POST GAME Round 7 - Broncos vs Storm

[Dash]

How’s he attempting a field goal a few minutes in?

Common sense tells you when and how a player is attempting a field goal.

I haven’t had a great look at the Slater one apart from live.

Players also don't run at the defensive line to take drop goals, which happened in both 'tries'. How the NRL can justify either one astounds me.

 

[Skyblues87]

It's hard to beat a good team when you're doing your best to beat yourselves. That's what makes this team so maddening to watch. There's undeniable talent there, and they can put it together in short bursts and look the goods, but there's zero consistency across a game, let alone a season. And outside of a few players like TPJ they don't often show much heart or desire, or look like they feel a loss.

I honestly don't know that Bennett cares that much when they lose, and that's dangerous if it rubs off on the payers. Sometimes I think he likes a good losing streak, because it makes the **** you he can give the press that much sweeter when they do have a win like last week's.

The situation is not going to improve until they get better organisation. That's going to have to be either in buying in a half who can direct play, take on the bulk of kicking in general play, and dictate terms, letting Milford play his natural game, or bringing in a head coach who can instill better structures, discipline and set plays into the team we have. I wouldn't be against both. Easier said than done of course.

At the end of the day it was 6 tries to 4. One try should never have been allowed and the one Milford let in was joke defending. That said we are a shambles right now and the blame has got to lie with Bennett. Boyd and Thaiday dont deserve to be in the side yet they will be whilst he remains coach. We need direction and a structure. The recruitment and retention has been diabolical. Bird was not required. Boyd should never have been given the contract he got. Arrow could have stayed and played mlock. Moose as prop. Wallace should have been retained instead of signing Sims
They only hope we have of getting back on track is to bring in a new coach who will make the changes required. As for Taylor that one beggars belief

 

[WASSHHH]

I’m sure some will disagree, and that’s OK.
I’m sure some will say I’m throwing the baby out with the bath water, that’s OK too.
So let me preface this with the following: Hodges came back arguably a better player, at least a reinvented player, that was equally as dangerous as before and a more passionate and selfless player and leader when made captain after numerous hamstring complaints.
So with that in mind, the most glaringly awful thing to come from tonight’s game was the continued performance of our captain.
To label him a passenger is an overstatement, he’s nothing more than a bystander simply loitering around out the back, masquerading as a Broncos captain.
I don’t care what anyone says; he brings nothing in attack, less in defence and the worst possible attitude that can do nothing other than, subconsciously at the very least, have a negative effect on the rest of the team.
Waving arms about; never, and I mean never, running hard; wasting time playing for a penalty; not running as a support player, and; standing around watching opposition players while the play unfolds in front of him. The bloke can’t even execute the one play he was renowned for.
While he remains captain, we will continue to crumble under any sort of pressure more often than not.
What’s the solution? Don’t drop him as captain, drop him from the team altogether.
And he can take Thaiday with him too - he plays the first 15 seconds and then comes back on for the final 10 seconds only to then stand around telling jokes, with a big smile on his face, to all his mates on the opposition.
He didn’t have a great game, but look how dirty Bird was after the game - at least he cares.
Anyway, we all know neither will be dropped. So we just have to continue watching these has-beens hold back the development of some of our young potential stars.
And that right there is the real shame, they’ve both been at the very top of their respective positions, but aren’t even a shadow of their former selves nowadays.
Boy I hope they prove me wrong soon though!

 

[Dash]

I wonder how much of a psychological affect the Slater try played on the minds of the players.

That try isn't awarded, we're 20-18 at a crucial stage of the game.

That should have been our moment to come out firing as a big F U to the referee. Instead we meekly surrendered for the rest of the half.

 

[holdzy]

It's funny how Milf scored because Slater was doing the same thing too. It's such a flawed tactic nowdays.

It was an anomaly that Slater wasn't there, it's an anomaly when Boyd is.

 

[Super Freak]

Storm score strong win over Broncos

April 20, 2018

The Melbourne Storm put the rest of the competition on notice that their title defence is back on track after beating a brave Brisbane Broncos 34-20 in a performance set to have implications for the looming State of Origin series.

