PRE-GAME [Round 4, 2024] Broncos vs Cowboys

[Super Freak]

You can just see Kevvie adding Oates to the bench because of what's happened with losing an outside back... and then we'll lose a middle early on, but only have Kobe and Willison on the bench or something.

It sounds like he's going to add Tristan to the bench when Walsh is back. Based on the comments he made in the presser.

 

[Wolfie]

I love reading the fans comments. Move this person, that person, this bloke can defend at the back row and attack on the wing, blah blah. It's hilarious. We have just done a full preseason with cobbo at centre, arthars/mariner on the wing and sailor at fb. Why would you move them all around and lose all of the work put into drills for those positions. It's madness and it just won't happen. The pros will pick sailor, a specialist fb in the position because it makes the most sense.

I also don't think cobbo has the fitness to play fb. I saw him jog back to the ball multiple times on kick return, he was totally fucked. Exhausted playing fb

Every player in the team was exhausted. We had been defending most of the game. Again though, you must be very, very naive to think we train all through pre season with our players playing in a single position and combination. Get yourself own to Red Hill and watch them.

I'm not saying they wont pick Sailor, i think they will, but he's going to get found out imo. And i'm never wrong. Ever.

 

[Cavalo]

May was trying to stop Reece passing and or make a ball and all tackle .
If Reece still had the ball in his hands I think it would have prevented the head clash . As May would have hit his arms with the ball between their bodies .
People saying it was deliberate are reaching . Who would think that head butting the opposition is good idea other than Vilasanti ?

The head clash actually saved May. If the heads don't clash it's shoulder to chin and he's suspended. How MRC don't see that is very concerning...

 

[kat00]

tbh You can't spin losing your two best players for at least a month as a good thing.

Our depth is worse than last year too

I agree.
Flegler is a massive loss and now no Hass.
Apparently the forwards decide who wins, the backs by how much.
We are skinny in the forwards and that simply can't be denied.
I have got a concern about this game but I'm more worried about the following game, we will get found out then. Potentially 1 & 4
I don't particularly mind if we win or lose as long as they have a go and when I consider how far we have come since the Siebold days I haven't too much to complain about.

 

[LittleDavey]

Sailor showed in the trials what we can expect from him. Some flashy gamebreaking stuff combined with some very poor defensive misses. Have people forgotten those already?

Look I think it's probably the best option, and he'll certainly help spark our attack again but there will be a cost in defence. Unfortunately with our squad though I don't think we have much choice. Bringing him in is the least disruption tbf.

I don't mind the shout of Hoeter/Oates either, but Cobbo back there also has problems. Either way it's a shit sandwich and a terrible way for the season to have started, but we should still be going into games expecting to win with the class we still have available.

 

[Super Freak]

If we get Reyno back, we have enough quality in the side to win this. Without him, I think it's another loss.

We can't afford to drop the next two games.

 

[Fitzy]

Sailor showed in the trials what we can expect from him. Some flashy gamebreaking stuff combined with some very poor defensive misses. Have people forgotten those already?

Look I think it's probably the best option, and he'll certainly help spark our attack again but there will be a cost in defence. Unfortunately with our squad though I don't think we have much choice. Bringing him in is the least disruption tbf.

I don't mind the shout of Hoeter/Oates either, but Cobbo back there also has problems. Either way it's a shit sandwich and a terrible way for the season to have started, but we should still be going into games expecting to win with the class we still have available.

I think it might have to be Hoeter. Obviously we know Oates can run a beautiful crashing line but let’s not sugarcoat it he is by far the worst option in defence by a mile. Whereas Hoeter can play centre, wing and Second Row at emergency pinch. That way the only way we have someone play out of position is if Piakura or Riki get hurt.

 

[Battler]

It sounds like he's going to add Tristan to the bench when Walsh is back. Based on the comments he made in the presser.

Can Smoothy play 80? He seems like he has a good motor, so if he can then replacing Walters with Sailor gives us a lot more attacking upside

 

[Alec]

Can Smoothy play 80? He seems like he has a good motor, so if he can then replacing Walters with Sailor gives us a lot more attacking upside

Who does Sailor come in for then? Interchanging a back?

 

[Mick_Hancock]

Despite what the media are pushing, the 3 forwards are the ones we miss, not Herbie “no pass” Farnworth…

 

[Mick_Hancock]

Palasia or Capewell would have been huge last game. Flegler not so much. Too many penalties and wanted too much money

 

[Mick_Hancock]

.

baker can’t be picked for this game based on his performance tonight. any time he has worn a Broncos jersey.

