Round 9 - Broncos vs Cowboys Pre-game discussion

[Big Pete]

The problem is these smaller players rely on legs tackles that predominately result in quicker play the balls which is really half the battle in the game at the moment.

You need an element of size to help control the ruck and slow the players down, otherwise they eventually just roll right through you as evidenced by the games I listed.

 

[Big Pete]

I thought he made his debut for Brisbane in the halves?

He debuted as a back-up hooker against Cronulla in an Origin affected game.

He later went onto play halfback against Penrith in that golden point draw. Brisbane were pretty light on options though with PJ Marsh as his offsider.

 

[uptheguts]

Griffin is employed by his best mate who is also a dud when it comes to running anything and when you combine the 2 amigos with the 3rd boundary rider in Gee you end up with the 3 stooges version of the 3 amigos - now is that confusing - probably and hell yes so are those 3 idiots

I have been a supporter of the Broncos since day 1 and have followed Rugby League all my life but I am now at the stage where I really don't care anymore if we win or lose - Griffin - Gee and White have basically destroyed my interest and my passion for the Broncos - if they don't care - and they will tell you they do - then how or why should I care anymore.

When we have a coach who makes the stupid idiotic decisions he continually makes - changing the way Barba plays - keeping Hoffman at 5/8th when it was clearly shown against the rabbits that their are better options available - keeping Reed in the team when they have better options - wanting to get rid of Hannant who yard for yard is one of the best forwards we have when given game time and when clearly they have signed a dud in Kennedy - when he never uses his full bench and wonders why we get beaten in the last 10 minutes of most games and when we have Gee up until now do the hiring and fireing and making terrible decisions and a CEO that supports those decisions as both blokes then why should i care anymore

and i bet i am not alone[/. Agree totally with every word. Why drop Hannant who has given 100 per cent this year . His hit ups are nearly all quality. As for Hoffman and Reed and our pathetic administration and recruitment initiatives , well I guess it's all been said many times on this blog. I like you am just deflated and pessimistic about our prospects for the rest of the year. But come Friday night I guesse I will tune in again for another go round and hope for the best.

 

[Super Freak]

He debuted as a back-up hooker against Cronulla in an Origin affected game.

He later went onto play halfback against Penrith in that golden point draw. Brisbane were pretty light on options though with PJ Marsh as his offsider.

That was an extremely frustrating golden point period. The amount of missed chances..

Probably one of the most frustrating things was Eastwood getting the ball on 5th tackle and missing it from about 10 metres away I think..

 

[Rally Towel]

Tipping us in a close one.

Very wary of Thurston. We did well to limit his chances last time round, but he's coming off a beating of the Eels and a strong showing against the Kiwis.

I like the look of our bench in this one at least. Wallace has been stepping up, Oates should be nearing peak condition, and Granville gives us some extra dimension in attack. Hopefully Hala can put in a strong performance.

 

[Morkel]

Then why pick him at all? He'll have to defend in the middle regardless of how we play, unless Griffindor uses him as a 80 minute bench warming specialist.

And in case someone brings up the subject of "size", some of the best defenders in recent times have been the smaller blokes (like Dallas Johnson) and hookers.

If Granville can't defend, then don't pick him at all. If he can, then it won't make a difference having both him and McCullough out there at the same time, especially since McCullough is a better defender than most of our props anyway.

TBH I'm not sure if you're trolling me here. It's not about being able to defend as an individual, it's about being able to defend as a unit. You rarely get one-on-one tackles in the middle, and if you do it's because someone's rushed up to cut off a play, or because someone's broken through and a defender has covered it. But that'd be probably less than 5% of tackles. Most of the time they'll defend as a unit. For example, a prop will go in high to stop momentum, another will come in to wrap the ball up, while the hooker will go in low to stop the leg drive. If you throw Granville in to that mix, it'll be his job to either wrap up the ball (which will be pretty tough as he wouldn't have anywhere near the upper body strength), or, worst case, be the initial defender that has to stop momentum (meaning he'll likely end up as a two-dimensional decal on the grass). Put simply, having two smaller defenders in the middle will pretty much give their bigger runners a free ride to our line. The reason players like Johnson were so effective is because they had a fantastic technique at going down low - but as Pete said, they're the exception rather than the rule. And even with a perfect technique, they're still part of a defensive unit, relying on bigger players to assist, and they're putting their head in line with the hips or raised knees of the runner, and just asking for trouble. And Johnson STILL had 10kgs on a player like Granville.

 

[Donald]

Cant see why Hannant has been dropped. A complete joke IMO. Griffin needs to pull his head out of his arse. I havent seen or heard anything that suggest that Hannant has done anything wrong off the field and he certainly hasnt done anything wrong on the field.

