POST GAME [Round 3, 2025] Broncos vs Cowboys

[McHunt]

Here we go:

11. Gosiewski - scored a nice try which was a bit Gillett like but missed 3 tackles out of 15 and seemed to get hooked for Piakura. Not sure he’s doing enough to warrant being a starter - 4

Was anyone else a little concerned he was the only runner on that kick? We were lucky that worked out.

 

[McHunt]

Hopefully he's just reflecting on his current performance. Nothing more.

He punched himself in the head a lot of times during the game. Might need an HIA.

 

[Allo]

Haha great minds eh. I just edited a post with pretty much that.
Not sure on his lateral movement but I agree he is the closest thing to solving that problem
At least we could you him in that edge backrow position as the decoy / first pass option.

So long as it's only used inside the 20. We overplayed our hand running him wide at Fogerty early in the set around halfway and it didn't work once.

Need to pick the time and teams to do it against

 

[Big Del]

Reece is still green.

Reece has played 75 matches over 4 years .
Still doing the same dumb stuff .

Shibasaki adds nothing to the team, Mariner has athleticism and potential to be something, plus Mariner isn’t a snail

Shiba is the metre making beast out of defence .
Mariner is the attacking threat .

 

[BroncsFan]

Was anyone else a little concerned he was the only runner on that kick? We were lucky that worked out.

Looked like a set play / Gos calling for it.

I think if everyone was up and looking to chase on it then the defence would know something is up.

I liked that we were kicking in behind early to keep them honest though.

Not long after Bhunt should've had Arthars set up for one, but he was trying to be too cute with the kick and got it too close to the touchline.

He had the entire half of the field to work with on the kick with two chasers and no fullback... just had to keep it in play and it was an easy try.

We absolutely have to take whatever points the opposition defence is giving us... the game isn't about nice looking backline movements anymore... it's kicks in behind, dummy half crash balls, tap backs on cross field kicks, etc.

They're all worth 4 points and it's very hard to get space inside the 20m anymore, so take whatever you can when you can.

 

[McHunt]

Looked like a set play / Gos calling for it.

I think if everyone was up and looking to chase on it then the defence would know something is up.

I liked that we were kicking in behind early to keep them honest though.

Not long after Bhunt should've had Arthars set up for one, but he was trying to be too cute with the kick and got it too close to the touchline.

He had the entire half of the field to work with on the kick with two chasers and no fullback... just had to keep it in play and it was an easy try.

We absolutely have to take whatever points the opposition defence is giving us... the game isn't about nice looking backline movements anymore... it's kicks in behind, dummy half crash balls, tap backs on cross field kicks, etc.

They're all worth 4 points and it's very hard to get space inside the 20m anymore, so take whatever you can when you can.

Our kicking game was pretty good in most aspects last night, other than we rarely got repeat sets on their line. Meanwhile, we spent 80% of the night defending ours.

Also short dropouts can get fucked.

 

[BroncsFan]

I do wonder if we're being a bit harsh on the team at the moment

It's round 3 and the longstanding norm in league is that a team's attack will generally look clunky early on in the year.... just have to look at panthers who are 4 time premiers and even they've looked clunky to start the year.

Start of the season is all about defence, which at this stage hasn't been too bad, but definitely room for improvement

The defence and our play in that first half was very promising... our goal line was under massive pressure for a long time in that first half and it held up... we were also having to cart it out of our own end a lot, but they kept to the task and got through their sets.

Our fitness has looked great as well, which are things you want to see early on... solid defence and being fit as ****.

84% completion on the night says it all for the style of play that we need to keep with... rounds 1 & 3 the completion rate was well above 80% and we won, round 2 it was 64% and we lost badly.

That whole left side is a brand new combination and Bhunt is needing to settle into his role as a 6 rather than halfback.

He's also needing to learn how to play with Walsh and vice versa.

Hunt doesn't necessarily need to dig into the line as far as he does when he's got Walsh out the back... or if he is then Walsh needs to be deeper. Have to give Walsh space, because he uses his speed so much.

One thing I did notice at the game was very early in the game I saw Walsh sniffing around Haas for an offload... it was one of Payne's very early runs, but if he was able to pop the pass Walsh was gone.

Need to see more of that and him just generally getting himself involved in the game. Don't just rely on the sweeping plays, focus should just be getting his hands on the ball and getting some runs in early.