There, I fixed it for you. Baker’s cat like running and ***** for hands, are not NRL quality. Maybe not even QCup… Country footy A-Grade? He would be one of the top 5 players in a team.

 

[Mick_Hancock]

I would be happy to have Sailor at #1. That’s the logical option.
However, I think Kev should experiment with him in the halves and keep Cobbo at FB… bring in anyone for Centre or Wing. Oatesy.

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

Whilst Walsh is out I'd ve saying to sailor, Walters and smoothy, best player gets the utility spot once Walsh is back. I'd play Walters to start next game and leave him on as long as he is playing well, as soon as he is not then smoothy takes over, doesn't matter if it's 20 mins in. Poor performance from Billy this game then smoothy takes the starting spot, and look to build up smoothys minutes to a 70-80 min hooker. Give sailor lots of time with ballin whilst encouraging him to take runs from dummy half out of our end and be the hooker on field back up (eg when smoothy runs or can't get to the ptb he is there for it where possible).

It's not a good time to be sending in mozer. We start winning then you throw him in for the worst performing hooker when we face a weak team. You'd be throwing him to the wolves now and any rookie errors would be severely punished. He also doesn't sound like he is fully ready.

 

[Mick_Hancock]

Whilst Walsh is out I'd ve saying to sailor, Walters and smoothy, best player gets the utility spot once Walsh is back. I'd play Walters to start next game and leave him on as long as he is playing well, as soon as he is not then smoothy takes over, doesn't matter if it's 20 mins in. Poor performance from Billy this game then smoothy takes the starting spot, and look to build up smoothys minutes to a 70-80 min hooker. Give sailor lots of time with ballin whilst encouraging him to take runs from dummy half out of our end and be the hooker on field back up (eg when smoothy runs or can't get to the ptb he is there for it where possible).

It's not a good time to be sending in mozer. We start winning then you throw him in for the worst performing hooker when we face a weak team. You'd be throwing him to the wolves now and any rookie errors would be severely punished. He also doesn't sound like he is fully ready.

Exactly. Save Mozer for the shit teams and build his confidence

 

[Sproj]

It is going to be tough the next couple of weeks but even if we lose a few of them, it isn't the end of the world. The next two games will be tough and I am not expecting wins but I wouldn't be surprised if we take one of them.

There is an opportunity here for the lesser lights to step up, let's see who actually does.

 

[Waynesaurus]

Sailor to fullback is the best option IMO, Cobbo's not going to displace Walsh from fullback anytime soon, doesn't make sense to play Cobbo there in the short term if centre is going to be his position.

 

[Harry Sack]

Moving Cobbo wasnt the issue. Moving Riki and Piakura to center was the issue. Its not that hard to understand why it went wrong, they exploited players out of position. Its pretty much that simple. You are also making an assumption we only run with one scenario in training. We dont. They train with different combinations. We wouldnt be stupid enough to run with one setup.

Its not like we are moving a forward into the centers for a reshuffle. Every player we can move or bring in is very comfortable in their positions and have shown it in the NRL over a period of more than 9 games here and there. You cant say Sailor is proven with sporadic football, thats just silly. I do think he is going to get picked at 1 though, but i'm still not as confident about him at fullback as i am Cobbo.

I dont rate him. Whats so difficult to understand about that. I'm sure there are players you don't rate. As i said, with Sailor, i don't think he's shit. He's pretty decent in attack, but the rest of his game i dont think is up to regular NRL football. He couldn't crack it at a shit club before all his drama's cost him time out of the game and he's had one superleague club chasing his signature. Says it all for me.

He's just going to be just like Gamble, Turpin etc, they come in, look decent early on, fans will get over excited about them then they fall back into being not really good enough and the fans will see it.

Agreed, my only issue is the long game. Reece is gone for 4-6 weeks. What does Cobbo playing FB for that time do to our combinations etc moving forward? That's my concern. Personally, I'd love nothing more than Cobloaf into the 1 and Goates onto the wing but I'm just not sure what effect that will have in the last half of the season. Also, I think as much as his spark, we missed Walsh's chatter out the back...pointing players here and there in the D line. Has Cobbs got that in him?

I'd pretty much bank on Sailor at FB for the duration of Reece being out though.