PRE-GAME [Round 23, 2024] Broncos vs Cowboys

[Big Del]

Billy Walters is literally the furthest thing from a problem for our team right now. He isn't perfect but he is out there having a red hot crack week in and week out. His form hasn't been bad either.

The point I was making is the unawareness / lazyness to support through the middle . Billy / Paix / Mozer doesn`t matter . When you see one guy getting left on the ground after a tackle be ready to support the dummy half . FFS ! Its not rocket surgery .
Billy has been having a go . Still the team is not winning . Keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome is related to the definition of insanity .

 

[Bucking Beads]

The point I was making is the unawareness / lazyness to support through the middle . Billy / Paix / Mozer doesn`t matter . When you see one guy getting left on the ground after a tackle be ready to support the dummy half . FFS ! Its not rocket surgery .
Billy has been having a go . Still the team is not winning . Keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome is related to the definition of insanity .

The team has failed on the fundamentals of footy TBH. Theses are the things they should already know and have just deserted them this year. Pure Laziness IMO.

 

[Brett Da Man LeMan]

I don`t understand how Billy Walters can make half breaks through the ruck for 3 years and never find a support runner . That is poor game awareness by his team mates .

Our support play in those situations is always bad. You think it'd be the perfect set up for an on the run Walsh or Mam to get an easy break, but no one ever does it.

 

[thenry]

Our support play in those situations is always bad. You think it'd be the perfect set up for an on the run Walsh or Mam to get an easy break, but no one ever does it.

Agreed. Look at the Knights game last year. I think it was Kobe who poked his nose through, Ezra was there backed up by Reynolds.
Billy does this a bit tbh. X did it a few times last game also. No support.

 

[bert_lifts]

The point I was making is the unawareness / lazyness to support through the middle . Billy / Paix / Mozer doesn`t matter . When you see one guy getting left on the ground after a tackle be ready to support the dummy half . FFS ! Its not rocket surgery .
Billy has been having a go . Still the team is not winning . Keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome is related to the definition of insanity .

My issue with the whole hooker situation is why was paix banished into the shadow realm? The number 9 is the only position we have depth for lol. No one's position should be secure and multiple poor performances should've warranted a change. All 4 of them should've been fighting for spots. Instead kev just defaulted to bill/smoothy every single time regardless of performance.

Zero pressure on the players. Just dumb and extremely poor roster management especially considering the lack of depth in other positions. Such a waste.

 

[Allo]

My issue with the whole hooker situation is why was paix banished into the shadow realm? The number 9 is the only position we have depth for lol. No one's position should be secure and multiple poor performances should've warranted a change. All 4 of them should've been fighting for spots. Instead kev just defaulted to bill/smoothy every single time regardless of performance.

Zero pressure on the players. Just dumb and extremely poor roster management especially considering the lack of depth in other positions. Such a waste.

Putting Paix in wouldn’t have solved our issues anyway

It was obviously to try and force his departure so we get his money back, as he would be worth at least two of those hookers on the cap.

Maybe not the nicest way to go about it but likely the most effective, just hasn’t happened in this case

 

[bert_lifts]

Putting Paix in wouldn’t have solved our issues anyway

It was obviously to try and force his departure so we get his money back, as he would be worth at least two of those hookers on the cap.

Maybe not the nicest way to go about it but likely the most effective, just hasn’t happened in this case

Never said it would solve issues but competition for spots is good regardless. Being safe and secure breeds complacency.
Regardless of what Kev's intentions were it was a complete failure. Awful roster management among other things. Ie recruitment.

 

[Johnny92]

Our support play in those situations is always bad. You think it'd be the perfect set up for an on the run Walsh or Mam to get an easy break, but no one ever does it.

I think with Walsh he's too worried about getting the ball every other play.
This is where he should be picking his moments and watch the game unfold abit. If he's sitting behind the play the ball he's can watch what the defence is doing and pick his moments better.

 

[BroncsFan]

Our support play in those situations is always bad. You think it'd be the perfect set up for an on the run Walsh or Mam to get an easy break, but no one ever does it.

I think this is where structure comes into it.

When in yardage the rorters emphasise working the middle and it's just runner after runner attacking the A and B and looking to force a quick ptb.

I think storm have a bit of a diamond shape at the ruck... they dont really play with a ball playing 13, so they're 6 and 7 sit at first receiver either side of the ruck and fullback sits behind or floats either side pending where the numbers need to be.

If there's a quick ptb all the key playmakers are at the ruck and that's a trigger that Harry is running unless a half calls for it... otherwise it's business as usual with rucking it out and trying to create a quick ptb.

For Broncos it's likely that Ezra sits on his edge in yardage, but that's pretty pointless if there's no intent to spread it early.... however if the intent to keep Ezra wide is to try and keep the defence spread then that's fine, but you have to at least fire a fucking shot if that's the case and they're way too slow with backline movements and get shut down. It's like they don't want to run a backline movement UNLESS it comes off the back of Patty being a link man... you guys are halves... do the old broncos play where we would go one side of the field to the other via Wallace > Lockyer > Khunt... 3 passes from one edge to the other and catching the defence out.

In yardage Walsh or Ezra play dummy half as well... but it just gets picked off way too easy. The whole team goes into training mode and just pass it off to the winger who gets absolutely belted, because he's running one out.

They're not paying attention to the defence and whether they can be exploited for trying to come at them too hard.... so the defence just keeps coming and belting them.

