Season Preview 2012

[bronco12]

http://www.nrlweekly.com/preview-2012-brisbane-broncos/

Gains: Luke Capewell (Titans), Petero Civoniceva (Panthers), Nick Slyney (Redcliffe).
Losses: Darren Lockyer (Retirement), Denan Kemp (Rugby Union), Shane Tronc (Retirement), Shea Moylan (Storm), Rohan Ahern (Mackay), Nick Kenny (Retirement).
Re-signed: Corey Parker, Justin Hodges, Dale Copley, Dunamis Lui, Kurt Baptiste, Scott Anderson, Sam Thaiday, Josh McGuire, Josh Hoffman.
2012 Coach: Anthony Griffin
First 5 Rounds: Eels (A), Cowboys (H), Knights (A), Rabbitohs (A), Dragons (H)

The one thing that stands out the most this year for the Brisbane Broncos is the gaping hole left behind by the absence of Darren Lockyer. Lockyer is considered by many people within the game as one of the most influential players of the modern era. There is no doubt that this loss will have some effect on his Brisbane teammates however, it is yet to be determined how big of a loss he will be. The 2012 season will show us how well the Broncos are able to adapt in the first year without their key playmaker and this will present some interesting challenges to the coach. 2012 will be a year of re-discovery for the Broncos and coach Anthony Griffin may well be experiencing some head aches come the mid-point of the season if he is unable to formulate results as seen under the Lockyer era.

Lockyer’s retirement should not present a massive problem for the Broncos, as the talent available in the Queensland ranks is nothing short of amazing. The Broncos always manage to conjure talented young players out of thin air who are then able to perform at the highest level. 2012 will also present another challenge for Anthony Griffin as it is now the second year after coach Ivan Henjak was removed from his position. This will place some level of daunt within the mind of Griffin as it is now truly his time to lead the Broncos into their next era of success.

The 2011 season for the Broncos showed exactly what they were capable of. The Broncos featured in many memorable matches including the Round 22 match up against the New Zealand Warriors as well as the breathtaking win against the St George Illawarra Dragons in the finals. This win against the defending Premiers was certainly the standout performance of the 2011 season. The entire Broncos squad turned up for this one and all contributed to the win. This is also probably Darren Lockyer’s best win of the year where it was the ball from his boot that led his team to victory in golden point extra time.

A glaring positive for the Brisbane side is the return of stalwart front rower Petero Civoniceva. Civoniceva will definitely add extra bulk in the middle of the park for the Broncos and he will certainly feel right at home back at Suncorp Stadium. The Brisbane Broncos have also acquired the services of Luke Capewell for the 2012 season who has joined the team from the Gold Coast Titans. While Capewell did not see much game time in 2011, he presents a wild card for the Broncos side. Capewell has yet to realise his potential in the NRL after failing to satisfy his coaches at both the Rabbitohs and Titans. However, there is no denying that there is potential there. Capewell is able to slot into any position in the back line as well as being able to relieve the hooking duties as seen in the recent trial. If the early candidates for Lockyer’s number 6 jumper fail to impress it would be no surprise to see Capewell given a go.

Why they will win it: The Broncos have formulated their success in the NRL for many years. Albeit their previous successes were under the guidance of master coach Wayne Bennett, the Broncos are still in a prime position to once again bounce back and reclaim their title as one of the premier sides of the NRL. The young talent that is continually procured by the Queensland capital is almost always first class. This is no doubt illustrated through the amazing feats of the young players from last season. Ben Hunt, Corey Norman and Jharal Yow Yeh all proved that they were capable players and if they continue to strive in 2012 then there is certainly no knowing how far they can take their team into the 2012 finals.

Why they won’t: While Anthony Griffin has had plenty of time to prepare for the departure of Darren Lockyer, there is still an overlying sense of uncertainty in the Broncos number 6 jumper. Lockyer without a doubt made this jumper his own and anyone who replaces him will have considerable shoes to fill.

 

[bronco12]

I like this preview, of course the very obvious point of Lockyer's absence is brought up but I think we are going to handle that pretty well this season. They have had plenty of time to prepare for this and I am eager to see how Wallace will go with a bit more control.

