What is happening at the Broncos?

[the_next]

I’d give you whatever odds you wanted that if either Hunt or Marshall stayed on this year they wouldn’t have been playing as well as they currently are.

Hunt is playing behind a pack that is going forward and doing all the little things right while Marshall is benefitting from the reduced pressure because the tigers defence is firing so well.

And this makes it clear that there are deeper issues at the club.
Kevvie has also walked away from the club, again we are not being told the truth here.
Wayne coming out through the week saying that he won’t be dropping Thaiday, or changing the halves..
Not to mention Thaiday’s comments after the game..
There are issues internally, and they need to be fixed ASAP.

 

[kat00]

Maybe MILF and Knik need to go elsewhere for a million a season, get behind a forward pack that actually goes forward and prove everyone wrong.
I doubt they can do it but I doubted a recently departed half that we had could do it either.

 

[BrentTatesChin]

What exactly have you expected bird to have achieved by now with his short time at the broncos? Does getting his salary equal length of field tries every game?

A dud because the money we're spending on him should've gone on either keeping Hunt or buying a forward

 

[Reyter]

A dud because the money we're spending on him should've gone on either keeping Hunt or buying a forward

Is it true he is reported to be on about a mil a year? He always seemed to me a good utility player who doesn't excel in any position. Absolutely crazy money for such a player. I trusted Bennett knew what he was doing but now it seems that trust was misplaced.

 

[Aldo]

Bird is a gun but not getting the bullets to fire at the moment. I'm sure he's frustrated as hell. We do the same with Roberts who is equally frustrated as hell. our halves don't know how to use the back rowers but they are even more clueless with the centres. Any other team would kill to have our centre pairing.

Serious question and not meant to flame but just interested in what makes you say Bird is a gun. I haven't seen that much of him to be honest as I didnt watch many Sharks games when he was there as they bored the shit out of me.

What I've seen of him, I probably wouldn't describe him as a gun. He's tough and aggressive, which is great, but he has never really struck me as a player that will blow a team away with skill and speed, or control a game like the elites.

Id probably describe him as a tough, solid footballer with good instincts. That is why I don't think he'll be that effective in the halves as I don't think he is creative enough. I don't think he is big enough for the forwards but does have the aggression. So maybe the centres is where it's at for him but he doesn't look to be that evasive or have a great deal of speed. I'm just not sure where he fits in at the moment.

I don't know, I'm probably wrong about him and I hope I am, but it appears to be a lot of money to be spending on someone that doesn't really have a defined role. Just my gut feeling that I've had when we signed him.

Have to say that I'm pretty dissapointed that he has let himself go the way he has. If Thurston or Smith or any other myriad of players had off season surgery, I don't think they would blow out like he has, especially coming to a new club on big dollars where you think he would want to put his best foot forward.

Probably seems like Im putting the boot into him a little but just curious as to what others think that have watched more of him than me.

 

[Broncs_Fan]

Serious question and not meant to flame but just interested in what makes you say Bird is a gun. I haven't seen that much of him to be honest as I didnt watch many Sharks games when he was there as they bored the shit out of me.

What I've seen of him, I probably wouldn't describe him as a gun. He's tough and aggressive, which is great, but he has never really struck me as a player that will blow a team away with skill and speed, or control a game like the elites.

Bird is a good player but Wayne paid way too much for him. I still don't understand why we needed him so much. Just one of the decisions that makes me think Wayne is losing his marbles.

 

[Reyter]

Serious question and not meant to flame but just interested in what makes you say Bird is a gun. I haven't seen that much of him to be honest as I didnt watch many Sharks games when he was there as they bored the shit out of me.

What I've seen of him, I probably wouldn't describe him as a gun. He's tough and aggressive, which is great, but he has never really struck me as a player that will blow a team away with skill and speed, or control a game like the elites.

Id probably describe him as a tough, solid footballer with good instincts. That is why I don't think he'll be that effective in the halves as I don't think he is creative enough. I don't think he is big enough for the forwards but does have the aggression. So maybe the centres is where it's at for him but he doesn't look to be that evasive or have a great deal of speed. I'm just not sure where he fits in at the moment.

I don't know, I'm probably wrong about him and I hope I am, but it appears to be a lot of money to be spending on someone that doesn't really have a defined role. Just my gut feeling that I've had when we signed him.

Have to say that I'm pretty dissapointed that he has let himself go the way he has. If Thurston or Smith or any other myriad of players had off season surgery, I don't think they would blow out like he has, especially coming to a new club on big dollars where you think he would want to put his best foot forward.

Probably seems like Im putting the boot into him a little but just curious as to what others think that have watched more of him than me.

