POST GAME TRIAL 2: Broncos vs Titans

UPDATED TEAM LIST

Haas and James have been rested.

Titans v Broncos

Gold Coast Titans versus Brisbane Broncos match centre includes live scores and updates. Includes official live player and team stats. Run metres, fantasy points scoring.

www.nrl.com

All remaining trial games will be broadcast on Fox/Kayo. In QLD time:

Feb 19, 7pm: Broncos v Titans. Cbus Super Stadium, Robina
Feb 26, 8pm: Broncos v Cowboys. BB Print Stadium, Mackay

Other matches in AEDT. Subtract an hour for QLD:

6pm — Friday February 18: Roosters vs Raiders
8pm — Friday February 18: Tigers vs Sea Eagles
4pm — Saturday February 19: Storm vs Warriors
6pm — Saturday February 19: Rabbitohs vs Cowboys
4pm — Sunday February 20: Panthers vs Sharks
6pm — Sunday February 20: Eels vs Dragons
7pm — Monday February 21: Bulldogs vs Knights
6pm — Friday February 25: Sea Eagles vs Raiders
8pm — Friday February 25: Roosters vs Tigers
3pm — Saturday February 26: Warriors vs Titans
5pm — Saturday February 26: Panthers vs Eels
7pm — Saturday February 26: Rabbitohs vs Dragons
5.45pm — Sunday February 27: Storm vs Knights
7pm — Monday February 28: Sharks vs Bulldogs

 

[theshed]

Pete's take:

"playmakers bumbled their way"
"towelled up"
"disjointed"
Walters, Kelly and Gamble "struggled for control"
none "made a compelling case"
"completed at a woeful 58 per cent"
"failed to stamp their authority"
Walters "moments of zip"
Kelly "fumbled early" "struggled to take control"

"lacklustre in defence"
"largely beaten in the middle third"
"must fix their defensive structures"

"take heart" from Staggs, Flegler, Paix, Hetherington, Carrigan.
Paix "sharp around the rucks"
Flegler "outstanding"
Capewell "tireless"
Staggs "showed his class"

Walters:

“It was a bit mixed We certainly need to be better with our ball control and it has been spoken about. I thought they (halves) played OK at different times. I don’t think anyone is in front at the moment. There was a try in the first half that was soft. We need to keep working on our defence, but I sense more togetherness this season.”

Brisbane Broncos

Kevin Walters talks to Fox Sports after his side's pre-season match against the Gold Coast Titans

www.nrl.com

Man of the match



McHunt

I do have to question Kev’s approach to the halves again. While I do think initially it was a good idea to let them know the spot is wide open to motivate them during the off-season, I think he should have made his decision by now, we are 2 weeks out from season opening.

He may have his mind made up but he should have let the players know by now. Last night I saw 2 guys (4 really) who played like they were under too much pressure about losing the starting halves spot. It’s the same approach that completely melted any confidence from Croft, Milford, and Dearden (and yea, they all have their own problems but they all displayed severe confidence issues).

Kev’s the expert but for me he has shown a really poor ability to give confidence to his halves.

 

[McHunt]

I do have to question Kev’s approach to the halves again. While I do think initially it was a good idea to let them know the spot is wide open to motivate them during the off-season, I think he should have made his decision by now, we are 2 weeks out from season opening.

He may have his mind made up but he should have let the players know by now. Last night I saw 2 guys (4 really) who played like they were under too much pressure about losing the starting halves spot. It’s the same approach that completely melted any confidence from Croft, Milford, and Dearden (and yea, they all have their own problems but they all displayed severe confidence issues).

Kev’s the expert but for me he has shown a really poor ability to give confidence to his halves.

At this point, I tend to agree. He started his tenure - aided by Brisbane's finest ever halfback - with three highly talented halves in Croft, Milford and Dearden. Instead of ironing out their wrinkles, and developing Dearden, they all left in tears. Gamble landed with a sensational splash, but last night he was reduced to serial belly flops. I've yet to see anyone blossom under Kevvie's tutelage. It's a worry.

Our best players have learnt their craft elsewhere. A reminder that these trials are as much about Kevvie as the players.

I am disgusted by last night's performance. In the end we were bailed out by Brenko and Jordan, rejects from other clubs. I hate to say it but the classiest player in the last quarter was Jamayne, and as usual, he was rocks and diamonds, and too much rock.

 

[theshed]

At this point, I tend to agree. He started his tenure - aided by Brisbane's finest ever halfback - with three highly talented halves in Croft, Milford and Dearden. Instead of ironing out their wrinkles, and developing Dearden, they all left in tears. Gamble landed with a sensational splash, but last night he was reduced to serial belly flops. I've yet to see anyone blossom under Kevvie's tutelage. It's a worry.

