POST GAME Round 3 - Tigers vs Broncos

[GCBRONCO]

Fair enough didnt really try to compare but stating that Alf had his 2 bros who made him look good even on his crap days... who has Kodi got? Have seen plenty of number sevens play like crap until they get a combination going... I personally have faith that Kodi will get a lot better as he matures. Is alfie still working with the halfs? Am happy to give the kid a chance but of course would like to see an better halfs combination and the number 7 running the ball more. I just turned 69 the other day and would love to see us get another GF before the ol reaper gets me.

As critical as I am on Kodi I still think he has a purpose in the side, I just don't see him as our future 7, he would make a fine utility that is for sure. Nothing would please me more then to see him deliver, but the game's professionalism has changed things and unless he delivers soon I don't see him as our future halfback. Back in Alf's day there was plenty of time in general to develop, the expectations on players were less demanding and even when he joined the Broncos he had time to develop alongside Lewis and when Kevin Walters came to the club he had a good amount of experience as well. And to be fair Alf had his flaws in his early years too, but his pros far outweigh what Kodi has and probably will have.

Now there is so much demand on players coming through, even more so for critical positions like the halves. If he was a forward it might be different, but usually that is more of a physical/body age development adjustment to the demands of the role.

I do wish you get that GF win though mate :)

 

[Broncapz]

Controversy, disallowed tries and Kodi bashing aside.

HOW FUCKING GREAT IS IT TO HAVE A GENUINE BOOT IN THE SIDE! Lookin' at you Isaako

 

[Sproj]

1. Boyd - Come on, this is getting beyond a joke now. The guy can hardly move, is losing his safe as houses reputation and continues to display a bad attitude at inopportune times. If you are going to have a go at your teammates, at least lead by example and not make frequent mistakes yourself. Did not need to re-sign him, particularly on such a big wage. Put him on the wing, hopefully he'll do something or at least re-gain some kind of fitness. Constantly out of position, in fact, when was the last time he broke a tackle or actually made a try-saver? Reminds me of the Soccer World Cup Semi four years ago between Germany and Brazil, the heat map after showed the fullback spent most of his time on the ground at left mid-field, hardly where your fullback should be - 3
2. Oates - He came, he saw, he got corked and that was that. He would have likely finished that Opacic saved try proving how valuable he still is to this side on that wing. That said, hard to give a good score when you miss a lot of the game and even harder to believe he was about as effective as the team captain by NOT being there - 3
3. Roberts - Looked dangerous as usual but was frustrated by a very good Tigers' defense, he was almost released a couple of times by good early ball from KNik but overall, like the rest of the team, not really as dangerous or impacting as usual - 5
19. Bird - He looks like a forward out there but competed in everything and that is why he has been bought to the club after all. He looked good on the very limited opportunities he had and I loved his kick chases, first one there every time. Very good defense which is what you would expect and did he score or didn't he? I'm happy with the decision - 5
5. Isaako - I'm not as convinced as everyone else that he will be a great fullback BUT I'm definitely not going to be surprised if I'm proven wrong. He was fantastic in what was probably the worst game I've ever seen. Runs with gusto, catches like a champion, has some wheels and boy, that kicking is a weapon. The way he iced that sideline conversion and drop goals under pressure were just silky sublime. Scored all the points and deserved to do so - 8
6. Milford - I've been very critical of the little guy and let's be honest, tonight wasn't his best game BUT he was still good. He was popping through the line and threatening at times and his kicking seems to have noticeably improved. He really tried to take that game on and with the effort he has displayed in the last two weeks, the execution will come - 6
7. KNik - His kicking was abysmal, absolutely fifth-rate, no denying that. He also seems to still be finding his role but keep giving him time. He was showing a lot of signs tonight. That line break was fantastic and whether he or Gillett was at fault for that pass doesn't really matter for mine because he has done something similar two weeks in a row. His pass selection was actually very good, a big reason the side was able to go forward so well. If he can get those half chances he is creating to click, there is a good halfback in there. Give him a few more rounds yet - 4
8. Lodge - A bit of a mixed bag truth be told. He was very effective for the most part, as he has been all three rounds thus far but does some strange stuff at times whether it be an ill-timed pass, a dropped ball or a lazy penalty / return to marker. He is trying his guts out though and good on him for it. Compare his go-forward to Blair's and this is a HUGE improvement - 7
9. Macca - Not as good in offense as last week but made up for it in defense. This defense was important as that is the way the game went. He did so much defensive work it was great. So much time out of the game haves me feeling more than ok that last week will once again be his standard when back to full fitness - 7
10. TPJ - Looked very, very good once again early and not having him return due to injury really stunted the game plan to a large extent. Hope the injury is not too serious - 2
11. Glenn - He is such a great clubman, he really is. I want to give him a really big wrap tonight. I thought he was actually really good (as were most of the forwards). His strength is his motor and his agility and as the game wore on and all the forward were out on their feet, he put his hand up for some really big runs and did well. His defense also did not let anyone down - 7
12. Gillett - He showed signs tonight of getting back to his best. His defense is rarely questionable these days but his attack was returning. He made some really good runs as well. He is still a little off the pace but getting there. He really should have at least tried to take that KNik pass - 6
13. McGuire - He was immense. Absolute SOO class game from him. He was there taking the big runs when everyone else was tired and he got a ton of post-contact metres to go with it. Tackled ferociously as always and was just in everything. Absolute top class game - 9

