POST GAME [Round 23, 2022] Broncos vs Storm

[Shane Tronc]

Reynolds has been shit for a while now. Concerning

 

[vertigo]

As some have pointed out, we were infinitely more competitive and capable last time we played the Storm… in Melbourne… with a much worse squad.

Goes to show it’s not a talent issue, it’s about effort and commitment and desire - which we’ve been sorely and obviously lacking for weeks now. It’s baffling how massive and sudden the turnaround has been since the Parra game and it’s hard not to point the finger at the coach, whose job is to keep the players performing at a high level.

I agree players like James, Riki and Turpin shouldn’t be in the starting side, but if we we’re playing with the appropriate intensity and effort like we did earlier in the year then they are still serviceable options and we showed we can mix it with the best… when the entire team is playing poorly then those weak links are really exposed.

It was compounded last night by the Storm playing their own game, manipulating the ruck and controlling the tempo of their game (as they always do), but it’s not an excuse and we can’t control it … we showed we can overcome that and go toe to toe with them when we want to… but the players just don’t want it - they are done for the year, you can just see it. Maybe it’s late season fatigue and mounting niggling injuries and we just peaked too early.

Either way…Absolutely disgraceful performance. At this point I’d rather almost miss the finals than have to get flogged by the Roosters or someone else again in week 1 to finish the year.

Pretty much summed up my thoughts word for word.

Parra game was the last you'll see of what we were building on this season.

 

[Mitchell_Broncos]

I didn’t stay to go onto the field, Getting 60 points put on us. Cmon, if I was a player how could you smile after that. I would want to go into the sheds and put my head down.

 

[winslow_wong]

What really surprised me was the extremely lax attitude the ref had towards ruck interference and consistent and team wide offside from Melbourne. There were so many blatant and obvious 6 agains not given just in the first 20 or so that I feared the worst.

I thought the Melbourne game would show us where we really are but I think it wasn't the ultimate test, next week is when the real test happens.

Great lesson in humility last night.

We’ve been humbled a lot over the last few years. Some players aren’t really learning the lessons.

 

[Mightybroncs2k17]

One of the real frustrations for me was that we didn't seem to learn and adapt as the game went on.

Big Nelson was posted on an edge all night. The bloke is 6 foot 6 and 122kg, he's not out there to run decoys and be cut out. From the first set they gave him the ball on the edge and he made big meters. All night they continued to do it and he continued to make us look stupid.

At what point do the guys defending him stop and think "well he's getting the ball every play they run out here, he's a massove human, maybe we should get up off our line and in his face before he gets momentum".

Things like that which a good football team or well coached team should be able to react to just let us down.

I don't know why but it just gave me the shits all night seeing the tactic clear as day (i think they've done it a bit recently) of running him out wide rather then using him as a battering ram and we failed to identify it and he got one on one with a defender and made huge meters, drew more defneders in and got offloads away.

 

[rnabokov]

We’ve been humbled a lot over the last few years. Some players aren’t really learning the lessons.

Coates did.

One of the real frustrations for me was that we didn't seem to learn and adapt as the game went on.

Big Nelson was posted on an edge all night. The bloke is 6 foot 6 and 122kg, he's not out there to run decoys and be cut out. From the first set they gave him the ball on the edge and he made big meters. All night they continued to do it and he continued to make us look stupid.

At what point do the guys defending him stop and think "well he's getting the ball every play they run out here, he's a massove human, maybe we should get up off our line and in his face before he gets momentum".

Things like that which a good football team or well coached team should be able to react to just let us down.

I don't know why but it just gave me the shits all night seeing the tactic clear as day (i think they've done it a bit recently) of running him out wide rather then using him as a battering ram and we failed to identify it and he got one on one with a defender and made huge meters, drew more defneders in and got offloads away.

Smart move by Bellamy. Ezra was not in a good place last night.

Meanwhile, Haas is playing like shit in the middle under an uncreative coach.

 

[rnabokov]

And as far as the shit defence is concerned, there is an excellent coaching resource to deal with that : the video of us defencing the Storm in 2015. We should watch it again. Every day. 7 days a week, and then do it at training. Over and over and over. Kevvie.

 

[Big Del]

I’d like to remind everyone we did better against the storm in round 15, in melbourne with Tyrone Roberts at 7 than we did with Reynolds tonight.

AGENDA !!! LOL .

 

[johnyE]

Well I went to bed last night with what felt like an ache in the pit of my stomach. . I turned it off before half time , I rightly suspected we were about to get a pasting from these ****. I thought Munster pushed Cobbo off that ball , he played at Cobbo not the ball . **** the NRL, they nicely hobbled us with that Bullshit Carrigon suspension . It seems we've lost all cohesion since then. Too many journey men in our forward pack. Haas isn't worth 1/2 of what he's asking. Carrigon , the Herbster, and Gamble need to be in this starting side to give ourselves any chance. We have some exciting prospects, but we look soft and underdone and lately lacked any aggression, and I'm fucked if I know why ?. Another mistake ridden timid performance again , Parramatta must be salivating. I just feel sorry for the Bronxnation last night who spent their hard earnt to watch a pea hearted performance. I think someone needs to actually put a rocket up KW, this shit is just not acceptable. One step forward two steps backwards is not progress. It seems we are now playing again for mere redemption, and this board has every right to meltdown.

 

[Nerd]

Coates did.


Smart move by Bellamy. Ezra was not in a good place last night.

Meanwhile, Haas is playing like shit in the middle under an uncreative coach.

I think that I saw Flegler out on the left side a few times in the second half but by that time the damage had been done.

