Round 7 - Broncos vs Knights - Post Match Discussion

[Foordy]

Well there have definitely been opportunities where he could offload and didn't and I can guess that is because of what tackle they're on.

or it is because he had no one to offload to, or it was simply a better option to take the tackle and try for a quick play the ball.

 

[Cult]

or it is because he had no one to offload to, or it was simply a better option to take the tackle and try for a quick play the ball.

Definitely not. He has had people to offload to and has gone to the ground because he didn't want to offload on our twenty.

 

[Foordy]

Definitely not. He has had people to offload to and has gone to the ground because he didn't want to offload on our twenty.

wair a minute STOP THE PRESSES you mean Corey Parker has a bit of common sense about him... what is this world coming to.


ps. sorry for the sarcasm, couldn't help myself

 

[Harry Sack]

Very impressive performance by the team. Funny, did anyone else notice that Hodges really seem to struggle in defense a fair bit. Too many poor arm tackles.

Has always been an issue with him IMO, he's not a great defender by any means. On Hodges game, it was good to see him choose his moments better in attack and not overplay his hand.

 

[Cult]

wair a minute STOP THE PRESSES you mean Corey Parker has a bit of common sense about him... what is this world coming to.


ps. sorry for the sarcasm, couldn't help myself

I don't mind the sarcasm but I don't understand the relevance. Yeah he has common sense about it, but that's only because he is taking those hit ups instead of the ones on the 40 and 50. That is the problem.

 

[redbur95]

I wasn't using stats to backup my opinion. Did you read the part about "quality not quantity"?

Aaron Levenstein — "Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital."

 

[coreyh88]

i see where you are going with that point. but it is a mott point because over all he is offloading more this season than last. nothing changed this game compared to last in fact two games ago he even got more off loads than last night. the only way his role has changed is that occassionally (not always) he takes an earlier hit up. but he actually makes more meters per run than last year and more offloads so go figure.

regardless of this i believe the team composition is better with two frf and parker at lock. glenn isn't doing much to deserve a spot so bench him/oates to cover the second row's breaks.

i thought hodges was great in defence. not once did they threaten down leilua's side who has been the most damging centre by far this season making both tackle breaks and scoring tries at will yet he didn't break one of hodges tackles.

 

[Brett]

Parker could make 20 offloads in a game, but it doesn't mean shit unless they amount to something. He got 5 against Parra, but we still lost the game. He got 4 against Newcastle - 1 lead directly to a try, another set up a line break. Quality, people. Not quantity.

There needs to be 2 Front Rowers to make the hard meters at the start of the sets, THEN Parker can take a hitup and possibly get an offload away. That's the point that needs to be made. Sadly he's about as effective as Thaiday as a battering ram.

 

[Foordy]

Parker could make 20 offloads in a game, but it doesn't mean shit unless they amount to something. He got 5 against Parra, but we still lost the game. He got 4 against Newcastle - 1 lead directly to a try, another set up a line break. Quality, people. Not quantity.

There needs to be 2 Front Rowers to make the hard meters at the start of the sets, THEN Parker can take a hitup and possibly get an offload away. That's the point that needs to be made. Sadly he's about as effective as Thaiday as a battering ram.

The quality of the offload can also be attributed to tye player that receieves the ball and what he does with it once he gets it.

But the fact that he is making more meters from less hitups, suggets that the hitups are quality.

But I think we will have to agree to disagree on this point, because I don't think anything has changed with the way he is playing, except the number on his back.

However, I think one point that we can all agree on is that Parker is gods gift to the Broncos.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Wow check out Hoffman's stats. 16 runs for 164 metres.. He certainly works hard but is holding us back in attack.

 

[Brett]

Wow check out Hoffman's stats. 16 runs for 164 metres.. He certainly works hard but is holding us back in attack.

One of those runs was a 60 meter break gifted to him on a silver platter by Hunt.

 

[Kimlo]

I think Hoffman believes he has a more deadly running game than he actually has

 

[CaptainHook]

Parker could make 20 offloads in a game, but it doesn't mean **** unless they amount to something. He got 5 against Parra, but we still lost the game. He got 4 against Newcastle - 1 lead directly to a try, another set up a line break. Quality, people. Not quantity.

