I think he’s biggest change should be dropping paix he’s so bad
PRE-GAME [Round 3, 2026] - Broncos vs Storm
- Thread starter ningnangnong
- Start date
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- Jan 25, 2013
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I really want to see how our middles handle the ruck this game. It was appalling against the Eels, it's rare in any game to find an example of there being no markers, but even in just the second half of the game (that's all I saw) there would have been 4 or 5 rucks where we had no markers. I've never seen that since the late '90s. They were either scattered on the ground, or left behind the play.
Which gets me to something I've heard the commentators say, and that is that the NRL has changed the rules with the ruck. Specifically that defenders can no longer just remain on the ground in the ruck and act passive, they must actively get out of the ruck, but not impede the person playing the ball. So that means they can't go back through the ruck to marker, they have to roll out to the side or behind the ruck. On a number of the above occasions of there being no marker, during the tackle we had the Eels player on their back, with our tacklers still on their feet (in what would normally be called a dominant tackle, allowing the defenders time to retreat to marker), but instead they were being called to release the player immediately and then called out of play. So all they could do was stand there like gnomes as their dummy-half had a free run.
I am fully open to the possibility that this is just a defensive style that we have adopted that is completely at odds with the new ruck rules, in which case it's up to us to fix our shit quickly. But it also looks scarily like another way for the refs to control ruck infringements - give one team more time to get to marker and they won't get pinged, or call them out early and they either have to stand aside with their dicks in their hands, or try to get to marker and get immediately pinged for not being square etc.
Which gets me to something I've heard the commentators say, and that is that the NRL has changed the rules with the ruck. Specifically that defenders can no longer just remain on the ground in the ruck and act passive, they must actively get out of the ruck, but not impede the person playing the ball. So that means they can't go back through the ruck to marker, they have to roll out to the side or behind the ruck. On a number of the above occasions of there being no marker, during the tackle we had the Eels player on their back, with our tacklers still on their feet (in what would normally be called a dominant tackle, allowing the defenders time to retreat to marker), but instead they were being called to release the player immediately and then called out of play. So all they could do was stand there like gnomes as their dummy-half had a free run.
I am fully open to the possibility that this is just a defensive style that we have adopted that is completely at odds with the new ruck rules, in which case it's up to us to fix our shit quickly. But it also looks scarily like another way for the refs to control ruck infringements - give one team more time to get to marker and they won't get pinged, or call them out early and they either have to stand aside with their dicks in their hands, or try to get to marker and get immediately pinged for not being square etc.
- Mar 26, 2008
- 9,690
- 10,166
We're only playing with 4 forwards atm.
Pat, Payne, Jenson and X.
We have to get a lot more from the others if we're to get anywhere near Melscum Storm.
Dropping a winger to me is always a pissweak way of showing the group you mean business.
Pat, Payne, Jenson and X.
We have to get a lot more from the others if we're to get anywhere near Melscum Storm.
Dropping a winger to me is always a pissweak way of showing the group you mean business.
But mariner go look at his stats 123 and 89 agonist the eels he’s not getting busy enough
- Mar 26, 2008
- 9,690
- 10,166
Sure but it wouldn't have mattered who was playing wing we still lose.
Mariner is a scapegoat.
It’s not that we lost it’s that he’s not getting busy unlike karapani 160 meters and 150 it’s about the effort
- Mar 26, 2008
- 9,690
- 10,166
Yeah I get it but we didn't lose because if Mariner.
Drop one of the non performing forwards.
If Mariner is dropped, he just needs to handle it like he did last year and come back after five sensational games. I am not convinced he has been dropped.
The big tick in Andeson's column will be his round one form with Verhoeven. Anderson carried him and gave him nice confidence boosting runs that gave him confidence in attack and defence. Anderson showed leadership and made the Wynnum players better around him.
The Broncos need that type of football at the moment. Selfless combinations.
Anderson and Verhoeven together round one.
38 runs
330m
2-line breaks
1 line break assist
11 tackle breaks
23 tackles
2 misses
3 handling errors (was wet)
2 ruck infringements
Broncos look disjointed and like everyone is doing their own thing. Massive difference yesterday with Verhoeven and no Anderson- first three Hunter tries through or over Verhoeven.
The big tick in Andeson's column will be his round one form with Verhoeven. Anderson carried him and gave him nice confidence boosting runs that gave him confidence in attack and defence. Anderson showed leadership and made the Wynnum players better around him.
