PRE-GAME [Round 20, 2022] Broncos vs Wests Tigers

[pagey]

It’s the tigers, I’ve got no issues with Tesi holding his spot for this one. Their kick options are flaccid and their defence is terrible - Tesi will rip them to shreds. It’s the Panthers/Storm/Cowboys/Dogs/Sharks where he worries me. Teams that have decent kicking games or potent goal line attacks.

like all fullbacks especially young ones will always have issues with the better kickers of the comp , he's played 30 games and not all at fullback.
most young guys have trouble with defence but it’s how they progress is what you want to look at , and imo with some consistency and confidence he'll come good.
how many tries did gutherson let in the other night? it's not an easy gig at the back and i think he's coming along nicely.

 

[Sproj]

like all fullbacks especially young ones will always have issues with the better kickers of the comp , he's played 30 games and not all at fullback.
most young guys have trouble with defence but it’s how they progress is what you want to look at , and imo with some consistency and confidence he'll come good.
how many tries did gutherson let in the other night? it's not an easy gig at the back and i think he's coming along nicely.

I agree with you but just making sure we aren’t calling Gutterson a good fullback, he’s massively overrated.

 

[theshed]

like all fullbacks especially young ones will always have issues with the better kickers of the comp , he's played 30 games and not all at fullback.
most young guys have trouble with defence but it’s how they progress is what you want to look at , and imo with some consistency and confidence he'll come good.
how many tries did gutherson let in the other night? it's not an easy gig at the back and i think he's coming along nicely.

Sure, I’m not trying to write the kid off. But from a practical point of view who would you prefer in the finals TMM, Tesi, or Walsh?

To Tesi’s credit; he has not made that choice as straight forward as it was a few weeks ago.

 

[Jedhead]

I remember vividly three seasons ago the pundits were saying Manu could be something special if he only worked on his defence. Say no more on that one.
Even Staggs' defence was pretty putrid as recent as last season and it is only now improving.

The point is defence takes the longest to conquer as almost all young players are testing their (still growing) immature physiques against hardened veterans some of which may have played 200 or more first grade games.

Ezra Mam is only 19 but his defence bucks the trend. I'm super excited to see him running amok in another season or two and heavens knows how good he will be by the age of 25 with six seasons of first grade under his belt.

The big difference here is Ezra has footy smarts and the ability to remain calm under pressure. Tesi strikes me as being quite a bit back in development in those areas. Where Ezra also seems fearless, Tesi shows a fair bit of caution when a collision is imminent. That's a death blow to anyone wishing to be a fullback in the NRL. Give Tesi a month or so to work with Peter Ryan and I'm sure his confidence would increase dramatically.

 

[Inside pass]

Log jam developing in the 3 to 7 positions..one loss ( or win)and you can move 2 places on the ladder..pressure is on and momentum building for a couple of lower 8 teams..Just keep winning boys ,the pack is chasing .

 

[Big Del]

Sure, I’m not trying to write the kid off. But from a practical point of view who would you prefer in the finals TMM, Tesi, or Walsh?

To Tesi’s credit; he has not made that choice as straight forward as it was a few weeks ago.

Tesi will make more metres and create more space .
TMM may organise the defence better and be better at last ditch tackles .

So ,what do you want more attack or more defence ?

 

[theshed]

Tesi will make more metres and create more space .
TMM may organise the defence better and be better at last ditch tackles .

So ,what do you want more attack or more defence ?

Surely in finals the answer is defence

 

[Big Del]

Surely in finals the answer is defence

Does TMM `s defence outweigh Tesi`s attack ?
Gonna be some debates re selections ?

Tesi`s metres are a real factor . Doubt TMM is gonna clock up 200 Metres .
Those metres = fatigue for opposition forwards .

 

[pagey]

I agree with you but just making sure we aren’t calling Gutterson a good fullback, he’s massively overrated.

no more so experienced fullback, never thought he was more than solid. was shocked people were calling for us to make a play for him.

 

[pagey]

Sure, I’m not trying to write the kid off. But from a practical point of view who would you prefer in the finals TMM, Tesi, or Walsh?

To Tesi’s credit; he has not made that choice as straight forward as it was a few weeks ago.

definitely not walsh he needs to work for that 1 jersey .
I'd say it's a wait and see process, let tesi get some games under his belt and Tmm back to cup for a bit , i think Tmm could be a bench option like gamble as an extra ball player also.
There is definitely a few options but consistency and form should be the key to choosing those options .

 

[pagey]

I remember vividly three seasons ago the pundits were saying Manu could be something special if he only worked on his defence. Say no more on that one.
Even Staggs' defence was pretty putrid as recent as last season and it is only now improving.

The point is defence takes the longest to conquer as almost all young players are testing their (still growing) immature physiques against hardened veterans some of which may have played 200 or more first grade games.

Ezra Mam is only 19 but his defence bucks the trend. I'm super excited to see him running amok in another season or two and heavens knows how good he will be by the age of 25 with six seasons of first grade under his belt.