Exactly, Brett. That's the point I was trying to make. I used to be really into stats until I read Gordie's book that came out years ago. There is a chapter where he talks about struggling to get back to his best after his neck injury. Even though his stats suggest that he is playing well he talks about how many of those hit-ups did he bust the line, beat a player, bend the opposition back etc.

Matty Johns also talks about it in Locky's book. He says that what the stats don't quantify is that playing for the Broncos means every game is a big game as the opposition tend to lift and play well above themselves in order to knock over a powerhouse team. It's makes Locky's record of Broncos appearances even more impressive.

The quality of the offload can also be attributed to tye player that receieves the ball and what he does with it once he gets it.

I agree. The fact that it looks like our support play, after having been absent for three seasons, seems to be coming back suggests that Parker can be a real attacking weapon for us. I'm sick of seeing him get an arm free only to find the nearest Bronco is 20 yards away.

 

[Cult]

Wow check out Hoffman's stats. 16 runs for 164 metres.. He certainly works hard but is holding us back in attack.

He could do that from the wing just like Vidot is.

 

[Rally Towel]

I agree. The fact that it looks like our support play, after having been absent for three seasons, seems to be coming back suggests that Parker can be a real attacking weapon for us. I'm sick of seeing him get an arm free only to find the nearest Bronco is 20 yards away.

Or that the recipient of the miracle offload is the dynamic David Stagg....

 

[Painin the Haas]

Agree with everything except the defending part. That second Knights try, he was in prime position to stop that big bloke and he came up with a soft swing at the legs.

Although no better, but that was Gillett around the legs and Oates going high who missed that tackle

 

[Painin the Haas]

I'm arguing for Barba to play 5/8 not just because the tries he set up were those a 5/8 ought to set up, but importantly, that Hoffman is a liability at 5/8, and from memory, could have, maybe, set up between 1-3 tries or close to it.

Against the best teams, that liability will cost us when we need points, and Barba is going to be very heavily targetted at the back where his confidence and ankle are still not right.

The Knights are NOT one of the best teams. Souths, Manly, Roosters and the Dogs will absolutely nail Barba with their big men chasing kicks and our game plan is not yet right to give Barba the space and room he needs at the back

As for Hoffman running, he doesn't look. He is playing a centre's game when we need a play maker. He just runs the same way all the time. Barba was proof of what a play maker can do.

Flame me if you will.

Barba's try assist for Gillett was a 5/8th role but his part in copleys try is why I reckon he should stay at fullback. Hoffman got nailed by the defence too many times in any situation and IF he broke the first tackle he couldn't get an advantage out of it like barba can where he immediately threw a great pass to Gillett and then it was all quick hands and good work from Copley

and funnily enough the defence is so used to Hoffman not passing that when he does he can find space. And Barbas first game in the front line would be against souths, no one wants to debut in the front line against that pack more harm than good will come out of it

Just don't think swapping positions will help but hunt needs some support

 

[Painin the Haas]

Hopefully Parker starts at Lock. To have Granville and McCullough on at the same time, you take someone like Hannant/Kennedy off and then temporarily push Parker to prop. That way McCullough assumes the role of the lock in theory, but it allows an extra hooker/play making option in attack. Plus with the injection of Granville's speed, a mobile pack would benefit the most, hence Parker and McGuire as Props during that temporary period, while Hannant/Kennedy are off.

Granville would defend where the traditional hooker does anyway, while McCullough can defend at lock. This would mean Parker can defend where a prop traditionally does. The defending position really doesn't change, as either way they'll be defending through the centre anyway. McCullough and Parker are tackling machines, so doesn't change much defensively as both defend in the same part of the field regardless of the position they're playing.

This only works if we have complete momentum because having two on at once has us real weak up the middle, macca can and has been caught out close to the line when he is not defending just one out from his usual position, and Granville in defence is questionable for anything more than a quick stint.

best option is Granville to expose the ruck for 10min or so, forwards get tighter, the rest of line tightens up and then macca comes back on gets the ball out wide to hunt and barba to expose the edges