Storm five-eighth Cameron Munster is now a certainty for the number six jersey for Queensland after a masterclass performance.

The left edge attacking duo of NSW selection candidates Curtis Scott and Josh Addo-Carr have also given Blues coach Brad Fittler food for thought after their attacking combination created plenty of havoc.

You can't coach speed and Addo-Carr has it to burn. His two tries were classics, one on the back end of a Munster kick and another after an extraordinary 30m pass from fellow winger Suliasi Vunivalu.

Fullback Billy Slater was in everything in a stunning two-try performance that would have had Queensland coach Kevin Walters licking his lips.

The Broncos refused to lay down in what was a cracker of a match played at Origin pace.

Brisbane's night took a sour turn in the 51st minute when hooker Andrew McCullough left the field after sustaining an elbow ligament injury in a tackle.

Trailing 18-4 at the time, the Storm looked set to race away with the game but prop Tevita Pangai jnr, a centre in his younger years, stepped up with two superb passes that resulted in tries to Jamayne Isaako and Alex Glenn.

The injection of Kodi Nikorima into the game lifted the Broncos, as did a crunching tackle by Matt Lodge that changed the momentum.

When Anthony Milford kicked for himself to regather and narrow Melbourne's lead to 24-20 the Broncos dreamed of a famous victory.

But Milford inexplicably allowed a Will Chambers kick to roll towards the dead ball line and Vunivalu pounced to make the Broncos pay.

Chambers iced the cake with a try of his own to cap a superb match for the Maroons and Australian centre.

The win continued the Storm's dominance over the Broncos on their home turf in what was their ninth consecutive win over their fierce rivals at Suncorp Stadium.

The Storm have injury concerns of their own with Jesse Bromwich suffering a medial injury to his knee.

There was plenty of feeling in the match with Pangai giving Slater a few don't-argues before half-time.

Lodge was put on report for a dangerous tackle in the 75th minute to add to Brisbane's woes but coach Wayne Bennett would not have been disappointed in his side's overall performance.

There was some controversy over a Slater try in the first half when he drop-kicked the ball for himself and scored a try which NRL referees boss Bernie Sutton deemed to be correct.

Individual defensive lapses proved costly but the Broncos showed plenty of grit and enterprise.

The Storm rediscovered the razzle-dazzle aspect of their attacking play with the speed and skill of their outside backs showcasing the weaponry that took the side to the premiership in 2017.

Source: NRL.com

 

[Unbreakable]

Storm tried to gift us the game but to no avail. These guys just met 10 mins before the game right?

1. Boyd. 3. Is he auditioning for a role in the centres because he is rarely home at fullback. Got a masterclass by Slater as a fullback and Smith as captain.
2. Oates 4. Not himself and not good enough but still got meters. Needs some magic spray for fingers.
3. Opaic. 4. Not great, not terrible. Hooked wrongly. We don’t obviously want to resign him.
4. Roberts. 4. Good try but where was he the rest of the game?
5. Isakko 3. Rocks and Diamonds. Good try but let too much through.
6. Bird. 2. What was the point. 2 guys pretending to be five eighths never going to work. Too slow, unfit. Only plus is defence.
7. Milford. 4. Moments of brilliance between nothingness. Great 40/20 and individual try. But missed the part where he runs the ball...
8. Lodge. 6. Solid but not his best game. Guy tries. Like to see him getting more match fit by now.
9. McCullough. 2. Looked better when McGuire too over. Hope he gets better soon but needs to offer lot more,
10. Pangai. 5. Might as well be next 5/8. Far from best game but see the effort and passion. Sign him up.
11. Glenn 6. Very solid. 2 line breaks, although a stoned sloth could have scored he didn’t stuff it up unlike others. Not elite but putting in.
12. Sims 1. Not running over guy with ball how oblivious is he?
13. McGuire. 3. Minus 2 points for wasting tackles in attacking situations.
14. Thaiday. 1. No!
15. Offa 6. Good meters, needs a bit more steel in defence but solid.
16. Niko 4. Nice try assist but door was opened by Storm. Terrible kick. What is wrong with Bennett. Macca is injured instead of playing our best sub hooker he tries to go back to the Knik experiment. Stubborn f***.
17. Sua. 4. Barely saw him, guy isn’t impact he, needs to start.

