PRE-GAME [Round 20, 2026] - Broncos vs Panthers

[Allo]

This may feel ridiculous to suggest and no way it happens in practice, but realistically Carrigan may be best used off the bench as a ~50 minute prop. His slow feet and weak wrestle is so clearly exposed when he plays long minutes and his passing is becoming less and less effective.

Haas + Willison I don't think has ever worked as a starting prop rotation because neither of them are a first hit up prop like a Barnett/Flegler/Fish. Haas works best with a play one prop partner (I think Semu and Piki both fit this role better), and I don't think its reactionary to suggest that Willison has surpassed Carrigan as a lock already. He simply holds the middle better defensively.

This would be my team list if we were only trying to win for the rest of the year (with no regard for team relations/legacy) and everyone could drop their egos, but I accept there's just no universe where Madge would drop Reynolds or Hunt, or acknowledge that Paix is not good.

1. Walsh
2. Karapani
3. Staggs
4. Mariner
5. Anderson
6. Mam
7. Duffy
8. Haas
9. Walters
10. Semu
11. Piakura
12. Riki
13. Willison
14. Mozer
15. Carrigan
16. Talty
17. Piki
18. Shiba
19. Perham/Reynolds

I like it

Carrigan is notoriously slow in the ruck and I think him + Reynolds always results in the plethora of early 6 against against us and we're immediately on the back foot

 

[theshed]

Basically the GF squad minus Smoothy?

But ffs, Paix? I don't get it, I just really don't anymore. He does NOT get the team on the front foot.

It's a given that the Panthers will just roll up the field every set but we could at least counter and do the same when we have the ball. Now we'll just have Paix feeding the ball to Reynolds, who'll crab across the field, and the ball carrier will get picked off.

There's no imagination with our dummy half and in this current rule set that is criminal.

It wouldn’t be a Broncos team if we didn’t have a hooker that no one could explain their selection