4. Opacic - Two weeks in a row it has been really good that he has been carried on the bench BUT if he does so again next week, likely another winger will go down. He was very solid out of position on the wing despite not really playing there much. That said, he wasn't really tested too much in defense but he made some excellent runs at the back end of the game. He really should have scored but credit to the defender there too, it was a great tackle - 6
14. Thaiday - He was better than previously which is great to see. He is well and truly in the twilight of his career now and hopefully he can go out with a bang. No one wants to see him dropped if he can maintain a high level and quality. Tonight he was good on the back of a lot of good work by other forwards - 5
15. Joffa - I'm a huge fan of this kid (and he still really is a kid) and he backed up last week with another excellent performance in this game. His go forward is amazing and provides so much punch off the bench. He is an absolute keeper and very underrated in many ways - 7
16. Sims - Look, he was fantastic in the back end of this game but that is what I find so frustrating about the guy. We all know he can defend hard but often goes missing in attack. Then, when he doe make runs, he often goes down like a sack of potatoes but in this game, he showed when he can do. He made some brilliant runs and so many post-contact metres as well. Let's hope he can finally start to back it up because he generally does something like this once a year and then goes missing again - 8

 

[Porthoz]

Boyd- Ordinary again. 3

Oates- Not much to do, but did it well enough. Injured early, so... 4

Roberts- Not a game for him. Tigers occupied spaces pretty well, but didn't compromise and worked hard. 6

Bird- Rusty, but energetic in most everything he did and hitting well in defense. 6

Isaako- Almost by default the best on the park tonight. 8.5

Milford- Reasonble performance, little space to do much extraordinary, but did his halve's job well enough, especially with an above average kicking game to maintain control. 6.5

Knik- Great linebreak, horrendous pass. Did nothing else noteworthy, except being no support whatsoever for his halve's partner. 1 (for the linebreak)

Lodge- Good go forward, but caught in no man's land a bit too often. Needs to peel off the tackle quicker! 6

Macca- Again one of the best Broncos, keeping us and our forwards on the front foot. 8

TPJ- Not as influential as last week, but was good during his stint. Injury is a pity. 6

Glenn- Certainly the better of the backrowers at the moment. Runs with purpose and tackles his butt off. 8

Gillett- Continues his invisible work disrupting the opposition's attack. Such a pity that pass was so bad, as a try will improve his confidence in attack. 7

McGuire- Huge amount of work and meters, but he needs to stay away from the ball on 4th and more so, 5th tackles! 7.5

Opacic- Did the job he's not very suited for as well as he could. Can't demand more. 6

Thaiday- A shadow of the great man... barely say him unfortunately. 4

Ofa- More work due to TPJ's injury, took the hard runs and no one got past him. 6.5

Sims- Best game I've seen of him in ages. 7.5

 

[Dexter]

Sezer. I really think we have to go for him, at least until Paix or whoever matures. Some people might say - oh, he's overrated. Well I agree, but I don't think this combination will work out, and we need someone.