McGuire was our best player.

 

[Super Freak]

Smith was laughing about it. Laughing at how they knew Boyd defends in the line so they were looking for it and how easily they scored when it came... This is some of the stupidest shit I have seen on the field. If Boyd is going to be in the line, someone else has to drop back.

By my count there have been 6 tries we have conceded already this year through Boyd being in the defensive line and not having a fullback in position...

In some of those, Boyd's had no choice but to be up in the line due to players being too slow to get back and leaving holes. But he is doing it a bit too much for my liking.

He got away with it in 2015 and 2016 a fair bit, but teams are catching on.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

Yeah the shit with Boyd is very on the nose now. It reeks of favoritism on Bennett's part and that is a lack of professionalism that he is not known for and it doesn't sit right with me. How would the likes of Wally, Tallis and Hodgo feel looking at how much shit Boyd is allowed to get away with as opposed to the expectations that were on them?

 

[Mr Fourex]

I wonder how much of a psychological affect the Slater try played on the minds of the players.

That try isn't awarded, we're 20-18 at a crucial stage of the game.

If Isaako's kicks go over we're in front.....with 15 mins to go

 

[Cult]

I agree that Boyd isn’t playing well but how is it favouritism? Who should be the fullback?

 

[Sasquatch75]

Macca did 1 maybe 2 runs and looked good and when he got injured I thought we were going to get home with Knik doing what he does best from dummy half.... running and backing up. Then the quote says it all

 

[I bleed Maroon]

I agree that Boyd isn’t playing well but how is it favouritism? Who should be the fullback?

Isaako, I would've thought has at least put his hand up for a shot at that position. But no Dawius is too good for the humiliation of the wing...

 

[Jason Simmons]

In some of those, Boyd's had no choice but to be up in the line due to players being too slow to get back and leaving holes. But he is doing it a bit too much for my liking.

He got away with it in 2015 and 2016 a fair bit, but teams are catching on.

I accept that. A fullback’s job includes making cover tackles and try saving tackles so there will be definitely times they will be out of position and that can’t be helped. What can be helped is having the fullback regularly defend in the line, presumably because our defensive structure requires it, or our defensive capabilities simply aren’t up to scratch and we need to try and get extra numbers into tackles to make up for our defensive deficiencies.

Neither excuse is acceptable however in their own right and it is now consistently costing us tries. I reiterate, if Boyd is going to regularly defend in the line as he is doing, someone else has to drop back or we will simply continue to concede tries from little kicks in behind.

Other teams are now talking openly about it in media interviews it has become such a blatant issue, FFS...

The whole comps knows about it and they are all exploiting it. It is yet another bloody ridiculous thing about us...

 

[Stix]

Any word on Macca? If nothing's broken or dislocated then he might only miss a game or 2??

 

[Jason Simmons]

Any word on Macca? If nothing's broken or dislocated then he might only miss a game or 2??

Torn elbow ligament...

A couple of weeks if it is only a minor tear, 6 weeks - 2+ months if it is a major tear or a fracture according to the @nrl_physio...

And Turpin has a broken ankle at the moment. Luckily we have a sh*t-ton of mediocre backrowers in our squad to cover these sorts of issues, hey Wayne?

 

[007]

Eventually the attitude will spread...i wonder how long until the hole gets too big. Player will get sick of the shit and lose interest and so the spiral will begin.

 

[Scorchie]

Storm tried to gift us the game but to no avail. These guys just met 10 mins before the game right?

1. Boyd. 3. Is he auditioning for a role in the centres because he is rarely home at fullback. Got a masterclass by Slater as a fullback and Smith as captain.

blah blah

Did you even watch the game?