Round 22 - Dragons vs. Broncos - Post Match Discussion

[Mr Fourex]

I voted for Macca as my MOM here, but I thought Wallace had a really decent game. You could argue that McCullough would not have been as effective in his second stint, wouldn't have scored what would be the match-winner, if Wal didn't give him a rest.

 

[Morkel]

Kind of surprised people aren't giving Andrew McCullough a bit more of a rap on board here for yesterday;s performance. Probably his best game all year and it is super evident that he teams well with Hunt. I would still like to see him get to play 80 or bring up Granville. To have Wallace there playing at the pace that he does throwing hospital passes isn't to ideal.

I voted for Macca as my MOM here, but I thought Wallace had a really decent game. You could argue that McCullough would not have been as effective in his second stint, wouldn't have scored what would be the match-winner, if Wal didn't give him a rest.

Wallace has nothing to do with it, he would've gotten his rest with either Granville or Baptiste, maybe with one of those, he wouldn't have needed to score a match-winner.

Apologies. I didn't see the 'Or bring up Granville' part. It was purely in response to expecting him to play 80,

 

[Huge]

Blaming Stagg is a bit tough. Firstly he is a forward playing out of position. He didn't pick himself for the role. Secondly, in at least one of the tries down his side he was at marker after making the tackle. His position should have been covered, not his fault at all.

Overall Wallace was a contributor and not a detriment with both good and bad, like most of the team. He seems to be an easy target for criticism on this forum with minds made up before he touches a ball. Any good he does is ignored and god knows ,he's made some amazing gutsy covering tackles.

 

[rnabokov]

Blaming Stagg is a bit tough. Firstly he is a forward playing out of position. He didn't pick himself for the role. Secondly, in at least one of the tries down his side he was at marker after making the tackle. His position should have been covered, not his fault at all.

Overall Wallace was a contributor and not a detriment with both good and bad, like most of the team. He seems to be an easy target for criticism on this forum with minds made up before he touches a ball. Any good he does is ignored and god knows ,he's made some amazing gutsy covering tackles.

IIRC, one of those tries was where Fien threw a cut out pass to Morris and because Oates, I think, had come inside, he left a corridor for Morris to get on his outside. The other inside marker was Prince. Result = try

Wingers do NOT leave their opposite no matter what

 

[Huge]

Not sure what you're on about. I didn't suggest the winger go anywhere just that Staggs place should have been covered and ,pretty obviously that should have come from the inside. If the winger moved then who covers the wing, the linesman ? Somehow you've managed to link two different tries, Stagg made the tackle and was at marker and the winger was left posted.

 

[Bull Shark]

mieko: I think what Bull Shark saw was the off the ball organization, or lack thereof.

that's it .. the game day experience was fantastic, infact the whole production that goes on after every broncos try (fire balls, explosions, chicks in bikinis, dancing monkeys ect) is more exciting than the try itself more often than not ..


But the football is just a major let down ... Perhaps it wasn't just the broncos but rather the way Rugby league is played nowadays - players bunched around the play-the-ball, predictable, telegraphed one-out sets of six followed by 'structured' kicks to the corners .. at times it's almost impossible to determine who our forwards, halves & outside backs are because it's just a game of 'dump and run' until you're 20m out from the opposition tryline .. and even then the attack is so stale ..

I don't know, it's just a very very different spectacle to what I remember as a kid going to games throughout the 90's ...

 

[LittleDavey]

that's it .. the game day experience was fantastic, infact the whole production that goes on after every broncos try (fire balls, explosions, chicks in bikinis, dancing monkeys ect) is more exciting than the try itself more often than not ..


But the football is just a major let down ... Perhaps it wasn't just the broncos but rather the way Rugby league is played nowadays - players bunched around the play-the-ball, predictable, telegraphed one-out sets of six followed by 'structured' kicks to the corners .. at times it's almost impossible to determine who our forwards, halves & outside backs are because it's just a game of 'dump and run' until you're 20m out from the opposition tryline .. and even then the attack is so stale ..

I don't know, it's just a very very different spectacle to what I remember as a kid going to games throughout the 90's ...

Nope...it's just the Broncos...as you say, a very very different spectacle than the 90's and 00's :( League has changed as well, but we're clearly a step or three behind the top teams these days.

 

[rnabokov]

Not sure what you're on about. I didn't suggest the winger go anywhere just that Staggs place should have been covered and ,pretty obviously that should have come from the inside. If the winger moved then who covers the wing, the linesman ? Somehow you've managed to link two different tries, Stagg made the tackle and was at marker and the winger was left posted.

What I am saying is that they were 2 on 2, and what got them the try was Fien's pass to Morris as Morris was already outside his man.

It wasn't Stagg's fault. His position was unimportant. Prince was left 2 on 1 from memory

 

[Coxy]

that's it .. the game day experience was fantastic, infact the whole production that goes on after every broncos try (fire balls, explosions, chicks in bikinis, dancing monkeys ect) is more exciting than the try itself more often than not ..


But the football is just a major let down ... Perhaps it wasn't just the broncos but rather the way Rugby league is played nowadays - players bunched around the play-the-ball, predictable, telegraphed one-out sets of six followed by 'structured' kicks to the corners .. at times it's almost impossible to determine who our forwards, halves & outside backs are because it's just a game of 'dump and run' until you're 20m out from the opposition tryline .. and even then the attack is so stale ..