Our best players have learnt their craft elsewhere. A reminder that these trials are as much about Kevvie as the players.

I am disgusted by last night's performance.

Well, I wouldn’t go as far as saying Dearden, Croft, and Milford are highly talented because that will just lead to people not taking the point serious but yeah, coaching wisdom as old as time dictates that you pick your halves early and back them. I think it was a Jack Gibson philosophy that all good coaches have implemented.

It is just interesting that Kev, Ikin, and DD have all insisted that stability is now the most important thing and yet we are on the dawn of round 1 and no one knows who the spine is going to be. That isn’t stability, it’s the opposite.

Kev being so open about the battle for the 6 being wide open has only resulted in giving the media something to focus on all pre-season and now 3 journeymen and a 19 year old are being hyper analysed publicly like it’s the NSW origin halves selection candidates from a few years ago. Which probably isn’t fair on them. Now whoever is picked will have endless media comments about who they should’ve picked if they start the season a bit wobbly.

I find it strange that after a year of coaching both Kelly and Gamble, and the other candidate being his own child that he didn’t have a strong idea of who it would be months ago. Tell them it’s up for grabs to encourage them to run harder at hill sprints but by the time the trials are here he should be doing a Bennett and backing the guy when asked who will play next to Reynolds “[blank] will be the 6. Ive discussed his role with him and I have full faith that he will do his job”

 

[Mister Wright]

Surely we can’t continue with Turpin when there is such a talented and better skilled dummy half in Paix at the club. Turpin is solid and serviceable, but it is there for all to see that Paix is far more talented and more weapons in his arsenal.

 

[McHunt]

Surely we can’t continue with Turpin when there is such a talented and better skilled dummy half in Paix at the club. Turpin is solid and serviceable, but it is there for all to see that Paix is far more talented and more weapons in his arsenal.

The best argument I can come up with for Jake retaining his position:

1. Adam wants him there, and Jake will do what he's told.
2. We start Ezra, and their pros and cons in defence and attack cancel each other out.

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

Pete's take:

"playmakers bumbled their way"​

"towelled up"​

"disjointed"​

Walters, Kelly and Gamble "struggled for control"​

none "made a compelling case"​

"completed at a woeful 58 per cent"​

"failed to stamp their authority"​

Walters "moments of zip"​

Kelly "fumbled early" "struggled to take control"​

​

"lacklustre in defence"​

"largely beaten in the middle third"​

"must fix their defensive structures"​

​

"take heart" from Staggs, Flegler, Paix, Hetherington, Carrigan.​

Paix "sharp around the rucks"​

Flegler "outstanding"​

Capewell "tireless"​

Staggs "showed his class"​

Walters:

“It was a bit mixed We certainly need to be better with our ball control and it has been spoken about. I thought they (halves) played OK at different times. I don’t think anyone is in front at the moment. There was a try in the first half that was soft. We need to keep working on our defence, but I sense more togetherness this season.”​

Brisbane Broncos

Kevin Walters talks to Fox Sports after his side's pre-season match against the Gold Coast Titans

www.nrl.com

Man of the match




McHunt

I just think kevvie is not quite game to say it yet but surely b Walters is the front runner.

I think he's getting grouped into "the halves were shit" with Kelly and Gamble very unfairly. He looked likely, and he tried to organise a few plays even though that shouldn't and won't be his role. His defence was also good.

I don't get what everyone is getting so worked up about. That's literally all we need for the 2nd half.

Mam is the one that is obviously going to be the long term option and he is shown his talents, he just looked nervous and was thrown straight into 15% possession.

Then we have Gamble or Kelly as back ups despite their shit games that is pretty bloody handy to have

 

[Morkel]

I'm almost certain that Walters had narrowed down the #6 position to Walters and Mam. Kelly and Gamble both had games that did them no favours, but that's because they were mostly played at halfback, not in the position they were supposedly auditioning for. When they were played next to each other, whoever was playing halfback derped it up and prevented the other from being able to do anything from 6. IMO Walters will be #6, which will allow us to play Paix as the #14. Mam will play most of the season in Q-Cup and how he develops will determine if and when he gets a shot in first grade this year.

As was said above, our defence was less of a worry as the errors. There was some poor discipline in giving away penalties as well (more on that soon), but the errors on the 1st or 2nd absolutely killed us. I would have thought that ball control, not defence, should have been the priority over the off-season.