The big difference here is Ezra has footy smarts and the ability to remain calm under pressure. Tesi strikes me as being quite a bit back in development in those areas. Where Ezra also seems fearless, Tesi shows a fair bit of caution when a collision is imminent. That's a death blow to anyone wishing to be a fullback in the NRL. Give Tesi a month or so to work with Peter Ryan and I'm sure his confidence would increase dramatically.

I'd say Capewell has gad a big influence on Mam's defence , he was a little shaky at the start but having Capewell next to him and directing him has given him a lot of confidence.
Tesi doesn't have to much help at the back and the modern day fullback defending in the line, they have so much ground to over . Even the really good ones struggle.

 

[Fozz]

Does TMM `s defence outweigh Tesi`s attack ?
Gonna be some debates re selections ?

Tesi`s metres are a real factor . Doubt TMM is gonna clock up 200 Metres .
Those metres = fatigue for opposition forwards .

I don't those metres at fullback are as necessary when we have two big wingers in Cobbo and Oates who can take the hard early carries as well.

 

[Xzei]

really should be stepping on the neck of the tigpies and putting them to the sword

 

[Sproj]

We need to obviously win first but win big second because if we do this, and this is the team to do it against, it puts our F/A right up with the other top four sides. I feel like we are missing that one big win to put us out of reach of that log jam of teams just below us.

As for Tesi v TMM, man it is a really tough one. TMM is the better balanced player, particularly defensively AND he has been in a GF before BUT Tesi's metres, support play and attack are, I'm going to say it, elite. Having our blokes popping through lines / offloading, Tesi AND Mam are always there, it is wonderful.

 

[BroncosFever]

I'll be happy if we just win, 1 point or 31 points.. doesn't matter to me

The fact we can even sit here as a group thinking about our F/A is nothing shy of a miracle, 12 months ago if you said we'd be in a position where we are a live chance to finish in the top 4 of 2022, I would have sent you to rehab

 

[Dazza 92]

Tigers v Cowboys will be interetsing in as far the Tigers are trailling their new look spine.

I dont care what people think, they wont be pushovers...

Also, where the hell is Piakura? I odnt want to bring the mood down but id say his contract is looking like the worst in the club right now...

He really needs to come back and start developing his game soon...

 

[Accept]

I'll be happy if we just win, 1 point or 31 points.. doesn't matter to me

The fact we can even sit here as a group thinking about our F/A is nothing shy of a miracle, 12 months ago if you said we'd be in a position where we are a live chance to finish in the top 4 of 2022, I would have sent you to rehab

Exactly this. At the start of the year, I was desperately hoping that they'd still be in the hunt for a playoff spot at this stage of the season. Top 4 wasn't reality and after 6 rounds, a finals berth didn't seem to be realistic either.

Then in round 7, Matt Dufty scores early in the second half to put the Dogs up 14-6 and the Broncos looked dead and buried in more ways than one. Then out of nowhere, the Broncos pile on 28 consecutive points to end up big winners.

They followed that up with a gutsy win over high flying Cronulla and then big wins over Souths and Manly and here we are. A 10-2 run which has totally caught everyone by surprise considering the three horrid seasons that preceded.

And make no mistake, the Broncos are in this up to their eyeballs. I keep waiting for the bubble to burst but that isn't going to happen. The media are talking up Penrith and rightly so but if the Broncos can nab a top 4 spot, they are as capable as anyone.

They'll have momentum on their side which is invaluable come September. They have to take advantage of this run of form because there are no guarantees that they'll be in this position in the years to come. They look to have a great roster moving forward but RL doesn't work that way. There are too many variables that can **** things up. The future isn't assured which is why they need to win it this year.

I've been counting them out all year, even as recent as Thursday night. But they made a statement on that soggy evening on enemy territory where my wife and I had front row seats . They could easily go all the way.

 

[BroncosFever]

Exactly this. At the start of the year, I was desperately hoping that they'd still be in the hunt for a playoff spot at this stage of the season. Top 4 wasn't reality and after 6 rounds, a finals berth didn't seem to be realistic either.

Then in round 7, Matt Dufty scores early in the second half to put the Dogs up 14-6 and the Broncos looked dead and buried in more ways than one. Then out of nowhere, the Broncos pile on 28 consecutive points to end up big winners.

They followed that up with a gutsy win over high flying Cronulla and then big wins over Souths and Manly and here we are. A 10-2 run which has totally caught everyone by surprise considering the three horrid seasons that preceded.

And make no mistake, the Broncos are in this up to their eyeballs. I keep waiting for the bubble to burst but that isn't going to happen. The media are talking up Penrith and rightly so but if the Broncos can nab a top 4 spot, they are as capable as anyone.

They'll have momentum on their side which is invaluable come September. They have to take advantage of this run of form because there are no guarantees that they'll be in this position in the years to come. They look to have a great roster moving forward but RL doesn't work that way. There are too many variables that can **** things up. The future isn't assured which is why they need to win it this year.

I've been counting them out all year, even as recent as Thursday night. But they made a statement on that soggy evening on enemy territory where my wife and I had front row seats . They could easily go all the way.

Dare I say it, there's a bit of 2015 about this. The Parra game was reminiscent of the game against Souths in 2015, that was the game where I think Wayne went on record as saying it was the one which led him to believe they could get something out of the season.