I think he has proven beyond doubt that he cannot close out a game, to the point that Canberra have made an art of losing games with the least amount of time while leading by more than a converted try.

It's like they keep trying to beat their own record.

 

[Dexter]

He didn't back himself when he could have scored in the corner in that game. Apart from that he's been great. Now he's just like Kahu minus the biscuit legs. Stay padding likes by bringing up old shit is fun though, if you can get away with it..

You need to chill sometimes mate, that's just having a little fun and it's funny as ****.

 

[Brent81]

Boyd- Ordinary again. 3

Oates- Not much to do, but did it well enough. Injured early, so... 4

Roberts- Not a game for him. Tigers occupied spaces pretty well, but didn't compromise and worked hard. 6

Bird- Rusty, but energetic in most everything he did and hitting well in defense. 6

Isaako- Almost by default the best on the park tonight. 8.5

Milford- Reasonble performance, little space to do much extraordinary, but did his halve's job well enough, especially with an above average kicking game to maintain control. 6.5

Knik- Great linebreak, horrendous pass. Did nothing else noteworthy, except being no support whatsoever for his halve's partner. 1 (for the linebreak)

Lodge- Good go forward, but caught in no man's land a bit too often. Needs to peel off the tackle quicker! 6

Macca- Again one of the best Broncos, keeping us and our forwards on the front foot. 8

TPJ- Not as influential as last week, but was good during his stint. Injury is a pity. 6

Glenn- Certainly the better of the backrowers at the moment. Runs with purpose and tackles his butt off. 8

Gillett- Continues his invisible work disrupting the opposition's attack. Such a pity that pass was so bad, as a try will improve his confidence in attack. 7

McGuire- Huge amount of work and meters, but he needs to stay away from the ball on 4th and more so, 5th tackles! 7.5

Opacic- Did the job he's not very suited for as well as he could. Can't demand more. 6

Thaiday- A shadow of the great man... barely say him unfortunately. 4

Ofa- More work due to TPJ's injury, took the hard runs and no one got past him. 6.5

Sims- Best game I've seen of him in ages. 7.5

Gillett gets a 7 despite costing us a try to Roberts because he ran a stupid line?

Boyd is wasn’t that bad, when it counted he ran hard.

Agree re Thaiday, reckon he’ll get the tap on the shoulder soon.

Sims was enormous. So was Lodge.

Bottom line, we beat a team in extra time away from home when we had 14 fit blokes. And noting that we played the whole second half (until Thaiday was injured) with 15.

We also lost the penalty count. Had a referee miss Bird getting pulled back (the no try, watch the arm grab in the lead up) to my mind that should have been a penalty try - because he would have got there uncontested without the grab. **** he nearly scored anyway.

Ps the team we beat had just rolled the Roosters and the Storm the previous two weeks.

I am so proud to be Broncos supporter today.

That was brave last night.

**** channel 9 and Fox crapping on about how brave the Tigers were.

 

[john1420]

While I don't agree with his opinion of Issako take away his kicking and his general play was a poor as the rest of them. He showed though he can handle the pressure when it comes to kicking.

@Wolfie, you truly must have watched a different game to me

JI had plenty thrown at him and he handled it perfectly

Several tough bombs came his way and he defused them

There was a LOT to like about his game and very little to dislike

I know it was a low quality game overall, but that doesn't mean everybody was bad

 

[Mister Wright]

I really thought Milford’s kicking game was top-notch last night. He found space, forced errors & earned repeat sets. Honestly, if he can keep improving his kicking game and match that with a great running game we all know he has. $1M a year will be well worth it.

 

[john1420]

Let's face it. If Klein had awarded the Tigers that same penalty everyone on here, including myself, would be blowing up deluxe.