I don't know, it's just a very very different spectacle to what I remember as a kid going to games throughout the 90's ...

Yep I'm much like you. I remember going to ANZ Stadium and even though I needed a telescope to see it, you could see the likes of Walters, Langer, Lockyer scheming in back play, organising troops and as soon as the time came you could see the poetry of it all unfold in front of you.

Now it's just so rigid. Play the set sequence of rucks, 2nd man play on 5 and then kick for the corner. There's no point watching the attack off the ball, and in fact it's more often interesting to watch the opposition defence. The number of times you can actually see them leave one side of the field almost completely unattended because they KNOW the play will go the other way. That's the structure, that's all they need to defend.

It's why Ben Hunt has looked like such a revelation. He's not afraid to see a defence being lazy and assuming one thing and take the attack to them. That's exciting. But he needs the rest of the team to buy into it.

 

[Brett]

Yep I'm much like you. I remember going to ANZ Stadium and even though I needed a telescope to see it, you could see the likes of Walters, Langer, Lockyer scheming in back play, organising troops and as soon as the time came you could see the poetry of it all unfold in front of you.

Now it's just so rigid. Play the set sequence of rucks, 2nd man play on 5 and then kick for the corner. There's no point watching the attack off the ball, and in fact it's more often interesting to watch the opposition defence. The number of times you can actually see them leave one side of the field almost completely unattended because they KNOW the play will go the other way. That's the structure, that's all they need to defend.

It's why Ben Hunt has looked like such a revelation. He's not afraid to see a defence being lazy and assuming one thing and take the attack to them. That's exciting. But he needs the rest of the team to buy into it.

This is a great post.

Something I noticed at the game on Sunday was Hunt moving guys around and telling them where to go in attack. The try he put on down the blind side where he got Reed on the outside of his man, then Reed put Gillett over was beautiful. You could see that Hunt could see an overlap developed because the winger had dropped back for the kick. He ran to the line and drew Nathan Fein then threw the lovely cut out pass to Reed who did well to make sure he was on the outside of his opposite player. It was Walters to Renouf all over again for mine.

 

[rnabokov]

Now don't get me wrong ... I am not saying Hunt is one of the greats, like Alfie ...

but it seems to me Hunt is developing a skill the great players have: real vision, which is for mine what makes a half really special. Like Alfie, like Lockyer.

For me, vision means when it all comes together. The player is just totally aware without effort, what's in front and what's behind, peripheral vision, a mind in constant motion, assessing the circumstances, the lay of the land, creating possible options, organizing them (as Coxy posted), calling, and executing whichever play feels right.

And most importantly, this happens simultaneously, and makes it look like he has all the time in the world (mostly).

It's still evolving and developing in Hunt, and I reckon he is still not fully fit for an 80 min. match at half, but I see the makings of a special half.

And this is from someone who recently thought Hunt was crap.

I hope his gifts prove to be just that, the gifts of real talent, and I am so looking forward to how he plays this Friday

 

[Socnorb]

I totally agree. With what he has shown in the last few weeks. The X factor with the chip and chase, isolating a defender with a cut pass and the bonus of the defence , making tackles that need to be made. Maybe those couple of years as a replacement hooker will pay massive dividends. Usually the attacking flair comes with a defensive liability. Except in the case of the really good ones ,johns. Dce ,ect.

 

[Mr Fourex]

Now don't get me wrong ... I am not saying Hunt is one of the greats, like Alfie ...

but it seems to me Hunt is developing a skill the great players have: real vision, which is for mine what makes a half really special. Like Alfie, like Lockyer.

For me, vision means when it all comes together. The player is just totally aware without effort, what's in front and what's behind, peripheral vision, a mind in constant motion, assessing the circumstances, the lay of the land, creating possible options, organizing them (as Coxy posted), calling, and executing whichever play feels right.

And most importantly, this happens simultaneously, and makes it look like he has all the time in the world (mostly).

It's still evolving and developing in Hunt, and I reckon he is still not fully fit for an 80 min. match at half, but I see the makings of a special half.

And this is from someone who recently thought Hunt was crap.

I hope his gifts prove to be just that, the gifts of real talent, and I am so looking forward to how he plays this Friday

I can tell that your over exuberance is a bi-product of what we have had to put up with as a halfback for the last 4 yrs .......

Long way to go for Ben Hunt before we get too excited. Consistency as you say, will be the challenge ahead.

It's great to finally have some spark out there though.

 

[Alec]

Yeah, I'm cautiously optimistic about Hunt. A month ago I thought there honestly was about 10% chance he'd play to his potential and make a great half for us. I'd say that number is a bit higher now. Still a long way to go though.

 

[Grimmiq]

Paul green said back in 2009 that he'd be a great half, but needed to talk more and be dominant, because he's a quiet and humble guy, he'd only get that by playing in the halves and getting comfortable.

If only henjak and griffin had listened to him.

 

[Mr Fourex]

Paul green said back in 2009 that he'd be a great half, but needed to talk more and be dominant, because he's a quiet and humble guy, he'd only get that by playing in the halves and getting comfortable.

If only henjak and griffin had listened to him.

If only we hadn't re-signed Peter Wallace.

 

[Porthoz]

If only we hadn't re-signed Peter Wallace.

FFS. Everybody knows the lyrics. Give it a rest! :001_rolleyes:

 

[Big Pete]

I thought Wallace actually had a decent cameo on Sunday. Couple of his touches really got us rolling forward and nearly lead to points.