PRE-GAME [Round 5, 2025] Broncos vs Tigers

I think he is controversial on purpose with a few of these calls to get reactions. It also is fair to say that if we have 12-5 or something similar, people will get very complacent - keeps us all engaged (and enraged)
 
Rightio, time for the head to head thingy:

1. Walsh (Broncos) (was really impressed with him last week, hope he plays with his head in again)
2. Cobbo (Broncos)
3. Staggs (Broncos)
4. Shibasaki (Broncos)
5. Turuva (Tigers)
6. Galvin (Tigers)
7. Reynolds (Broncos)
8. May (Tigers) (Come at me!)
9. Koroisau (Tigers)
10. Haas (Broncos)
11. Fainu (Tigers)
12. Seyfarth (Tigers)
13. Hetherington (Broncos)

14. Walters (Broncos)
15. Hunt (Tigers)
16. Willison (Broncos)
17. Bird (Tigers)

9-8 Broncos - It will either be very close or we will blow them away. I'm not sure who wins a close one.
I think the difference is that the ones that are our win, are 2-3 times better than those in that position for the tigers.
 
Looking back at our best premiership winning teams, it is hard not to argue a key member of each was who was Prop.

Glenn Lazarus
Shane Webke

And now - Payne Haas? Is he the guy to lead this team to glory?

We have already witnessed just how much influence Madge has had on his game. We see him pushing wider combining with his dummy half to isolate and hit on the egde out of yardage.

But its more than that. It's like - finally - everything has suddenly all fallen into place for him.

Against the Cows, he looked to punish sloppy marker work by angling into the space between the defender one-out from the ruck and the marker.

giphy.gif


Then, he can take the line on but pass wider too out of yardage.

giphy.gif


Someone posted that Walsh has had 11 handling errors this year? Well, I suggest Shiba spend more time wokring on the lines he runs outside his fullback.

It seems it was all to set up something like this below. Get against a retreating defence 15 metres or so off their tryline. Wait for a retretaing fullback and identify space either side of the ruck.

giphy.gif


Again note Paix little shuffle before offloading. Note the amount of space behind the ruck. Drinkwater is too far back to make any impression once the break is made to stop Haas.

The Cows didnt learn their lesson. Aagin they fail to close the gap behind marker...

giphy.gif


This isn't normal. You dont see prop forwards do this, but Haas makes it seem...just another play, one he alone is capable of pulling out every game.

As Rugby League Writers said;

Haas is the best prop in the game, and the Broncos are doing a fine job of maximising his impact. Whether he’s creating momentum on the edges, generating a quick play-the-ball through the middle or shrinking the defence with his passing game, Haas is having a major role on a Broncos attack that doesn’t look close to reaching its potential just yet.

We have to maximise this window now and win a GF...
 
Looking back at our best premiership winning teams, it is hard not to argue a key member of each was who was Prop.

Glenn Lazarus
Shane Webke

And now - Payne Haas? Is he the guy to lead this team to glory?

We have already witnessed just how much influence Madge has had on his game. We see him pushing wider combining with his dummy half to isolate and hit on the egde out of yardage.

But its more than that. It's like - finally - everything has suddenly all fallen into place for him.

Against the Cows, he looked to punish sloppy marker work by angling into the space between the defender one-out from the ruck and the marker.

giphy.gif


Then, he can take the line on but pass wider too out of yardage.

giphy.gif


Someone posted that Walsh has had 11 handling errors this year? Well, I suggest Shiba spend more time wokring on the lines he runs outside his fullback.

It seems it was all to set up something like this below. Get against a retreating defence 15 metres or so off their tryline. Wait for a retretaing fullback and identify space either side of the ruck.

giphy.gif


Again note Paix little shuffle before offloading. Note the amount of space behind the ruck. Drinkwater is too far back to make any impression once the break is made to stop Haas.

The Cows didnt learn their lesson. Aagin they fail to close the gap behind marker...

giphy.gif


This isn't normal. You dont see prop forwards do this, but Haas makes it seem...just another play, one he alone is capable of pulling out every game.