The Broncos need that type of football at the moment. Selfless combinations.
Anderson and Verhoeven together round one.
38 runs
330m
2-line breaks
1 line break assist
11 tackle breaks
23 tackles
2 misses
3 handling errors (was wet)
2 ruck infringements
Broncos look disjointed and like everyone is doing their own thing. Massive difference yesterday with Verhoeven and no Anderson- first three Hunter tries through or over Verhoeven.
- Mar 26, 2008
- 9,690
- 10,166
Was Anderson centre?
Yep left centre with Verhoeven left wing.
theshed
Just a Game
- Aug 28, 2010
- 17,032
- 41,248
One thing to remember is that when a player gets dropped, it isn’t all 100% bases on the game. It could be application at training or effort with diet etc. There could be a game plan that they’re not implementing correctly.
That being said if I were to drop anyone it would be Shibasaki. To be honest though, I’d give almost everyone a pass for the first 3 rounds before I start swinging the axe
That being said if I were to drop anyone it would be Shibasaki. To be honest though, I’d give almost everyone a pass for the first 3 rounds before I start swinging the axe
BroncosFever
State of Origin Rep
- Jun 6, 2014
- 7,011
- 12,774
Dean Ritchie with one of the worst takes in the history of takes.
"Take Walsh out and they don't win the comp" .. Dean, take any team's marquee player out and they aren't winning shit.
"Take Walsh out and they don't win the comp" .. Dean, take any team's marquee player out and they aren't winning shit.
- Mar 4, 2008
- 38,183
- 48,854
pretty stupid statement isn't it.
Take Cleary out of the Panthers and they don't win the comps they won.
and for the Storm if you take .... hang on a minute scratch that, they can't even win the comp with their marquee players
- Jul 28, 2016
- 35,502
- 51,939
So take out Cam Smith and they don't win anything
They even conceded 40 in the 08 GF when he wasn't there
Harry
NRL Player
- Jul 20, 2017
- 1,375
- 6,501
At the back end of last year everything was clicking and some insane individual brilliance was pulling us out of some otherwise very tight spots. Think about every single finals game, we were down double digits at an advanced stage of the game - Every single one of those matches got turned on its head and we won, but if Walsh and Co. hadn't pulled off that magic every time, those games would all likely have ended like Round 1 against Penrith and we get totally smoked.
Now, the team isn't playing with appropriate urgency and intensity and banking on that individual brilliance bailing us out, but replicating that sort of form (let alone maintaining it an entire year) is near impossible.
We're not doing the hard work we were last year, and we look too relaxed about conceding points as if we're overconfident about chasing them. I don't think dropping one winger (if that's even the case) is going to change anything and I think the team as a whole will have to address and fix it otherwise we're in for a long season.
I think we're in for a long season regardless. Our ladder rankings at the end of the season have been directly inverse to the frequency of 6 again calls since 2020. 2023 and 2025 (Seasons where we finished Top 4 and made Grand Finals) were the 2 seasons with the LOWEST average 6-again calls per game since the rule was implemented (lowest by a fair margin, too). After 2 rounds this year, all the metrics indicate that 6 agains are being called at a rate HIGHER than ever before (eclipsing the previous avg game mark in season 2021).
Stats for those interested: https://www.rugbyleagueeyetest.com/...morale-improves-plus-round-2-expected-points/
Now, the team isn't playing with appropriate urgency and intensity and banking on that individual brilliance bailing us out, but replicating that sort of form (let alone maintaining it an entire year) is near impossible.
We're not doing the hard work we were last year, and we look too relaxed about conceding points as if we're overconfident about chasing them. I don't think dropping one winger (if that's even the case) is going to change anything and I think the team as a whole will have to address and fix it otherwise we're in for a long season.
I think we're in for a long season regardless. Our ladder rankings at the end of the season have been directly inverse to the frequency of 6 again calls since 2020. 2023 and 2025 (Seasons where we finished Top 4 and made Grand Finals) were the 2 seasons with the LOWEST average 6-again calls per game since the rule was implemented (lowest by a fair margin, too). After 2 rounds this year, all the metrics indicate that 6 agains are being called at a rate HIGHER than ever before (eclipsing the previous avg game mark in season 2021).
Stats for those interested: https://www.rugbyleagueeyetest.com/...morale-improves-plus-round-2-expected-points/
Hoshsie
NRL Player
- Apr 6, 2022
- 1,357
- 2,356
well it's different, considering how much walsh carried us
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