PRE-GAME Round 4 - Broncos vs Titans

[Cult]

Didn’t we win under controversial circumstances the week before we played the Titans last year as well? Then they got every call and a Matt Gillett charge down got us the win in the last few minutes?

 

[Super Freak]

Didn’t we win under controversial circumstances the week before we played the Titans last year as well? Then they got every call and a Matt Gillett charge down got us the win in the last few minutes?

No, we flogged the Roosters the week before we played the Titans. It was the Rabbitohs game after the Titans where we won under controversial circumstances and then the next game against the Panthers we were heavily penalized but managed to hold them out.

 

[winslow_wong]

Teams aim up against us because despite what people on here think we are a top team. The 4th best performing team of the last 3 years by a long way. And I know I would play better in front of 30,000+ compared to 10,000, on prime time tv and against the best supported team with the media driving the hate against us. Wouldn't you?

That's why I just want to see us blow a team off the park for a change. This would send a message to the media and the competition. Plus give the boys some belief and confidence.

 

[Super Freak]

However, the Titans were flogged by the Raiders the week before they played us last year.

 

[Kelleher]

Taggers Had a tough day today. Sua hit him early in the game and he didn’t quite recover imo. With TPJ out, will be interesting who replaces him. Fai didn’t have a lot of game time, but ran hard and tackled hard

 

[Number6]

Taylor, Hunt, Milford... None of them are worth 1 mill a season. Does my head in that we have to come up with huge money to try and keep players that are still developing.

Supply and demand. Very few quality halves so these guys can trade on potential or past glories. You are only worth what the highest bidder is willing to pay.

However agree lucky these guys aren’t on performance based contracts. Taylor is still young and would benefit from a better system than suspect is getting at moment. Alf wasn’t much first couple of years. Needed help and time, suspect in good team with the right combination of a bodyguard (and before say shouldn’t need one Locky had one), five eight and coaching staff he would be worth close to his pay.

Makes you wonder about the old argument that halves are either being run out of the game by kids too big to be playing in their age range, parents removing the smart ones to play something ‘safer’ and/or coaches over coaching their development.

 

[Kyall]

There won’t be many changes to the line up really imo, Sims starts and Su’a on the bench. Pearson straight swap for Oates, Opacic still on the bench.

 

[Smokin' Joe]

Supply and demand. Very few quality halves so these guys can trade on potential or past glories. You are only worth what the highest bidder is willing to pay.

However agree lucky these guys aren’t on performance based contracts. Taylor is still young and would benefit from a better system than suspect is getting at moment. Alf wasn’t much first couple of years. Needed help and time, suspect in good team with the right combination of a bodyguard (and before say shouldn’t need one Locky had one), five eight and coaching staff he would be worth close to his pay.

Makes you wonder about the old argument that halves are either being run out of the game by kids too big to be playing in their age range, parents removing the smart ones to play something ‘safer’ and/or coaches over coaching their development.

It’s a hard one isn’t it. The bigger, faster, more athletic kid will always get the contract at that younger age, which is a shame.

But for every one of those athletic kids we pick up (and there are a hell of a lot of them!), there is a not-so-athletic kid, who is smaller, not as robust and not as developed, who is developing other skills like resilience, toughness, game awareness etc. This type of kid is the one that we haven’t done enough recruiting. The footballer. Not the athlete. This is where the Storm are miles ahead - they identify a footballer first, not the athlete.

We go to junior carnivals and sign all the biggest and fastest kids. The ones running over the little kids, and scoring all the tries. Which is great to some extent (think Haas, Fifita, Corey Allen etc), as there is some real talent there.

But it doesn’t get you a “footballer”. A Lockyer, Thurston, Smith, Slater type player. We need to start developing the kids that aren’t the biggest and fastest, but can read a game, can play tough, can be a footballer - not an athlete. That’s what we lack.

That’s what the game as a whole really lacks at the moment.

 

[roo-ted]

When do we find out how long TPJ and Oats are out for! Surely they didn't make them wait until Monday for scans. It will be a big factor with the next few games

 

[Wolfie]

I think if Oates and TPJ are out their replacements are a fairly straightforward pick. I think the big dilemma is whether we keep carrying a back on the bench. It's been a good choice the last 2 games but I'm not convinced for this one.

 

[Accept]

When do we find out how long TPJ and Oats are out for! Surely they didn't make them wait until Monday for scans. It will be a big factor with the next few games

Probably today or tomorrow. The news isn't going to be good though. Anytime you go straight off when hurting yourself (and not returning), that usually indicates a more serious injury. Hopefully not more than a month for either player.

 

[Super Freak]

He'll get off because Widdop didn't go down. He's lucky he didn't make contact or he would be looking at a couple of weeks.

Even if he made contact and tripped Widdop, he wouldn't miss any games.

You don't get points for trips now, you just get a fine and that's what he got.

 

[Super Freak]

Ryan James, Keegan Hipgrave, Ash Taylor all charged.

They will all be free to play. James and Hipgrave got points but not enough to be suspended and Taylor got a $1500 fine.

 

[Super Freak]

TPJ and Oates expected to miss two weeks each.

 

[winslow_wong]

Supply and demand. Very few quality halves so these guys can trade on potential or past glories. You are only worth what the highest bidder is willing to pay.

However agree lucky these guys aren’t on performance based contracts. Taylor is still young and would benefit from a better system than suspect is getting at moment. Alf wasn’t much first couple of years. Needed help and time, suspect in good team with the right combination of a bodyguard (and before say shouldn’t need one Locky had one), five eight and coaching staff he would be worth close to his pay.

Makes you wonder about the old argument that halves are either being run out of the game by kids too big to be playing in their age range, parents removing the smart ones to play something ‘safer’ and/or coaches over coaching their development.

You're right. All the potential junior halfbacks who have a football brain are probably now on this forum analysing the game lol

 

[Lockyer daughters up]

When do we find out how long TPJ and Oats are out for! Surely they didn't make them wait until Monday for scans. It will be a big factor with the next few games

I just read online that they are both expected to be out for up to 2 weeks. Titans then Newcastle coming up. Newcastle won't be easy at their home ground but hopefully we can still get a couple of wins without them.

 

[Mitch06]

I just read online that they are both expected to be out for up to 2 weeks. Titans then Newcastle coming up. Newcastle won't be easy at their home ground but hopefully we can still get a couple of wins without them.

If it's two weeks, wouldn't they be okay for the Newcastle game?

 

[Thelmus]

I hope so too. Whilst the defence was very good last game (and I personally think it is far more important than attack at this time of year) we best see a major improvement in the attack. You won't see another game won any time soon without scoring a try.
There were the mitigating factors of injuries, but for mine the real problem is in our halves lack of desire to get the ball, with the game in balance. Both need to be sniffing for opportunities.
It's a long season and it's early days, but that kind of thing is important. Milford is steadily improving, but still tends to go into his shell sometimes.
Knik's kicking can be improved, both with greater application, but also helping him out in field position. He seems to feed on self-confidence and goes to another level when things are going right. Kicking is an important part of that, as after a bad kick he tends to dissappear.