The bloke leaving comments on that story that is an absolute idiot! I'm going to rip into him

 

[rnabokov]

yes, I too like this review.

what I like a lot about Griffin is that he learns from mistakes, and from what works and doesn't.

My hope is that this year, we see better and more consistent depth in attack, and a more consistent aggression in attack. Oh, and a more frequent use of the short kicking game close to the line.

Also, using Hodges a little less as a dummy half and giving him space and time to set up both inside and outside.

The halves? In absolute terms, whoever plays doesn't have that ability to break the line in the middle. I am reminded of Johnson's tries, DCE and even Foran's agressive line running. Yes, we have the talent, but it will need to compensate for those absences. Unless, of course, Wallace, Norman, Capewell ... whoever, take on the line a lot more.

It's going to be a great season

 

[subsbligh]

It will take the boys the first half of the season to let it sink in that Lockyer is not coming back and by then hopefully their confidence and the fans are still behind them. The group dynamics will have to change massively.

Expect a rough ride for the fans especially. The Eels away will be a massive test and by 9:30PM on March 2 we will have a glimpse of how 2012 will pan out.

 

[PuntPal.com.au]

I am not a Broncos fan, but I think they will win in 2012

The Broncos were the unlucky side of 2011 finals in my opinion. They had a ton of momentum heading into the finals, but injury and suspension cruelled their chances. From Round 21 last year, the Broncos beat the Warriors (twice), Manly, St George, Souths, Newcastle and the Cowboys. They were running hot and were headed for a Grand Final berth.
Losing Hoffman and Lockyer at the business end of the season was too much to overcome for this team full of youthful potential. Hoffman was one of the form players of the competition and Lockyer was the mastermind and tactician that most of the Broncos attacking play revolved around.
Not enough attention was given to this. If Manly lost Daly Cherry-Evans and Brett Stewart or the Warriors lost Maloney and Locke, then I think both teams would have struggled to make the Grand Final. So when we look at what is likely to happen in 2012, I think it is vital that people remember what happened to the Broncos. I am very surprised they are not rated as the equal favourites for the competition by the bookies. Like I said in my introduction, they have failed to consider ‘that which is not seen’.
The big question mark for the Broncos in 2012 is obviously how much the loss of Lockyer will hurt and how long they will take to recover. There is no doubt he was a leader, kicker and general star for this side for nearly 15 years. But as I have always said, the loss of a player cannot be assessed in isolation; you need to consider the calibre of the replacement too!
Corey Norman is my tip for replacing Locky. He is a big 5/8th in the mould of John Sutton crossed with Josh Dugan. I know you may think that is generous, but my statistics suggest he has loads of potential and will blossom in 2012. He will also get plenty of assistance from Hoffman, who really developed his ball-play in 2011 and mastered the wrap around play that Karmichael Hunt made so famous. Wallace is a good kicker, so he can take over that part of the game.
The Broncos definitely have the pack to win this competition. Players like Thaiday, Hannant, Parker and Petero are veterans of the game and have represented the unbeatable QLD origin side. These guys provide the Broncos with the most experienced and hard-working pack in the competition. So despite losing Lockyer, there is also no shortage of leadership within the Broncos of 2012.
With Hoffman, Reed, Glenn, Beale, Yow Yeh and others all reaching top form in 2011 and scoring plenty of tries, I expect the Broncos to win the 2012 Grand Final.
They have a great home ground advantage, a terrific coach and I think they are great value at $11.00 to win the premiership.
BET $100 on Broncos to win the 2012 NRL Premiership at $11.00

 

[Charmamba]

Did Channel 9 just put one of those Sports Bet commercials on our forum?

 

[Alec]

I hope Griffin really can learn from his mistakes, because he certainly didn't learn from Henjak's in our last game last year. You can't go with Carroll or Glenn or Gillett in the halves in a big match.

 

[Browny]

How the hell can you compare Norman to dugan or sutton?!

 

[Jeba]

I hope Griffin really can learn from his mistakes, because he certainly didn't learn from Henjak's in our last game last year. You can't go with Carroll or Glenn or Gillett in the halves in a big match.

Did you say this before the game?