two periods

 

[Super Freak]

We may have Boyd and Milford back for this game.

Hunt was really missing Boyd out there. Our sweep plays to the right in the attacking zone were just about non-existent. Kahu really needs to spend the next couple of weeks learning that. Him and Hunt spend the next two weeks working up a combination so we can utilize that right edge better than what we currently are.

 

[Allo]

We may have Boyd and Milford back for this game.

Hunt was really missing Boyd out there. Our sweep plays in the attacking zone were non-existent. Kahu really needs to spend the next couple of weeks learning that.

Kahu disappoints at FB, but it's when he gets thrown in there for a week or two, then back out again. He was great at the start of '15 when Boyd was injured. Like his national team, he needs a few weeks to get going. I like the guy, and he's a great winger, but unless he gets a solid 4+ week run there, he needs to stay on the wing. I'm not keen on throwing a rookie in back there either, but at least they're playing fullback week in week out

 

[Sproj]

I'm not keen on throwing a rookie in back there either, but at least they're playing fullback week in week out

I get that and this often seems Bennett's policy too and my main criticism of him as a couch. He seems more intent on buying in talent than giving the kids a shot in the backs at times. If they don't start on the wing, they don't start anywhere unless they are KHunt or Lockyer...over ten years ago.

Give the kids a shot in the main side, let them believe that staying at the Broncos can lead to a shot at the big time and they don't have to go elsewhere for it.

Who knows, we might unearth a Turbo, Tedesco, Moylan or Gutherson.

 

[Allo]

I get that and this often seems Bennett's policy too and my main criticism of him as a couch. He seems more intent on buying in talent than giving the kids a shot in the backs at times. If they don't start on the wing, they don't start anywhere unless they are KHunt or Lockyer...over ten years ago.

Give the kids a shot in the main side, let them believe that staying at the Broncos can lead to a shot at the big time and they don't have to go elsewhere for it.

Who knows, we might unearth a Turbo, Tedesco, Moylan or Gutherson.

Absolutely, prime example at the moment is Pearson. But we persist with Mead as first-drop winger. Every club it seems has one rookie every season that has a blinder and from then on at worst becomes a solid first-grader. I think Fai is our only debutant this year. Off the bench, for one game.

 

[Big Pete]

A lot of it has to do with luck though. I'm sure if Wayne had his way, Elijah Alick, Paul Byrnes and Nikau Te Rupe all wouldn't have suffered career debilitating injuries and all of them would be viable wing options. However, none of them have been able to make the step up from the 20s and now only fans of the NYC or on here will remember them.

And those are the players that become superstars. That project player who has mistakes in him, but with that one good off-season becomes a star and we all wonder we're not producing stars of that calibre.

 

[Super Freak]

A lot of it has to do with luck though. I'm sure if Wayne had his way, Elijah Alick, Paul Byrnes and Nikau Te Rupe all wouldn't have suffered career debilitating injuries and all of them would be viable wing options. However, none of them have been able to make the step up from the 20s and now only fans of the NYC or on here will remember them.

And those are the players that become superstars. That project player who has mistakes in him, but with that one good off-season becomes a star and we all wonder we're not producing stars of that calibre.

I thought Paul Byrnes had a big career ahead of him.

I remember watching him in that final against the Cowboys in 2015 when the Broncos were getting murdered by Gela-Mosby. He just about single-handedly got the Broncos back in the contest.

I can't quite remember but he did his knee in that game, didn't he?

 

[Morkel]

Thankfully a 30 point loss will be followed by a 30 point win. We'll get some players back, which will give us confidence, and we'll give the premiership a good shake.