It's one of those things the commentators talk about, where they just need to have some involvements early... get your hands on the ball and do some simple stuff to ease into a game.

 

[BroncsFan]

Our kicking game was pretty good in most aspects last night, other than we rarely got repeat sets on their line. Meanwhile, we spent 80% of the night defending ours.

Also short dropouts can get fucked.

Short dropouts are the bane of our existence at the moment.. jeez I was happy when cows kicked it long on one of those early ones... do they even watch broncos games??

For some reason NRL don't keep track of territory, but it felt like we didn't get to spend a whole lot of time inside the cows 30-40m ... seemed to have a lot of sets ending on errors.

There's probably that balance between playing conservatively inside the 20m to get to a kick and try to build pressure (only for a short dropout to take it away anyway) versus taking some shots at the defence and risking errors.

 

[Midean]

Reece has played 75 matches over 4 years .
Still doing the same dumb stuff

Still doing the same awesome stuff too.
Talent can't be taught, better techniques and correcting errors can be.

 

[Fitzy]

Paps is huge? Slater? a Monster? These guys tactically go through the middle of the park - yes, where the big boppers are. If you don't notice, Reece charges at forwards multiple times per game right now..... All fullbacks do.

His issue isn't running at forwards.... He rarely drops the ball on first or second carries out of our end... into those same forwards.

What I'm suggesting, is to have him sniffing around where Paix and Billy are looking for the loose ball to find a gap, just like Paps and Slater before him do/did.

No I understand what you are suggesting but you A. Have to realise that Walsh currently is struggling for confidence and form on the edge where his skillset is entirely suited to and B. He can’t be everywhere at once.

He is an extra half. Walsh doesn’t make post contact metres and doesn’t do well off being flat-footed, if there isn’t space he is being wasted in that portion of the field. You might get the opportunity you are looking for from Walsh a handful of times a season and the rest of the time him and his skillset is completely wasted position himself there. Just in the same way you don’t want your half to run it on the 4th, you don’t want the bloke who’s presence on the edge is nightmare fuel for opposition even in his poor form roaming through the middle for the majority of the set. He has to be part of the communication loop on the edges and everything. I think it is just too much to add another dimension to his game where he is least likely to be effective. I definitely don’t disagree entirely with your thought process but at the same time it detracts from other areas of his game. He can’t be everywhere and he can’t be roaming the middle long enough to be effective or even necessarily reap the rewards of it. He spends about as much time as he theoretically could and should be.

Someone like a Tedesco can roam the middle for offloads and pick up significant metres and post contact metres regardless of the space. Walsh can’t do that.

In a set Walsh can have a kick return, take a run one out from the ruck, be at first receiver, run it on a short side play, play both sides of the ball, be out the back of shape and a kicker. That requires a lot of movement and communication. You can’t be everywhere at once and you can’t be heavily involved in playmaking as well as being an edge threat and spend all your time just roaming middles for there predominantly ineffective just for the sake of it offloads.

 

[McHunt]

No I understand what you are suggesting but you A. Have to realise that Walsh currently is struggling for confidence and form on the edge where his skillset is entirely suited to and B. He can’t be everywhere at once.

He is an extra half. Walsh doesn’t make post contact metres and doesn’t do well off being flat-footed, if there isn’t space he is being wasted in that portion of the field. You might get the opportunity you are looking for from Walsh a handful of times a season and the rest of the time him and his skillset is completely wasted position himself there. Just in the same way you don’t want your half to run it on the 4th, you don’t want the bloke who’s presence on the edge is nightmare fuel for opposition even in his poor form roaming through the middle for the majority of the set. He has to be part of the communication loop on the edges and everything. I think it is just too much to add another dimension to his game where he is least likely to be effective. I definitely don’t disagree entirely with your thought process but at the same time it detracts from other areas of his game. He can’t be everywhere and he can’t be roaming the middle long enough to be effective or even necessarily reap the rewards of it. He spends about as much time as he theoretically could and should be.

Someone like a Tedesco can roam the middle for offloads and pick up significant metres and post contact metres regardless of the space. Walsh can’t do that.

In a set Walsh can have a kick return, take a run one out from the ruck, be at first receiver, run it on a short side play, play both sides of the ball, be out the back of shape and a kicker. That requires a lot of movement and communication. You can’t be everywhere at once and you can’t be heavily involved in playmaking as well as being an edge threat and spend all your time just roaming middles for there predominantly ineffective just for the sake of it offloads.