If i was picking the team

1. Barba
2. Vidot
3. Reed
4. Copley
5. Hoffman
6. Hodges
7. Hunt
8. Mcguire
9. Maca
10. Hannant
11. Glenn
12. Gillet
13. Parker
14. Hala
15. Oates
16. Wallace
17. Kennedy (only because we need some size. He has been absoulte usless so far. He better pull his finger out otherwise its a straight swap for Granville or Lowrie)

 

[rnabokov]

Hannant has obviously been a very naughty boy and Principal Skinner, I mean Hook, has sent him to detention, or is it de Titans... and replaced him with Martin "Homer" Kennedy.

Looking forward to Homer rip into Scott and Tamou

 

[vertigo]

We don't have any props looking to hit top form before Origin, I think Scott and Tamou are going to run right through us especially with the way Griffin utilises our bench which is looking particularly weak this week.

 

[coreyh88]

Anyone looking at attending this game. Depending on the health of my father in law (surgery on the day) I should be there for my first ever live game (I've just moved from Alice springs). What are your opinions on the atmosphere at 1300 smiles?

 

[Cult]

We don't have any props looking to hit top form before Origin, I think Scott and Tamou are going to run right through us especially with the way Griffin utilises our bench which is looking particularly weak this week.

Tamou hasn't run through anything for years.

 

[broncos4life]

Tamou hasn't run through anything for years.

Accept the legal alcohol limit to drive a vehicle

 

[vertigo]

I wonder if we'll see this again lol.

 

[rnabokov]

To me, it's clear Hook has put all his eggs in the Hunt-Hoffman halves' basket and, judging by the way Barba has been playing, especially v Knights, his role is come into the line as often as possible on both sides - a role similar to Slater and Bowen, effectively, being our 2nd play maker. He has set up some nice plays with Gillett e.g.

I also expect Barba to assume a greater kicking role, albeit a little smarter than his kick to Inglis.

For the rest, the forwards have to hold the middle, the edge defence needs to be tightened up, and I hope more quality passes and kicks to Vidot & Copley.

I can't see our forwards dominating the middle against any pack in this competition. The idea is to hold it, not miss tackles and move the ball out which becomes harder with the absence of Hannant. I have yet to see Kennedy pass the ball more than once or twice.

Our short kicking game needs to build on what Hunt and Reed did last week, and please, no 7 tackle re-starts.

The Cowboys ... I watched their game v Eels. Scott is just so dominant, and it looks like Tamou is on the improve. Thurston, Thompson and Morgan all kick close to the line continually, and Rona is a real flyer. Thurston plays both sides and Thompson has a reasonable passing game too.

For mine, Scott is going to be a nightmare to handle, and Thurston is Thurston. The only way I see a win is if Barba assumes a regular 2nd play maker role and we use our right edge effectively and STOP MISSING TACKLES.

If we play to form, I reckon the broncos by 4

 

[Broncoman]

I wonder if we'll see this again lol.

Lolz that was one of the softest punches I've ever seen. That was also the game where Lockyer did his ribs I think and we lost the on-field guidance as a result and missed the finals for the first time since 1991.

 

[Cult]

Lolz that was one of the softest punches I've ever seen. That was also the game where Lockyer did his ribs I think and we lost the on-field guidance as a result and missed the finals for the first time since 1991.

Does saying Lolz result in a ban on here? :P Just kidding. Almost as soft as Tate pushing down on (Name has slipped my minds) head in that Origin game.

 

[talanoa]

Cant see why Hannant has been dropped. A complete joke IMO. Griffin needs to pull his head out of his arse. I havent seen or heard anything that suggest that Hannant has done anything wrong off the field and he certainly hasnt done anything wrong on the field.

If i was picking the team

1. Barba
2. Vidot
3. Reed
4. Copley
5. Hoffman
6. Hodges
7. Hunt
8. Mcguire
9. Maca
10. Hannant
11. Glenn
12. Gillet
13. Parker
14. Hala
15. Oates
16. Wallace
17. Kennedy (only because we need some size. He has been absoulte usless so far. He better pull his finger out otherwise its a straight swap for Granville or Lowrie)

The hannant relegation has to do with the clubs long term view. They are desperate to keep wallace but dont have the cash to pay, so you may see hannant running around for the knights next year. Info has it that hannant is on around $500 which seems crazy to me, but if true you can see why they will look to offload him to keep Wallace and also mcguire for when he is due for his next contract.

 

[Alec]

Desperate to keep Wallace? Really?

At his best, he's just solid, and he's not someone you really want to be desperate to keep.