PRE-GAME Round 6 - Broncos vs Dragons

[broncoboy]

Broncos stars have appealed for Wayne Bennett to keep Matt Gillett and Kodi Nikorima as it emerged the off-contract duo have been shopped to the Dragons.
The in-form Gillett and supersub Nikorima have a chance to increase their bargaining power when they confront the Dragons on Thursday night at Suncorp Stadium.
The Courier-Mail can reveal Gillett will have to sacrifice $200,000 to stay at the Broncos, while Nikorima is testing his value on the open market after his sizzling solo try against the Titans last week.

Read more at Dragons eye Broncos duo | Zero Tackle

this article was on the nrl zero tackle website for the full article i would need to subscrivbe so if someone has subscribed i would appreciate if they post the full article

 

[Big Pete]

The full article has been posted here: https://broncoshq.com/the-rumour-mill/28380-broncos-could-struggle-keep-gillett-4.html#post2737394

 

[Waynesaurus]

Good god @ all this cynicism. We're on the top of the ladder and people are still finding a reason to naysay us.

I'm going with benefit of the doubt and put it down to lingering emotional damage suffered during the Henjak/Griffin years.

 

[Super Freak]

JAMES Roberts may look the goods, but Broncos teammate Jarrod Wallace has thrown a scare into the Brisbane camp ahead of tomorrow night's clash against the Dragons at Suncorp Stadium.

The captain's run at Red Hill this morning started badly for Wallace, who lasted just 15 minutes before retreating to the sheds for treatment on a possible hamstring injury.

Wallace returned to finish the session, but it appears he is not at peak fitness and will be tested if he takes on a rugged Dragons pack tomorrow night.

Roberts started the session doing solo work alongside Wallace, but he joined the rest of the squad.

The classy centre grabbed at his hip a few times, but moved well laterally in defence and will be confident of torching the Dragons after his fine display against the Titans last week.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...p/news-story/d220e98e0e4b9a12fb344286b684a351

 

[Dash]

JAMES Roberts may look the goods, but Broncos teammate Jarrod Wallace has thrown a scare into the Brisbane camp ahead of tomorrow night's clash against the Dragons at Suncorp Stadium.

The captain's run at Red Hill this morning started badly for Wallace, who lasted just 15 minutes before retreating to the sheds for treatment on a possible hamstring injury.

Wallace returned to finish the session, but it appears he is not at peak fitness and will be tested if he takes on a rugged Dragons pack tomorrow night.

Roberts started the session doing solo work alongside Wallace, but he joined the rest of the squad.

The classy centre grabbed at his hip a few times, but moved well laterally in defence and will be confident of torching the Dragons after his fine display against the Titans last week.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...p/news-story/d220e98e0e4b9a12fb344286b684a351

Perfect opportunity to try someone new? Ese'ese, Timu... Wallace does his job, but surely we have somebody on our books who offers more.

 

[Unbreakable]

Take a few weeks off Jarrod, let us have a look at Ese'ese or Timu.

 

[Super Freak]

THE NRMA Insurance Broncos will make a call on a pain-killing injection for James Roberts tomorrow - but he will definitely play against the Dragons.

Roberts got through training this morning with some discomfort from his injury suffered at the hands of the Gold Coast Titans last week

But coach Wayne Bennett said it was just bruising, and while he may need to be deadened he would take the field at Suncorp Stadium.

"He will run more freely with a bit of a jab from the doctor," said Bennett.

"But he is pretty good and is close to being right, so we may not even need that just yet.

"A bit of anaesthetic there might solve the problem, but apart from that he is pretty good."

The only other concern was reserve prop Jarrod Wallace, who took things lightly with a bit of a hamstring twinge.
He too is expected to take his place in the team.

"He had a bit of a hamstring strain but he did everything we wanted him to do this morning," said Bennett.

The Broncos will be aiming for their third home win to open the season against the Dragons, a victory that will keep them on top of the competition.

Team Update - Roberts Sneaks Through - Broncos

 

[Rhino1001]

Kinda hoping Wallace is out so we can maybe see Ese'ese

 

[rnabokov]

100% agree with this. In most of our games, we've played down to the level of teams that don't have as good a roster as we do. While we're finding a way to win them (barring that Panther's game, where some weird decisions were made that no one understands), the worrying sign for me is we're doing it with the bare minimum. Against the cows, only some individual brilliance from Milf and Jimmy kept us in that.

The boys are doing enough to beat whoever it is we come up against, but nothing like what we are capable of. If we can't snap out of that at some point in the season, we'll get burnt. It's early on, I get that. We've got time for things to click. But it isn't right at the moment.

Can't agree with that. Against the Cows, especially with the good form they are showing, it was a whole of team effort that won that game for us, not just Milf's and Robert's brilliance. You could say (wrongly) that the Cows are in it only cos of Thurston's brilliance.

I do however agree with you that we are definitely still playing below our potential but I don't think it's a slump or slackness, more like we are just being patient for key players like Hunt say, to find form, and for the combinations to start evolving further which, when it comes to Milf and Roberts, looks very promising, and, then there is Oates on the left and Gillett on the right.

