POST GAME Round 20 - Broncos vs Panthers

[Super Freak]

I knew this was coming..

 

[Clanga]

Nikorima, kahu, reed, Gillette...I suppose we have some excuses but how the hell does this great club have absolutely no player depth? Other clubs seem to be able to run out a debutant and he looks a million dollars. We keep running out maranta. We play Glenn in the centres. Our young forwards are small and do not stand out. Who is doing the recruiting for our club?

 

[Pushkin]

All most every player perform very poorly on Friday. One city team. I think player are very comfortable with their life. I think biggest problem for broncos last 5 year is good recruitment. I do not see any good player under 20. After next year whole team is off contract expect Thaiday. I am sure many player will perform well next year. They will perform well because they will play for their contract. How many player will get contract bennett knows. I think this year is gone and dusted. Why don't put new player. Check out who can handle the nrl level. Broncos should start looking for next year.

 

[Son Edo]

I've written us off. We really needed to start a run and not drop any games against opposition we should beat. There was no improvement from last week and I think we even went backwards, so many errors and the team looked like they never played a game together. Disappointing.

We'll finish 5-8 but get knocked out first week of the finals.

 

[Old Mate]

That's true, a few others have lamented the lack of size but I'd have to say it's been even longer than just last year. I just don't think we've had two great props since Webcke and Civo but my memory is not what it used to be. I know some will argue that Webby wasn't huge, not by today's standards at least but he was heavy set. McGoo just looks like he's a middleweight bulked up. I just like a side to have two 120 kilo props with at least one more that size on the bench. They don't have to be super quick or have exceptional ball handling, just hard and scary mean. A bloke similar to Matt Scott but no, not necessarily quite that good as I realise blokes that good are few and far between.

Scott would be lucky to be 110 kg, you mean you want three Dave Taylor's in the side?

 

[Old Mate]

I've been lamenting the lack of size, it seems like...... forever.

More so since Webke and Petro left the scene.

I'd love to get our hands on one of the Bromwich brothers......or a disciplined Kasiano (will there ever be such a thing?)

Dylan Napa...?

Napa isn't any heavier than McGuire either.

 

[Old Mate]

Yeah, and took down the best packs in the comp along the way.

To me, we aren't dominating this year because we just don't have the same attitude as last year. We don't have the hunger like we did last year, we don't want to win as badly as last year.

To me, it's all about attitude. If you're hungry and you want to win, you'll always make the extra effort which is what they did last year and we made a Grand Final as a result of that.

That's how I see it as well.

 

[Dash]

Napa isn't any heavier than McGuire either.

That has to be a case of the PR team fudging the numbers. There is no way they are the same size.

 

[mitch222]

So I picked this game this year to drive 1000kms to watch and lets just say I was extremely disappointed. Here are a few notes

1. We seem to just do that sweep play every set now. Not once are we trying to straighten the attack first and then look to go wide. You have to earn the right to spread the ball and we didn't do that.
2. When was the last time we put a backrower over for a try off a short ball.
3. Thaiday looked like he ate Thaiday. Needs to trim a lot of that fat to play in the second row. Looks like he has hung his boots on the shelf already and is just collecting a payslip every week. Very very disappointing from him
4. Wingers returning the ball out of the in goal - why the **** do you not dive down at the defence when you get out to stop getting pulled back in. Oates & Maranta were guilty of this and its starting to become really annoying.
5. Why did it take so long to put Opacic on the field. Glenn was totally outclassed in the centres and couldn't handle the pace yet Bennett leaves the centre on the bench until the final 8 minutes. He missed some very bad reads in defence that were costly.
6. Hunt and Milfords short kicking game was atrocious and they got shown up by two rookie halves. The inability to get a drop out was shocking. They need some lessons from Walters ASAP. Pay him what ever he wants, just get him some sessions with them both NOW
7. I was happy with Blairs performance. He was back to putting on shots and harassing the kickers. Its a shame no one else was following his lead.

 

[rnabokov]

So I picked this game this year to drive 1000kms to watch and lets just say I was extremely disappointed. Here are a few notes

1. We seem to just do that sweep play every set now. Not once are we trying to straighten the attack first and then look to go wide. You have to earn the right to spread the ball and we didn't do that.
2. When was the last time we put a backrower over for a try off a short ball.
3. Thaiday looked like he ate Thaiday. Needs to trim a lot of that fat to play in the second row. Looks like he has hung his boots on the shelf already and is just collecting a payslip every week. Very very disappointing from him
4. Wingers returning the ball out of the in goal - why the **** do you not dive down at the defence when you get out to stop getting pulled back in. Oates & Maranta were guilty of this and its starting to become really annoying.
5. Why did it take so long to put Opacic on the field. Glenn was totally outclassed in the centres and couldn't handle the pace yet Bennett leaves the centre on the bench until the final 8 minutes. He missed some very bad reads in defence that were costly.
6. Hunt and Milfords short kicking game was atrocious and they got shown up by two rookie halves. The inability to get a drop out was shocking. They need some lessons from Walters ASAP. Pay him what ever he wants, just get him some sessions with them both NOW
7. I was happy with Blairs performance. He was back to putting on shots and harassing the kickers. Its a shame no one else was following his lead.

In particular

 

[Pushkin]

The lurker article :
Gus Gould has still got what it takes to coach in the NRL.
How do I know this?
Because it was Gus - and not coach Anthony Griffin - that came up with the Panthers’ game plan that proved Brisbane’s undoing in a major upset last weekend.
Penrith players have confirmed to me that Gus was the mastermind of the win, producing the game plan that brought the Broncos to their knees.
Griffin is a good man manager, but a coach whose strong point is not tactics - similar to Mal Meninga with Queensland and now Australia.
He normally relies on his support staff for the technical details on how to break down rival teams, but this week it was Gould - one of the great football minds of the modern era - who stepped up to the plate.
The Panthers will deny this happened - but it’s true.
Key point in Gould’s plan was the wrestle - to hold the Broncos down until the last possible second, slow down their play-the-balls - and frustrate them into error.
The Broncos don’t cope well when their play-the-ball is staggered - and that’s what happened the other night
While it cost Penrith a few penalties, it worked to perfection and is certain to be used as a blueprint by rival teams against the Broncos in coming weeks.

 

[Browny]

Did Gus also tell the Broncos to let in soft tries

 

[Super Freak]

I would say it was Gus.. If Hook didn't have a 8-1 record against Bennett.

Hook knew our players, because he coached them for so many years. He knew there weaknesses and he exploited them.

 

[Morkel]

Hold down until the last possible moment. So we're not all crazy?

 

[tommy]

The lurker is Gould maybe?

 

[I bleed Maroon]

Hold down until the last possible moment. So we're not all crazy?

Yep, nothing special about Griffin's strategy. He is a poor mans Bellamy.

 

[KnToad]

The other thing that gets to me, is when Boyd and Milford try to earn a penalty and take an eternity to get up to play the ball. They just shake their heads and almost stop playing, staring at the referee. This really annoys me. How about showing some desperation to actually get a quick play the ball, and if the opposition players are hanging off you while your trying to play the ball, you'll get the penalty?

this.... glad I'm not the only one who has noticed it - especially milf..

 

[grandad]

I've been reading, they've lost their " aura" and lost their "attitude" and just wondering if they lost about the time Bennett was appointed the pommie coach. The season started OK..... JUST A THOUGHT