As for the penalties... well ****, it's going to be a lottery again and it will of course be controlled by the bunker and whatever agenda they want to entertain. It was clear that the penalties were not being called by the on-field ref as the "6 again" sound was played before the on-field ref ruled that it was inside the 40 and therefore a penalty, not 6-again. They were mostly all for "ruck infringements", the most subjective and easily manipulated of all penalties, so once again, prepare to be absolutely flogged in the penalties when playing against one of the NRL's darling teams. And whoever our best enforcer is needs to prepare to be neutered out of games by the bunker, or spend a good amount of time on the sidelines, just like Blair and TPJ had to endure in seasons gone.

 

[pagey]

I just think kevvie is not quite game to say it yet but surely b Walters is the front runner.

I think he's getting grouped into "the halves were shit" with Kelly and Gamble very unfairly. He looked likely, and he tried to organise a few plays even though that shouldn't and won't be his role. His defence was also good.

I don't get what everyone is getting so worked up about. That's literally all we need for the 2nd half.

Mam is the one that is obviously going to be the long term option and he is shown his talents, he just looked nervous and was thrown straight into 15% possession.

Then we have Gamble or Kelly as back ups despite their shit games that is pretty bloody handy to have

amen so many people reading into this trial to much .

 

[McHunt]

Then we have Gamble or Kelly as back ups despite their shit games that is pretty bloody handy to have

I'm not willing to watch Gamble again unless he shaves his head. I feel physically ill looking at his head.

 

[heartly87]

Well, I wouldn’t go as far as saying Dearden, Croft, and Milford are highly talented because that will just lead to people not taking the point serious but yeah, coaching wisdom as old as time dictates that you pick your halves early and back them. I think it was a Jack Gibson philosophy that all good coaches have implemented.

It is just interesting that Kev, Ikin, and DD have all insisted that stability is now the most important thing and yet we are on the dawn of round 1 and no one knows who the spine is going to be. That isn’t stability, it’s the opposite.

Kev being so open about the battle for the 6 being wide open has only resulted in giving the media something to focus on all pre-season and now 3 journeymen and a 19 year old are being hyper analysed publicly like it’s the NSW origin halves selection candidates from a few years ago. Which probably isn’t fair on them. Now whoever is picked will have endless media comments about who they should’ve picked if they start the season a bit wobbly.

I find it strange that after a year of coaching both Kelly and Gamble, and the other candidate being his own child that he didn’t have a strong idea of who it would be months ago. Tell them it’s up for grabs to encourage them to run harder at hill sprints but by the time the trials are here he should be doing a Bennett and backing the guy when asked who will play next to Reynolds “[blank] will be the 6. Ive discussed his role with him and I have full faith that he will do his job”

Unless Kev knew what we know now all along and that is his son is probably the best option. That comes with a stick of TnT attached. We just have to read the post in our own forum to get a hint of what even the idea of nepotism does to a side. The jersey has to be fought over so the dross can expose itself.

The worst thing Kev could do would be to just put Billy in a spot right of the bat. The second worst thing Kev could do would be replace a player early in the season with Billy right of the bat. Either would look like Kev has just weaseled his son into the position. By giving Billy a utility role in game one he let the kid show his versatility and he stood out in both positions. Game two he showed enough at 5/8 to want me to see him next to Reynolds. The only other viable candidate is Mam now and anyone could understand giving him more time in cup.

If Kev didn't make the jersey Gamble and Kelly's to lose than the media would of had a field day. The players may have not accepted it and the fan base would have let their displeasure known. I think these trials have been used very wisely, this is exactly what the trials are for. While the media talks about us not knowing our halfs, most teams have just used these games to play second tier players and to blood rookies.

 

[McHunt]

Unless Kev knew what we know now all along and that is his son is probably the best option. That comes with a stick of TnT attached. We just have to read the post in our own forum to get a hint of what even the idea of nepotism does to a side. The jersey has to be fought over so the dross can expose itself.

The worst thing Kev could do would be to just put Billy in a spot right of the bat. The second worst thing Kev could do would be replace a player early in the season with Billy right of the bat. Either would look like Kev has just weaseled his son into the position. By giving Billy a utility role in game one he let the kid show his versatility and he stood out in both positions. Game two he showed enough at 5/8 to want me to see him next to Reynolds. The only other viable candidate is Mam now and anyone could understand giving him more time in cup.

If Kev didn't make the jersey Gamble and Kelly's to lose than the media would of had a field day. The players may have not accepted it and the fan base would have let their displeasure known. I think these trials have been used very wisely, this is exactly what the trials are for. While the media talks about us not knowing our halfs, most teams have just used these games to play second tier players and to blood rookies.

I would've have agreed with you before the trials started, but it's become obvious over the last two weeks that he's the closest to a fully formed five-eighth/dummy half we have, and Mam is the closest to the kind of half we deserve. I don't think he'd get anywhere near the blowback we expected if he named him as starting half now.

