PRE-GAME Round 23 - Broncos vs Rabbitohs

[BroncsFan]

The other thing to consider for this game is whoever is at left center will be marking up against Roberts. Feel Glenn will struggle to keep pace with him so Shiba might have to be the go here.

Very frustrating we don't have a strike weapon out there to capitalize on his glaring weaknesses in defence.

Arey is also struggling with his back out there... and Sua played right side for bunnies last week.

In fact their right side looks the most vulnerable across the line with Sua, Arey, Roberts and Gagai.

I foresee us throwing the outside back / second row line ball in this game (aka the Oates play), but using Staggs or Isaako.

We should be looking to hit this side with everything in this game so I hope Milf doesn't park himself on the right all game as Darius has suggested.

Although Sutton, Cwalker, Lowe/Turner (you know Bennett will do it), Graham on the left doesn't look all that flash either.

 

[rnabokov]

SoS will be the number 7 for the game against Souths...

per NRL.com.au....

Goodness, a half who attacks the line! How novel. We won't know ourselves.

Anyway, this game has just become really winnable as long as SOS and our edge forwards work together in running onto the ball instead of catch-pass rubbish from Turps. Can't wait

 

[NSW stables]

I wonder if this is how you kill the oppositions playmaker....

8 - Lodge
9 - McCullough
10 - Offahengaue
11 - Haas
12 - Fifita
13 - Carrigan

14 - Flegler
15 - Segs
16 - Kennedy
17 - Peresesssesssessse

The frequency that reynolds gets injured in matches, one or two decent shots at him and there goes there kicking option and game manager.

 

[Ponga01]

I wonder if this is how you kill the oppositions playmaker....

8 - Lodge
9 - McCullough
10 - Offahengaue
11 - Haas
12 - Fifita
13 - Carrigan

14 - Flegler
15 - Segs
16 - Kennedy
17 - Peresesssesssessse

I don’t want hass on a edge, he does so well in the middle. Surely Flegler or Carrigan or even Ofahengaue can fill in there if Glenn of Gilo can’t play

 

[Stix]

So........SOS it is.

**** yeah!!

 

[vertigo]

What is he really doing at fullback that Boyd wasn't doing? Saving the odd try? If that's his only benefit over Boyd then it's kind of pointless.

lol - how many games have we lost as a direct result of Boyd failing to put his body on the line at fullback.

Savings tries is as good as scoring them, Milford saved two of them last week.

Short memory, must have a..

 

[Thelmus]

Honestly, I've enjoyed seeing Milf in the 1 jersey but with every passing game I'm starting to agree more with @Unbreakable that he does not have a future in the 1. Seriously, his run metres are borderline terrible.

Let me list some stats below:

Milford - Last 6 rounds
RD 22: 10 runs 69m
RD 21: 13 runs 77m
RD 20: 11 runs 78m
RD 19: 19 runs 203m
RD 18: 9 runs 67m
RD 17: 19 runs 219m

Average: 13.5 runs for 118m

Boyd - Last 6 rounds
RD 16: 17 runs 154m
RD 13: 10 runs 78m
RD 12: 7 runs 55m
RD 11: 15 runs 107m
RD 10: 7 runs 73m
RD 9: 10 runs 73m

Average: 11 runs for 90m


What is he really doing at fullback that Boyd wasn't doing? Saving the odd try? If that's his only benefit over Boyd then it's kind of pointless. The fullback needs to be a running threat to be an effective team. Not only that, by having him at fullback it's harder for him to be in position to be our first choice kicker. Milford has actually become one of the best kickers of the ball in the last year or two IMO, so we lose by FAR our best kicking option, gain not very much in attack but we might save the odd try in defence that Boyd isn't fast enough to get to.

Is that worth it? We lose IMO, the best 5/8 in the game to get, IMO, a pretty fucking average, if not bottom tier fullback. Better than Boyd, sure, but not by much.

Maybe his body just isn't right and he needs an off season to get in shape for it but I'm not convinced.