@Broncs_Fan Don't tell me what I would have done; just because you think it wasn't a penalty doesn't make you right and doesn't mean everybody agrees with you

The Tigers markers were damn near side by side and was a penalty every day of the week

If that happened against us I would be filthy at the players for making a dumb mistake, not at the ref for finally getting it right

 

[WASSHHH]

Lodge- Good go forward, but caught in no man's land a bit too often. Needs to peel off the tackle quicker! 6

Gillett- Continues his invisible work disrupting the opposition's attack. Such a pity that pass was so bad, as a try will improve his confidence in attack. 7

McGuire- Huge amount of work and meters, but he needs to stay away from the ball on 4th and more so, 5th tackles! 7.5

Sims- Best game I've seen of him in ages. 7.5

Gees, you’re a tough marker mate.
Just on the ratings above:
No way was Gillett better than Lodge. His attack continues to go backwards at an alarming rate and quite honestly, I don’t care how good his defence is - that should be a given. He stifles so many opportunities for Roberts which frustrates me to no end and seemingly did everything he could to not score a try by taking his hands away from the ball at the last second. Solid game, but no way he scores higher than Lodge - even at worst.

I get people being annoyed with McGuire taking hitups on 4 and 5 in general. But last night is not an example of that.
In such a dour, punctuated game, that is exactly what was needed. Otherwise, I’d be interested to know what you think should have happened on those plays. It’s not like our halves were setting up line breaks for our outside backs at will or kicking to close out the game like seasoned veterans. Added to that, the ball barely got past Gillett / Glenn when we did go wide, so I am not sure what other options we had.
In my opinion, he was head and shoulders above Gillett, not half a point like you indicated.

Ditto Sims. Much maligned on here by many, including me at times. Frankly, it’s been warranted a lot too.
But he was huge off the bench last night and we needed someone to be when we were down to 15 players. Almost cut a few blokes in half with his stinging defence but most impressively, ran hard, broke tackles and did so at such important parts of the game.
If Gillett gets a 7, Sims gets at least an 8.5 - he was enormous last night.

 

[Wolfie]

@Wolfie, you truly must have watched a different game to me

JI had plenty thrown at him and he handled it perfectly

Several tough bombs came his way and he defused them

There was a LOT to like about his game and very little to dislike

I know it was a low quality game overall, but that doesn't mean everybody was bad

I don't think he played poorly, all I am saying is he wasn't outstanding if you take away his kicking. He did the job he is supposed to do and nothing out of the ordinary in general play the same as most of the team. His kicking was the difference between giving him and 8 instead of a 5 or 6. I don't think anyone really stood out in general play.

 

[Foordy]

@Broncs_Fan Don't tell me what I would have done; just because you think it wasn't a penalty doesn't make you right and doesn't mean everybody agrees with you

The Tigers markers were damn near side by side and was a penalty every day of the week

If that happened against us I would be filthy at the players for making a dumb mistake, not at the ref for finally getting it right

not to mention the fact that the ONLY reason anyone is complaining about that penalty being given was that it was in golden point ... if it happened 20 mins earlier, nothing would be said about it

 

[Kyall]

At least everyone now sees how good of a goal kicker Issako is just like I said.

 

[Strop]

OK, public apology to Sims. I gave him some grief when he first came on last night, but then something clicked in his head and you can't deny he put in. So, well done and apologies. Interesting to see the lift in Milford's kicking last night. He seemed to have found some extra metres and definitely hit the grass more often. A few kicks I thought he put way too much boot on them, but they all pulled up nicely. Good work. As for McGuire, damn the guy has some ticker. Awesome effort.

 

[lynx000]

I'd rather mosey on down to the local brothel and pay a few hundred to get railed with a 12 inch strap on

Standard weekend night for you then?

 

[Foordy]

At least everyone now sees how good of a goal kicker Issako is just like I said.

don't act like this was a new revelation that only you saw ...

everyone already knew he was a good goal kicker.

 

[Cult]

You need to chill sometimes mate, that's just having a little fun and it's funny as ****.

Nah, different rules for some. Imagine if I did the same thing