 

[Wolfie]

If he does, he does. He’s seemingly a cancer at the club. We haven’t been the same since he did what he did. Happy to see the back of him as long as again we are t paying a cent and whoever he goes to pay us some clucks I mean bucks.

I dont think he will. He's good, but until he adds a physicality and mongrel to his game all he will ever be is a freak athlete who just makes big meters and PCM's. He really needs to play in a pack that has plenty of mongrel in it to get the best out of him, and i'm not sure you pay that kind of prop a million a year.

He needs to start taking the game to the opposition and imposing himself. I'll use Pat in Origin 1 as an example. I dont see Payne ever having the kind of impact Carrigan did in that game. I dont think he has the intensity.

 

[Nerd]

Our biggest problem last night same as the last 2 years was ball control. 15 errors and most of them dropped ball. Nearly every time we got in the Storm's 20 m zone we put the ball down. Without forcing opposition teams to tire by doing some desperate try line defence it just gives them more energy to attack which they did in spades.

 

[theshed]

If he does, he does. He’s seemingly a cancer at the club. We haven’t been the same since he did what he did. Happy to see the back of him as long as again we are t paying a cent and whoever he goes to pay us some clucks I mean bucks.

I’ve come around to the Wolfie perspective of wanting both Haas and Staggs gone. Cant keep defending them

 

[McHunt]

I’d like to remind everyone we did better against the storm in round 15, in melbourne with Tyrone Roberts at 7 than we did with Reynolds tonight.

Unfortunately, Reynolds not being the match winner we hoped he'd be is a bitter pill not many of us are ready to swallow. He was utterly outclassed by that gurning goblin in the condom cap last night. And Mam vs Munster was never going to be an even contest. Ezra did okay, but only okay.

I'm never going to force myself to even glimpse a highlight of this match, so correct me if you think I'm wrong, but I thought we lost the game in the spine. All parts of it, but particularly the first three. We allowed Hughes, Munster and Grant to motor around at will barely laying a hand on them.

Grant showed us why Walters isn't a top 8 hooker, just a no frills fill-in who's delivering about as much as you can expect from him. That Turpin was one of our best (in defence) just shows the yawning gulf between the two spines.

That Mam is green isn't too concerning. He will grow. That Turpin lacks x-factor attacking class isn't concerning. He's leaving. What is more concerning, is the club hasn't revealed plans to fortify either the dummy half/utility role with a genuine top 8 contender, beyond a rookie who might be years away from what we need.

But most concerning is the half who's been credited with turning the club around might be hitting his twilight faster than we'd hoped, and we have no visible replacement for him either. Mam is too green to take over the reigns, and Gamble is a gem, but lacks the skills and playmaking class. Maybe it's Walsh, but he comes with issues of his own and is also learning on the job.

Cheese was also troublesome from lock, but Patty would've shut his shit right down.

 

[Wolfie]

I’ve come around to the Wolfie perspective of wanting both Haas and Staggs gone. Cant keep defending them

Tbh, i'd rather have them here, but not on the salary they are on. They are good players, but i dont think they are worth their contracts and i dont think i ever have.

 

[McHunt]

Walters (from last night's presser):

“I’m not nervous about making the finals. Even after the disappointment of this, I have a lot of faith in this group and what they can do. I’m expecting a good reaction from our fellas next week. I’m quite surprised with the result, the guys have worked hard, but we didn’t have the resilience to stop the Storm. Every week you learn about yourselves and we are learning every week. We have to get on things, we still have two more games to go and we have to do our best to fight back next week.”​

Adam Reynolds:

​

“We were right in it in the first part of the game, we just couldn’t stop the momentum, it was pretty disappointing. e have to look forward and use that disappointment as motivation. You feel sick in the changerooms with a performance like that. We can bounce back, there’s two weeks to go, we need to bounce back and I’m sure we will. I am hungry to turn things around and get the side back on track.”​

​

Better to watch it yourself:

Broncos: Round 23

Adam Reynolds and Kevin Walters chat to the media after their Round 23 clash with the Storm

www.nrl.com

 

[Jedhead]

I think Kev was loath to say anything last night in the presser as the majority of our (attacking) play comes down to the guy who was sitting next to him. I think maybe he's trying to do too much.

Kevvie seems clueless as to why a team he thought he had prepared well had 60 put on them.

The reason is simple. Our defence, or lack of is frikkin woeful. Watch how Storm get three in the tackle every-time almost and slow the ruck down. Then watch how they attack where their play the ball is almost touch footy. We just failed to make effective tackles. If we can't get that basic right so far into the season there is something badly wrong with our systems.

I'm not even angry this morning, I'm more disillusioned. WTF have they been 'building' to if we're losing 60 at home so late in the season?

 

[McHunt]

I’ve come around to the Wolfie perspective of wanting both Haas and Staggs gone. Cant keep defending them

It'll take a bit more for me to turn against Kotoni, but I wish he wouldn't keep squeezing Selwyn into touch. Unless Selwyn is supposed to come inside him and isn't, but I'd be surprised if that's the case. It's not that Kotoni is playing badly, it's just that he was completely overshadowed by Olam last night.

Payne would be fine if he were on less money. But like I keep droning on about, he's not doing enough in attack and his defence isn't damaging enough to justify his pay packet. It's hard to understand how a bloke who no one can put on the deck can't get a ball away to an inside man or why he hasn't crossed the try-line in forever. He gets the yards, great, but they're never ever through the sticks. I know props aren't judged by their attack, but he's supposed to be the best in history. Why isn't he carrying those 4 defenders over the try-line once in a while? It's not like he's being starved of ball.

As it stands, Payne is just a big cuddly lunk who takes opposition players for a horsey ride just for fun.