For a long time I used to think milford was lazy, or a bad trainer. He'd have these games where he would start at a million miles an hour and then disappear, or be missing and show up near the end. Other times he'd play a spectacular game and be almost invisible the next one. He still does it.
If I think about our great play makers langer, locker, Walter, they all got better as they aged. They didnt get any faster, and I definitely langer was as good at 36 as Milford is now, but langer wouldnt do anywhere near the work. What he and others knew that milf doesn't is when you can cruise and let the team run itself and when you need to put in 2 or 3 tackles, or take a tough run and quick play of the ball to put your team on the front foot or conversely set opposition back a pace. Milf is great at spotting a hole and feeding a good pass. He can step on dime and make defenders look silly. What he can't do though is know when it is needed and when it is not.
How could he? the only half of any experience he has played with is hunt and he threw himself into games with a seemingly masochistic desire to kill himself. He'd wear himself down and make silly mistakes. We'd all denigrate hunt when the bloke ran himself ragged, having himself only playing half a season with an experienced half in prince.
I think of dearden playing, and he looked like he was trying to break the tackling record in his few appearances for us.
I think of all this and I think more than ever wise old player like a Blake green, or Reynolds to feed his in-experienced half partner and teach him when to inject himself is continuous problem we haven't solved.
Think of how hunt looked so much better under wisdom, knik with green. We just don't have that. Back in 2015, we nearly won it, and I think Hodges talking to our young halves was big part of that. We need that now more than ever.
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For a long time I used to think milford was lazy, or a bad trainer. He'd have these games where he would start at a million miles an hour and then disappear, or be missing and show up near the end. Other times he'd play a spectacular game and be almost invisible the next one. He still does it.
If I think about our great play makers langer, locker, Walter, they all got better as they aged. They didnt get any faster, and I definitely langer was as good at 36 as Milford is now, but langer wouldnt do anywhere near the work. What he and others knew that milf doesn't is when you can cruise and let the team run itself and when you need to put in 2 or 3 tackles, or take a tough run and quick play of the ball to put your team on the front foot or conversely set opposition back a pace. Milf is great at spotting a hole and feeding a good pass. He can step on dime and make defenders look silly. What he can't do though is know when it is needed and when it is not.
How could he? the only half of any experience he has played with is hunt and he threw himself into games with a seemingly masochistic desire to kill himself. He'd wear himself down and make silly mistakes. We'd all denigrate hunt when the bloke ran himself ragged, having himself only playing half a season with an experienced half in prince.
I think of dearden playing, and he looked like he was trying to break the tackling record in his few appearances for us.
I think of all this and I think more than ever wise old player like a Blake green, or Reynolds to feed his in-experienced half partner and teach him when to inject himself is continuous problem we haven't solved.
Think of how hunt looked so much better under wisdom, knik with green. We just don't have that. Back in 2015, we nearly won it, and I think Hodges talking to our young halves was big part of that. We need that now more than ever.

I just read this back and despise my phones auto correct "wisdom" should be "widdup".

 

[Foordy]

these next two weeks are very important for us ... apart from sealing a finals spot, it gives SOS two weeks to cement the halfback role for the remainder of the year, in turn giving him a good chance to audition for the 6 jumper in 2020

 

[Jedhead]

Boyd backs O'Sullivan to fire for Broncos at halfback

Darius Boyd insists Sean O’Sullivan is ready to fire as his new halves partner as the Broncos prepare for a showdown with Wayne Bennett’s Rabbitohs at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.

www.nrl.com

Boyd backs O'Sullivan to fire for Broncos at halfback

Joel Gould
NRL.com
Mon 19 Aug 2019, 04:01 PM

Darius Boyd insists Sean O’Sullivan is ready to fire as his new halves partner as the Broncos prepare for a showdown with Wayne Bennett’s Rabbitohs at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night. The Broncos have lost Jake Turpin for two weeks due to suspension and O’Sullivan, who turns 21 on Wednesday, returns to the No.7 jersey for the first time since the 24-22 win over the Sharks in round 16 when he starred in the first half before suffering a hamstring injury.

Brisbane have fielded seven halves combinations this year with Kodi Nikorima and Anthony Milford starting the season. Tom Dearden, who won’t play again this year after reinjuring his ankle, then lined up with Milford before his injury paved the way for O’Sullivan to play at No.7 against the Eels.

Coach Anthony Seibold then switched Milford to fullback and O’Sullivan partnered Boyd and Turpin against the Knights and Sharks respectively. Boyd and Turpin then had six games together in the halves with success.

"Sean is just a footballer. He is a halfback. He knows the game plan and manages things well, and he is a good talker. He will be fine," Boyd said of his new halves partner. "I am not putting any pressure on him but he knows football. He has been playing the game a long time and his family has been around the game a long time. He has only played four first grade games but he just knows how to run a team. "I am really confident in Sean. Turps did a great job but he had never played halfback before so I am sure a halfback can do a pretty good job in his own position.”

O’Sullivan is a left-foot kicker and prefers playing on the left but will line up on the right side against the Rabbitohs with Boyd staying on his preferred left side.