As Rugby League Writers said;

Haas is the best prop in the game, and the Broncos are doing a fine job of maximising his impact. Whether he’s creating momentum on the edges, generating a quick play-the-ball through the middle or shrinking the defence with his passing game, Haas is having a major role on a Broncos attack that doesn’t look close to reaching its potential just yet.

We have to maximise this window now and win a GF...

The Shiba one wasn`t as much the line rather the timing .
I reckon he wasn`t sure who was going to receive the ball . So got ready to accept the pass and pushed up . The best play would have been stay back a metre and let Walsh cut him out and send the winger away as his opposite number had fully turned in and commited to Shiba .

But that was a hospital pass from Reece . Man on top of him . Here have the ball !
They got it right later to put Arthars away .

I think Paix can do a little more to attract the markers . Especially on yardage sets . The runners are sitting ducks for rushing defence lines .
Those examples were on quick PTBs and ragged defence .
 
Updated Head to Head analysis (sorry @Sproj):

1. Walsh (Broncos)
2. Cobbo (Broncos)
3. Staggs (Broncos)
4. Shibasaki (Broncos)
5. Arthars (Broncos)
6. Hunt (Broncos)
7. Reynolds (Broncos)
8. Carrigan (Broncos)
9. Paix (Broncos)
10. Haas (Broncos)
11. Gosiewski (Broncos)
12. Piakura (Broncos)
13. Hetherington (Broncos)

14. Walters (Broncos)
15. Jensen (Broncos)
16. Willison (Broncos)
17. Hunt (Broncos)

Broncos 17 - Tigers 0
 
@Dazza 92 please keep doing these mate, they're so good to read.
...appreciate that, been rough time for my family at the moment, good to have things to take ones mind away...

I mean, you can look again at the damage he does here...

giphy.gif


Beats one, draws in three to finally bring him down...

But look at what that did to the on-side defence of the Phins...

giphy.gif


3 vs 1 on the edge...

Haas really is one of one.
 

- Really happy to be part of multicultural round
- Working hard to keep improving and messaging is just to be me
- I'm probably someone who has relied on talent a bit too much, so need to keep working hard to keep my head down and put myself in good positions
- Do you feel like you are becoming a more rounded player? Yeah for sure
- I'm trying to have a defensive mindset in my game ummm yeah
- My heart was pretty set on Qld and Australia umm and I love the maori side but I'm committed to Aus
- Tigers are a really interesting team who are playing good footy ummm and got to put good prep in now ummm
- Umm still got so much room for improvement ummm class player mate (Hunt) and ummm and great to have him there
- I ummm haven't spoken too much to Bill, ummm I know he ummm just wants me to ummm keep turning up for the Broncs
- Ummm I'm pretty used to pressure around me
- Every time you watch Ponga out there ummm its inspirational and to ummm be in the conversation with him is a privilege
- Ummm
 
Came up with a quant team comparison model for sports betting purposes.

Each player in each team has a score for Talent and Form out of 10. (Eg: Walsh at the moment probably has a high talent score and a low form score). These scores get multiplied to give a total player score. Spine players (highlighted in red) have this score doubled to represent their increased impact on a game.

The average of these total scores is taken across both teams, with a 5% bonus assigned to the home team.

The result looks like this:

1743660305649.png


Form score around the same (slight edge to Tigers, which seems logical), talent score favours Broncos (again, seems logical) and overall score shows advantage Broncos especially with a home field advantage.

NOTE: This model is reliant completely on manual observation and opinion. I admit I haven't been watching the Tigers closely enough to give extremely accurate scores, so happy to adjust them if any are way out of line. Happy to adjust Broncos scores too if they're deemed unreasonable.
 
So relieved we aren't the Thursday night game. Hopefully the outrage is well and truly over the top by Saturday and it's already dialled back.

Raiders vs Cronulla on Thursday night is going to be a complete shitshow - probably some howlers and Ricky loses his shit.
Yep - the Ricky presser is going to be one for the ages. That Hudson sin bin was hilariously ridiculous
 

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