Paix and Mam did something we badly need - burrow across the line and put points on the board. That's what Alfie would've done. It's what Berrigan would've done. It's what our spine's been lacking.

I wasn't impressed with Paix last week and wasn't that impressed with him last night. But he brought something Jake didn't in attack, so he's gone from being ruled out last week, to waved back in.

If Kevvie wants to play safe he'll start with Jake, Albert/Tyson and Billy on the bench. Within a few weeks he'll cave to calls for Billy to replace one of the former.

I'm changing my round one lineup to:

1. Jamayne
2. Selwyn
3. Herbie
4. Kotoni
5. Jordan
6. Ezra
7. Adam
8. Payne
9. Jake
10. Pat
11. Riki
12. Kurt.
13. Kobe

14. Billy
15. TC etc

That'll feed Patty, Herbie, Jake and Jamayne to the wolves, and birth Ezra in fire. Swim or sink. Shake the bottle, and see what sticks to the sides.

 

[Kaz]

I do have to question Kev’s approach to the halves again. While I do think initially it was a good idea to let them know the spot is wide open to motivate them during the off-season, I think he should have made his decision by now, we are 2 weeks out from season opening.

He may have his mind made up but he should have let the players know by now. Last night I saw 2 guys (4 really) who played like they were under too much pressure about losing the starting halves spot. It’s the same approach that completely melted any confidence from Croft, Milford, and Dearden (and yea, they all have their own problems but they all displayed severe confidence issues).

Kev’s the expert but for me he has shown a really poor ability to give confidence to his halves.

I would say he had made up his mind & the players would know, but not letting the media know his decision.

 

[broncos4life]

So we are still disjointed in the halves, how disappointing after that halfback we bought to solve that exact problem has played so many games for us.

 

[WASSHHH]

Surely Isaako can’t be fullback round 1.

I really don’t care what flashy play he might deliver here or there, the rest of his game is just nowhere near good enough and puts too much pressure on the rest of the team, often at the worst possible times. This team has not yet learnt how to handle pressure.

If this were the NFL, you’d bring him on to take kicks and nothing more. However it isn’t, so he has no place in the team.

 

[Sproj]

I would've have agreed with you before the trials started, but it's become obvious over the last two weeks that he's the closest to a fully formed five-eighth/dummy half we have, and Mam is the closest to the kind of half we deserve. I don't think he'd get anywhere near the blowback we expected if he named him as starting half now.

Paix and Mam did something we badly need - burrow across the line and put points on the board. That's what Alfie would've done. It's what Berrigan would've done. It's what our spine's been lacking.

I wasn't impressed with Paix last week and wasn't that impressed with him last night. But he brought something Jake didn't in attack, so he's gone from being ruled out last week, to waved back in.

If Kevvie wants to play safe he'll start with Jake, Albert/Tyson and Billy on the bench. Within a few weeks he'll cave to calls for Billy to replace one of the former.

I'm changing my round one lineup to:

1. Jamayne
2. Selwyn
3. Herbie
4. Kotoni
5. Jordan
6. Ezra
7. Adam
8. Payne
9. Jake
10. Pat
11. Riki
12. Kurt.
13. Kobe

14. Billy
15. TC etc

That'll feed Patty, Herbie, Jake and Jamayne to the wolves, and birth Ezra in fire. Swim or sink. Shake the bottle, and see what sticks to the sides.

You meant to write Paix instead of Turpin right? It’s a real problem for everyone it seems these days. Paix autocorrects to Turpin.

 

[mstreet]

What does last years position have to do with trials?

We haven't earned the right to play touch football. Solid, defence orientated, yes. Grinding football would have been a big improvement.

 

[TimWhatley]

I would say he had made up his mind & the players would know, but not letting the media know his decision.

We heard rumours a while back that Billy was gonna be 6 and no-one believed it.

An interesting option would be Billy at 6 and Mam 14. Billy could switch to hooker when Turps needs a spell, allowing a fresh Mam to come on at 5/8 once the game has slowed down a bit. It would be the ideal way to ease him into first grade.

But then where would Paix fit in? And could Billy handle this workload?

Team composition seems pretty complicated this year, good luck with that Kevvie.

 

[Gaz]

Our best players have learnt their craft elsewhere. A reminder that these trials are as much about Kevvie as the players.

Agree with this. Worrying for me was Kevin's demeaner during the game. I'm hoping it was one of disappointment and not bewilderment.
A team going forward needs a degree of consistency and that starts with the coach. The way Kevin fucked around with the halves last year and appears to be doing that again this year instills no confidence in anybody let alone the players involved.

Beginning to think he can't make his mind up because he doesn't know.