I see this game as one where we just get better and record a good win simply because we are a class above the Dragons.

 

[Smokin' Joe]

Kinda hoping Wallace is out so we can maybe see Ese'ese

Wallace will play

 

[Super Freak]

Schick Hydro Preview: Brisbane Broncos v St George Illawarra Dragons
Suncorp Stadium
Thursday, 7:50pm

Forty points – that is all the St George Illawarra Dragons have managed to score in 400 minutes of football this season.

The North Queensland Cowboys scored six tries last weekend to demolish the Dragons 36-0. In doing so, the Cowboys managed to score the same amount of tries in that game the Dragons have scored all season – six.

The statistics leave a bleak outlook for Dragons fans, with St George Illawarra officially having the worst five-game attack since the South Queensland Crushers managed only 36 points in 1995.

St George Illawarra coach Paul McGregor has drawn a line in the sand, threatening to wield the axe if things don't change quickly and the Dragons must respond.

But their attacking revival will need to start against a red-hot Broncos side at Suncorp Stadium.

Brisbane sit top of the ladder after a solid 24-16 win over the Gold Coast Titans last weekend and the Broncos appear to be growing in confidence after each round of football.

Both teams enter the match with unchanged line-ups and McGregor will be looking for halves Benji Marshall and Gareth Widdop to spark something in attack.

Watch out Broncos: Brisbane need to avoid getting into a low-scoring arm wrestle. The Dragons thrive on these types of contests and their 8-6 defeat of the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Round 3 is proof of that. If the Broncos don't score early points then they may be in trouble against a gritty Dragons side that like a scrappy contest. The Dragons were down by two tries or more at half-time in both of their big losses this season. If they can avoid this scenario and be in the contest at the break, then look for the experience of Gareth Widdop to guide them home. Benji Marshall must perform after an average return from injury last weekend and Brisbane shouldn't underestimate the experienced 31-year-old.

Watch out Dragons: James Roberts has hit form in the past fortnight for the Broncos. Criticised early in the season, 'Jimmy the Jet' has scored in his last two appearances for the club, making two line breaks in Brisbane's win over the Titans last Friday night. He now sits on five line breaks for the season and if the Dragons let him break their defensive line they will have a hard time containing the NSW Origin hopeful. Roberts has 22 tackle breaks for the season, with livewire five-eighth Anthony Milford sitting on 28. The Dragons' defence will have to be switched on if they are to shutdown these two, with St George Illawarra's line speed the key to their success come Thursday night.

Key match-up: Darius Boyd v Josh Dugan. Two of the form fullbacks in the competition battle it out in what could be a preview of what to expect come State of Origin time. Boyd is in career-best form, constantly organising Brisbane in attack and defence. He has been a continuous threat for opposition teams this season, scoring two tries and forming a strong combination with Milford. Boyd is averaging 147 run metres per game and the Dragons must put immense pressure on the fullback if they are to deny him the same come Thursday. Dugan has been a rare attacking highlight for the Dragons this season. He may have only scored one try, but the 25-year-old looks likely to break the line every time he touches the ball. His 22 tackle breaks per game is a team high and he looms as the key to the Dragons' rediscovering their attacking flair. Whichever fullback controls the game will ultimately guide their team to victory.

The history: Played 34; Broncos 20, Dragons 14. Brisbane have dominated the Dragons in recent history, with the Broncos winning 11 of their last 13 against St George Illawarra. The two teams played each other twice in 2015, splitting the honours at one win apiece. Their latest meeting took place at Suncorp Stadium and ended in a 32-6 smashing in Brisbane's favour. Played in Round 23 of 2015, Ben Hunt scored two tries in a dominant display by the Broncos. In what is a worry statistic, the Dragons have not won at Suncorp Stadium since Round 4, 2009.

What are the odds: Broncos $1.15, Dragons $5.50. The money is coming in at a rate of three to one in favour of the Broncos and 75 per cent of bets on the winning margin has gone on Brisbane to win 13+. James Roberts is easily the best backed for first tryscorer with Sportsbet.

Match officials: Referee: Gerard Sutton; Assistant Referee: Dave Munro; Touch Judges: Brett Suttor & Belinda Sleeman; Standby: Nick Morel; Review Officials: Ben Galea & Jason Robinson; Senior RO: Bernard Sutton.

Televised: Channel 9 – Live coverage from 7:30pm; Fox Sports 1 – Live coverage from 7:30pm.

The way we see it: The Dragons will improve because they simply have to. These two teams have a great history and simply love playing each other. For St George Illawarra to win they must score more than two tries, something they have been able to do only once this season. We can't see it happening against a strong Broncos team that should control this game from start to finish. Broncos by 18.

https://matchcentre.nrl.com/match/2016/111/20161110610/#preview

 

[Alec]

Scratch that whole Watch out Broncos section. The only thing we really need to watch out is going into neutral gear once again.

 

[Unbreakable]

Live game discussion thread is up boys.

https://broncoshq.com/live-game-chat/28540-round-6-broncos-vs-dragons.html