Yes, he makes a lot of errors, at least partly, because he has a lot of high risk involvement. His doing something extraordinary has been a critical path of our attack.

 

[FACTHUNT]

I do wonder if we're being a bit harsh on the team at the moment

I feel this way. We seem to compare to 2023, but the first few rounds in that year - even though we won 5 on the trot - were messy. Looked like losing against the Dolphins, Dragons (!!), and Titans, before we just ran away with it in the last 10-15 mins/ Kotoni's try v Redcliffe.

My main concern is not being able to get out of our own end and being bullied. Even the Roosters had a period (albeit short) of their forwards being on top.

 

[BroncsFan]

I feel this way. We seem to compare to 2023, but the first few rounds in that year - even though we won 5 on the trot - were messy. Looked like losing against the Dolphins, Dragons (!!), and Titans, before we just ran away with it in the last 10-15 mins/ Kotoni's try v Redcliffe.

My main concern is not being able to get out of our own end and being bullied. Even the Roosters had a period (albeit short) of their forwards being on top.

Yep meters in yardage is a big concern... I do think it is something that can be taught to an extent though.

Not every winger in the comp is 6 foot and 100kg just chewing up the meters... someone like Connor Tracy or Sione Katoa are small, but make a lot of good meters in yardage, but you also have big units on the wing that aren't great in yardage.

Coates is probably a good example of it... when he first went to storm they had him taking hitups in yardage and he was getting absolutely folded all the time, now he's very good in yardage.

I think Cobbo is similar in that he take a ton of hitups for us, but he can get folded in those hitups.

I think it's about running at space instead of running to contact... Cobbo seems to love running directly into contact, sometime he will push the bloke off, but a lot of times he'll have someone coming from the side to fold him.

I think the issue with that approach, is you're basically attracting 3 players into the first contact of the tackle, there's the guy you targeted front on, but he's got a man either side with clean shots as well. If you run between defenders you've only got the two defenders for clean first contact, whilst the third guy has to get around them to get at your legs. If you're getting straight to the ground on that first contact then the third guy is doing nothing and you've won the ruck.

As soon as a winger loses that contact and the ptb is slowed to a crawl, it's almost like the whole set is fucked at that point.

Arthars is maybe our best at running to space instead of contact, but even then he can be hit and miss. Deine is a bit up and down, but you can see it at times, he just needs to be better at picking his spot on that first step. Cobbo is just straight up running to contact, he really needs to fix that, because he would be so dangerous in yardage if he just ran between defenders instead of at them.

I think it's probably where the emphasis just needs to be about ptb speed in those yardage hitups... doesn't even matter if you only make 5m, but you absolutely must get to the ground, find your front and get that quick ptb.

If you get 1 quick ptb in yardage then the next guy is running at a retreating defensive line and he's getting a quick ptb for the next guy... that is basically the blueprint that rorters play with under Robinson, get the quick ptb and flood the middle of the field.

 

[Fitzy]

Was anyone else a little concerned he was the only runner on that kick? We were lucky that worked out.

Nup. If everyone goes it’s no longer a surprise and your second rower doesn’t score.

 

[McHunt]

Walsh actually coughed up worse stats this week. Plus landed himself in the Judiciary.

 

[Finbar]

I'm really concerned about the metes getting out of trouble from the back 5.

I felt like our back 5 got put under a lot of pressure getting out of trouble because our 4th tackle defense was not great. Many times last night on tackle 4 the line speed was non-existent and also allowed for plenty of post-contact metres. Can't be giving up 15-20m every tackle before the kick.

 

[KateBroncos1812]

I am exhausted and I will be back in Brisbane in two weeks to see the broncos again. They Need to improve and break some hoddos

 

[Big Pete]

I felt like our back 5 got put under a lot of pressure getting out of trouble because our 4th tackle defense was not great. Many times last night on tackle 4 the line speed was non-existent and also allowed for plenty of post-contact metres. Can't be giving up 15-20m every tackle before the kick.

Not to mention, Clifford's kicking game was first class and made life difficult for the back three to return the football.

That's one point I liked about last night. The Broncos didn't receive a free hand-out of their own end, they had to earn it and it was Walsh who came up with the play.