PRE-GAME [Round 3, 2022] Broncos vs Cowboys

[I bleed Maroon]

Draw a fat red circle around Round 8 against Cronulla @ Suncorp. Judging on current form, that game will be the biggest one for us for this half of the season. I've given us losses against Penrith and Souffs in Sydney up to Round 10 but on current form, all the rest are entirely beatable.

Yes, going into Round 11 in the Top 4 would be comfortably overachieving, but you can only judge what's in front of you. We've got the Cows on Sunday, the Warriors @ Redcliffe next weekend, the Sombreros who are in horrible form then the Dogs again. Losing any one of those games at this point would be a big disappointment.

 

[Huge]

View attachment 17523

Draw a fat red circle around Round 8 against Cronulla @ Suncorp. Judging on current form, that game will be the biggest one for us for this half of the season. I've given us losses against Penrith and Souffs in Sydney up to Round 10 but on current form, all the rest are entirely beatable.

Yes, going into Round 11 in the Top 4 would be comfortably overachieving, but you can only judge what's in front of you. We've got the Cows on Sunday, the Warriors @ Redcliffe next weekend, the Sombreros who are in horrible form then the Dogs again. Losing any one of those games at this point would be a big disappointment.

I know, right!
If we could just snag a good win this Sunday the tongues will start wagging! There'd be accusations of salary cap breaches, preferential treatment by refs, demands for blanket drug tests. Makes me feel giddy with excitement!

 

[Scorchie]

View attachment 17523

Draw a fat red circle around Round 8 against Cronulla @ Suncorp. Judging on current form, that game will be the biggest one for us for this half of the season. I've given us losses against Penrith and Souffs in Sydney up to Round 10 but on current form, all the rest are entirely beatable.

Yes, going into Round 11 in the Top 4 would be comfortably overachieving, but you can only judge what's in front of you. We've got the Cows on Sunday, the Warriors @ Redcliffe next weekend, the Sombreros who are in horrible form then the Dogs again. Losing any one of those games at this point would be a big disappointment.

I think you should reconsider how you reckon the Bulldogs will go. Zero chance they place lower than the Cowboys by R10.

 

[BroncsFan]

View attachment 17523

Draw a fat red circle around Round 8 against Cronulla @ Suncorp. Judging on current form, that game will be the biggest one for us for this half of the season. I've given us losses against Penrith and Souffs in Sydney up to Round 10 but on current form, all the rest are entirely beatable.

Yes, going into Round 11 in the Top 4 would be comfortably overachieving, but you can only judge what's in front of you. We've got the Cows on Sunday, the Warriors @ Redcliffe next weekend, the Sombreros who are in horrible form then the Dogs again. Losing any one of those games at this point would be a big disappointment.

The bonus with that dogs game is it will be at Suncorp, but I feel it will be a very competitive match up as well.

If I'm looking at those matches I've got the following thoughts:
- Cows on Sunday: very winnable... if we hold the ball we should win. Our forward pack is better, Reynolds can control field position better and we have strike in the outside backs

- Warriors at Redcliffe: Also very winnable. Nice dry track with a day game on a Saturday. Nathan Brown is all over the shop with his selections and SJ should still be missing.... but Walsh is serious strike in their backline and their forward pack is no slouch. We will need to turn up to win.

- Roosters at Suncorp: In their current form the game is very winnable and we have matched up well against the roosters in the past.... but this game is 3 games away and the roosters were horrible tonight and Robinson is a fantastic coach so is every chance of fixing up their issues before too long. They have cows next week in Townsville (Yes that's correct 4 rounds in and the cows will have had 3 home games already)... they should win that and could blow out the cobwebs... OR they could lose due to traveling up north, which will have them absolutely desperate for a win the following week against us

- Dogs at Suncorp: They are definitely no slouch this year, especially when TPJ will be having 'hamstring issues' the week before playing us to be well and truly primed. Burton has already shown that he can trouble our back 3 even when kicking from his own half, so winning the field position battle won't make it a fait accompli. Again it will need to be another game we turn up for mentally to win.


If we keep turning up like we did for the first two rounds all those games are winnable... but we aren't a team full of veterans that have been playing grind it out wins for 2-3yrs and have become accustomed to it.

A guy like Riki is only just becoming an 80min defender, but he has a massive role being the protector of Reynolds. He did a fantastic job against the dogs, but he now needs to do that 24 games in a row.... that is his challenge.

Defence has not been our forte since like 2015 and even then it was very much heart in your mouth scramble defence... if this young team that has had very little success over the last 3 years or so doesn't turn up mentally, they will get absolutely smashed... Yes I still have bad memories of 2018 and losing to bottom placed teams when we were massive favourites.

What will deter that is having Capewell, Reynolds, Ryan and co in the lineup to enforce the culture and attitude required to win... Having the old heads in the squad setting the standards for the young men to follow and there being no excuses or shortcuts.

I'll continue to have reservations about us until I feel comfortable that we as a collective squad have become a battle hardened defensive unit... because that is what builds premiership teams.