Look for some blindside plays, Walsh and Ezra could dummy and go for a run from dummy half if the defence is trying to line up the one out runner (because they're both fucking great runners), put some sort of deception into your dummy half play fake one way and go the other or fake to the one out man and put a spread on, etc.

Some of our best runs in yardage is when Staggs gets it off the blind after it's faked to the open.

 

[McHunt]

Billy Walters is literally the furthest thing from a problem for our team right now. He isn't perfect but he is out there having a red hot crack week in and week out. His form hasn't been bad either.

Billy was good too.

 

[BroncosFever]

I see people talking about structure a lot, I'm not so sure it's as important as it once were. You need structure defensively, obviously.. but in attack, you set up your shapes, let's say the opposition turns you away and then you go for a repeat set. Drop out comes, it goes 10 metres, the opposition winger towers over us and we don't get the ball.

That was good, wasn't it?

Better off having a fair dinkum go with a player like Walsh rather than going for the repeat set, particularly given our inability to win the ball back off a short drop out.

 

[Galah]

I see people talking about structure a lot, I'm not so sure it's as important as it once were. You need structure defensively, obviously.. but in attack, you set up your shapes, let's say the opposition turns you away and then you go for a repeat set. Drop out comes, it goes 10 metres, the opposition winger towers over us and we don't get the ball.

That was good, wasn't it?

Better off having a fair dinkum go with a player like Walsh rather than going for the repeat set, particularly given our inability to win the ball back off a short drop out.

I’m only ever referring to defensive structure when I’m talking about it, something we couldn’t be further from.

 

[Bucking Beads]

I see people talking about structure a lot, I'm not so sure it's as important as it once were. You need structure defensively, obviously.. but in attack, you set up your shapes, let's say the opposition turns you away and then you go for a repeat set. Drop out comes, it goes 10 metres, the opposition winger towers over us and we don't get the ball.

That was good, wasn't it?

Better off having a fair dinkum go with a player like Walsh rather than going for the repeat set, particularly given our inability to win the ball back off a short drop out.

We certainly need structure to work the. All up the field and use our forwards properly.

 

[Jason Simmons]

I see people talking about structure a lot, I'm not so sure it's as important as it once were. You need structure defensively, obviously.. but in attack, you set up your shapes, let's say the opposition turns you away and then you go for a repeat set. Drop out comes, it goes 10 metres, the opposition winger towers over us and we don't get the ball.

That was good, wasn't it?

Better off having a fair dinkum go with a player like Walsh rather than going for the repeat set, particularly given our inability to win the ball back off a short drop out.

Structure iis what good teams fall back on, when things don’t work out.

It also allows other players to ease into the team and know what their job is when plan A doesn’t work or isn’t available due to injury rep footy or when the coch inexplicably decides to rest his best players when the season is on the line… Because “science” apparently.

Not having any structure in any part of our game is a big part of why we’re 14th and heading the wrong way.

 

[Big Pete]

How many times have we seen the Broncos in the attacking zone pass to a flat footed player not expecting it? There is such a thing as playing too structured where a smart defensive team will know your plays better than your team does, but it's just about understanding different scenarios and working for one another.

I highlighted it against the Panthers when Hetherington lost the ball and Brisbane effectively fell into a heap. It all started because Haas didn't work hard enough to play the ball quickly and gave Penrith extra time to reset their line. Then Kobe was called out of playing the flat option, got in the way of his first playmaker and was effectively going to burn the tackle when Penrith went ahead and stripped the ball out he lost it in the contact.

The players didn't understand their roles, didn't make the job for their team mate easier and put the defence under any pressure.

The other play that lives rent free in my mind was after Arthars' intercept against the Bulldogs. Canterbury were in 6s and 7s when the Broncos slowly made their way back. Walsh was desperately looking for a runner, the only player who even put their hand up was Patty and in the end Walsh throws a hospital pass to Kobe who gets absolutely smashed. The set effectively lost from there when Brisbane could have got a roll on.

Walsh at least put himself in position, but had to realise that in that scenario, he just needed to dummy run, beat a defender and fight for that quick play the ball.

The Broncos also have the worst exit set in the competition. There are NSW/Queensland Cup teams who can do it better - Souths Logan on the back of Quai-Ward would hold their measure.

 

[Wolfie]

I’m only ever referring to defensive structure when I’m talking about it, something we couldn’t be further from.

You need structure all over the park tbf. You cant just be structured in defence and play off the cuff in attack all game. You have to build pressure which is hard to do when you dont have a solid gameplan. Inside that structure though you do still need the freedom to play what you see and have that off the cuff football to stop you being one dimensional. Its about balance, and we dont have any.

 

[Galah]

You need structure all over the park tbf. You cant just be structured in defence and play off the cuff in attack all game. You have to build pressure which is hard to do when you dont have a solid gameplan. Inside that structure though you do still need the freedom to play what you see and have that off the cuff football to stop you being one dimensional. Its about balance, and we dont have any.

I’ve kind of stepped away last couple of weeks as I’m in absolute shock at this team and their positioning alone….it’s insane in fact it’s almost the worst I’ve ever seen from any team, honestly believe if we had less talent on the park we would be getting thrashed in the 60’s.

It’s fucking mind boggling.

 

[thenry]

I’ve kind of stepped away last couple of weeks as I’m in absolute shock at this team and their positioning alone….it’s insane in fact it’s almost the worst I’ve ever seen from any team, honestly believe if we had less talent on the park we would be getting thrashed in the 60’s.

It’s fucking mind boggling.

I've not only stepped away from the Bronx, I've stepped away from the game lol.