"The way we play our halfback plays both sides of the field. Me and Milf kind of hold the left and hold the right. Sean is going to go both sides of the field so he can basically do what he wants," Boyd said. "He will be first receiver both sides so he can come around and kick on the left and the right. Milly can hold on the right and kick. If I have to, I can kick. Macca [Andrew McCullough] can kick too. I don’t think it will matter. He has played on the right before in the Queensland Cup."

O’Sullivan’s brother-in-law is Matt Lodge and the Broncos prop said he had no doubt the new No.7 would be capable of bossing the forwards and steering Brisbane around the park.

"He has grown up in the No.7 his whole life and knows the game better than anyone in the whole building here. No one questions that he knows the game like the back of his hand so hopefully he can be loud and be that person we’ve been lacking," Lodge said. "He has got two weeks to put his best foot forward going into the finals. He has been waiting a while for the opportunity and knows he needs to take it. "Sean has had a bit of bad luck with injuries. He got that chance [against Cronulla] and came good before getting injured. He worked hard on his rehab and had two good games in the Q Cup. He knows he can get us around the park. "Hopefully he can transfer all that to the rest of the boys and fix some things up that he thinks he can do with our attack."

Lodge said the 38-6 loss to South Sydney in round eight was irrelevant to the outcome of Friday night’s clash. The Broncos, in seventh place on the ladder, can go a long way towards wrapping up a finals spot with a win over the misfiring Rabbitohs.

"If we want to be any chance of playing finals we need to turn up for games like this. I remember we hardly touched the ball the first 20 minutes [in round eight] and everything went against us early. If we do the little things well it will make a difference this time," Lodge said. "We have a different team to what ran out back then. It is a totally different scenario and we go into this game not worrying about what happened last time we played them. "I’ve noticed they have been on the slide a bit but I am sure Wayne will get them firing at the right end of the year. They will turn up at Suncorp ready to play."

So is it normal for the captain to lay out how the team will line up and how they intend to play with regards which side of the field the halves will patrol and how the spine will react to each other days before th egame so that the opposition can plan accordingly?

Is Voyd signalluing to Bennett how he expects the game plan to unfold or is he doing a double bluff?

 

[Kimlo]

lol - how many games have we lost as a direct result of Boyd failing to put his body on the line at fullback.

Savings tries is as good as scoring them, Milford saved two of them last week.

Short memory, must have a..

You've missed the point.
If we're just after someone who can defend at the back we may as well put Isaako there. Milford isn't coming from reserve grade to replace Boyd, for him to replace Boyd, we lose our 5/8, that's my point, not whether saving tries is a valuable thing to have or not. It's a trade off and it's not a trade off I'm a fan of. It reeks like a desperate defence of Boyd rather than a genuine interest in naming our best 1-17.

If we're throwing out old cliches you don't weaken one position to strengthen another.

 

[Stix]

these next two weeks are very important for us ... apart from sealing a finals spot, it gives SOS two weeks to cement the halfback role for the remainder of the year, in turn giving him a good chance to audition for the 6 jumper in 2020

Surely Seibold plans on Sos and Dearden next year in the halves..?!

 

[Dee]

We need less disruptions to the team as possible.

1. Milf
6. Boyd
7. SOS

Glenn can play centre. Gillett back to the no. 12 jersey and Fifita playing no. 11. Give Fifita TPJ's job running at the halves all game long and terrorising his edge looking for the offloads now and again but first and foremost - run hard and straight and get a quick ptb.

 

[Sproj]

I have a sneaking suspicion Paix might force his way into this side by round 1 next year.

 

[Super Freak]

lol - how many games have we lost as a direct result of Boyd failing to put his body on the line at fullback.

1 this season by my count.

 

[PNG Broncos fan88]

Boyd not putting his body on the line for losses that i can think of:-
1.Storm, went for the Bromwich dummy
2.Dragons, went for McInnes dummy
3.Roosters, Tedesco strolling past whilst hands in the air at refs
4.Tigers, slide for thin air while MCK ran past
5.Souths, let Walker pluck the ball from under his nose twice
6.Titans, stepped by Roberts

 

[Foordy]

Boyd not putting his body on the line for losses that i can think of:-
1.Storm, went for the Bromwich dummy
2.Dragons, went for McInnes dummy
3.Roosters, Tedesco strolling past whilst hands in the air at refs
4.Tigers, slide for thin air while MCK ran past
5.Souths, let Walker pluck the ball from under his nose twice
6.Titans, stepped by Roberts

there is a difference between not putting his body on the line and making poor judgements when defending a 1-on-1 situation

 

[Huge]

SoS will be the number 7 for the game against Souths...

per NRL.com.au....

At last ! All things being equal he'll be there for the rest of the season ( I hope )

 

[Xzei]

Hope he kills it over the next two weeks makes it impossible to drop him