We've done it for two games, but we need to do it for 22 more... and we need to do it when we're getting smashed... and then we need to do it the week after we've been smashed. It needs to become the norm

 

[BroncosFever]

Roosters is winnable but probably need them to play below their best, they were quite ordinary last night.

Every game is winnable but even so, we ourselves haven't done anything great with the footy, our ball control was terrible last weekend. I would like to see us hold onto the ball and see what we can do to a team when we apply the same pressure that the Dogs had us under.

 

[theshed]

Roosters is winnable but probably need them to play below their best, they were quite ordinary last night.

Every game is winnable but even so, we ourselves haven't done anything great with the footy, our ball control was terrible last weekend. I would like to see us hold onto the ball and see what we can do to a team when we apply the same pressure that the Dogs had us under.

Bulldogs out played us in every metric, they just haven’t figured out their attack yet and we held them out with decent scramble defence and Reynolds kicking for field position.

it was a great tough fought win but it would be nice to see a well played win before getting too excited.

 

[NSW stables]

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Draw a fat red circle around Round 8 against Cronulla @ Suncorp. Judging on current form, that game will be the biggest one for us for this half of the season. I've given us losses against Penrith and Souffs in Sydney up to Round 10 but on current form, all the rest are entirely beatable.

Yes, going into Round 11 in the Top 4 would be comfortably overachieving, but you can only judge what's in front of you. We've got the Cows on Sunday, the Warriors @ Redcliffe next weekend, the Sombreros who are in horrible form then the Dogs again. Losing any one of those games at this point would be a big disappointment.

Cronulla are looking fucking good. To put on 36 points in pissing down rain was impressive.

Their backline movements, particularly going from the left to right where they play out the back to kennedy is top shelf. They do it with so much depth that even rushing defence can't stop them from spreading it. They will be a massive challenge.

 

[McHunt]

Cronulla are looking fucking good. To put on 36 points in pissing down rain was impressive.

Their backline movements, particularly going from the left to right where they play out the back to kennedy is top shelf. They do it with so much depth that even rushing defence can't stop them from spreading it. They will be a massive challenge.

Nicho Hynes really was the one who got away. We'd be in such a stronger position if we could've landed him. And we all knew it at the time.

 

[Huge]

Cronulla are looking fucking good. To put on 36 points in pissing down rain was impressive.

Their backline movements, particularly going from the left to right where they play out the back to kennedy is top shelf. They do it with so much depth that even rushing defence can't stop them from spreading it. They will be a massive challenge.

I would have written the same thing but it would have been perceived as Cronulla love!

 

[WASSHHH]

Bulldogs out played us in every metric, they just haven’t figured out their attack yet and we held them out with decent scramble defence and Reynolds kicking for field position.

it was a great tough fought win but it would be nice to see a well played win before getting too excited.

I’d much prefer we win scrappy now and build into the season than do what the Dragons do most years and come out firing, only to fade away come mid year.

 

[Sproj]

I would have written the same thing but it would have been perceived as Cronulla love!

You’ve sort of shedded that tag haven’t you? Now it’s Kennedy and Isaako love.

 

[john1420]

Yes. No one came to help him at first so he wiped it off with his bare sign languaging hands

I guess you could say he was talking shit afterwards then?

 

[Accept]

View attachment 17523

Draw a fat red circle around Round 8 against Cronulla @ Suncorp. Judging on current form, that game will be the biggest one for us for this half of the season. I've given us losses against Penrith and Souffs in Sydney up to Round 10 but on current form, all the rest are entirely beatable.

Yes, going into Round 11 in the Top 4 would be comfortably overachieving, but you can only judge what's in front of you. We've got the Cows on Sunday, the Warriors @ Redcliffe next weekend, the Sombreros who are in horrible form then the Dogs again. Losing any one of those games at this point would be a big disappointment.

So you are expecting a 6-1 start? That is way too ambitious. I'll settle with 4-3 or even 3-4. Your expectations are always way too high and then you lose your shit when it falls apart.

I'm not saying it won't happen because I have given up on trying to predict the future happenings of this great sport. No one expected them to start 2-0 but the team I saw in the trials and the first two regular season games still has a mountain of work to do.

They are definitely improving though. This time last year they were mired in a 13 game losing streak. But for your expectations to be the exact opposite of what has occurred the past three years is crazy talk. It doesn't work that way in pro sport. Not even in an erratic, unpredictable sport such as this one.

 

[BroncsFan]

I guess you could say he was talking shit afterwards then?

Well he was translating for politicians ... so yeah

 

[abashii]

You’ve sort of shedded that tag haven’t you? Now it’s Kennedy and Isaako love.

Mention the Sharks' deliberate drug cheating program and find out...

 

[Accept]

Carrigan fit to play. Jensen replacing Robati.

 

[Jedhead]

Carrigan fit to play. Jensen replacing Robati.

I like this. TC has been way off the pace the last two games and Jensen will want to fire up against his old club.

 

[theshed]

Carrigan fit to play. Jensen replacing Robati.

It gives the bench good balance I think. Solid defensive middle.