Agree completely. Maybe Bennett was thinking of him as a Matt Cooper-like player. Not a bad comparison but Cooper was bigger and faster. Just if the money he is reported to be on is true (around 1 mil a season), it's way too much. Actually with Boyd, Bird and Milford on big money and long-term deals, I fear it's going to be a few bad years coming up.

 

[pagey]

Have to wonder if he didn't want to be here because he knew he would have played second fiddle to Niko.

Not having a fall back option for the Niko experiment is seriously shortsighted by Wayne.

Who says he hasn't !

 

[Kyall]

Bird is a good player but Wayne paid way too much for him. I still don't understand why we needed him so much. Just one of the decisions that makes me think Wayne is losing his marbles.

I think we originally signed him to come play in the halves imo.

 

[BroncsFan]

Hunt hasn't shown the form he is in at the Dragons since 2015, and if it continues he will outplay that year, this year. Obviously has Widdop next to him, but with $1.2mil comes a lot of expectation, and he is delivering.

I don't think Hunt is playing all that well just yet. He had a pretty poor showing against the bunnies with kicks going dead, into legs or down the fullback's throat.

A large chunk of the attack is coming from Widdop and Hunt's game is largely unchanged from last year except he is no longer playing as a split halves pairing giving him a little more flexibility. He's still dumping the ball off without committing the defensive line and his improved kicking game is largely due to the forward pack laying down a seriously good platform.

His running game is still nonexistent and he is relying on kicks a lot to create tries.

If McGregor can get him running again then he will be worth the $1.2m they're paying him

 

[lynx000]

From my perspective, there is a distinct attitudinal issue, that is a coaching and leadership issue. There is also a distinct application issue. That is a coaching and leadership issue.

The players do not look happy or united.

Our roster management and recruiting in terms of who we have bought and let go have been particularly poor.

The 1990-2000 Wayne Bennett is a very different coach to the 2018 coach. The earlier version was willing to call time a player even sometimes a year or 2 early (Gillmeister, Lewis) and had the ability to bring in just the type of player we needed to bring success (think Gillmeister again, Glen Lazarus, Kevin Walters, Tallis). The 2018 version has Sammy in the side and says that he will not be dropped (despite his lack of form).

He has brought in players that we would not have signed in the past and allowed better players to go elsewhere. It is also concerning to me that players that have left here are now playing much better than what they have shown here.

Unless there is a marked change in approach and attitude, we look likely to lose 4 or more out of the next six games and that will be very difficult to come back from.

If WB can get this squad anywhere near the GF this year, he is a super coach. I just don't see it happening.

 

[Morepudding]

I Honestly just want us to get absolutely belted week in, week out now. We have absolutely zero chance of winning the comp this year, and i'd much rather us come last and it create a change within the team (hopefully with the recruitment of Green as Bennett is clearly past it), than for us to slide in to 7th or 8th, lose first week of the finals, and nothing change.

The Broncos game plan and defensive structures is archaic. If you compare us to other teams you will see most other teams have the attacker on their back after a tackle 80% of the time. Broncos do this about 10% of the time. Thus the opposition gets far quicker play the balls and just eat us through the middle. This is a combination of over priced forwards such as Gillett, Thaiday and McGuire, as well as poor tackling / wrestling technique obviously coming from the coaches.

We have players show a complete lack of interest such as our Captain Darius Boyd, who just this week said if he got another injury he would walk away. Now, i'm not one to wish an injury on someone, but if he has that mindset he can piss off right now as far as im concerned.

Bennett has royally f***ed us by signing Boyd on such a long deal at such big money that even with a new coach we are likely stuck with him. Broncos as a whole always seem to just pay people on past performances, and not current performance. Just gonna be a long depressing season, and unless Bennett and his son piss off, a long couple of seasons.

In the last 2 weeks we have lost to the titans who were favourites to come last this year, and the knights who have won the spoon 3 years in a row... Absolutely pathetic. Didn't deserve the win against the Tigers, and got lucky against an out of form Cowboys.

Next few games are against Warriors (A) and Storm (H), both of which will likely put 20+ on us, bringing us to a 2-5 start and essentially ending any chance of making the 8.

 

[The True King]

If WB can get this squad anywhere near the GF this year, he is a super coach. I just don't see it happening.

That's the issue. This squad should be competing for top 4 and getting close to the GF. With the exception of Lodge, TPJ, and McCullough our starting side is entirely made up of rep level players.

 

[Mr Fourex]

I don't think Hunt is playing all that well just yet. He had a pretty poor showing against the bunnies with kicks going dead, into legs or down the fullback's throat.

A large chunk of the attack is coming from Widdop and Hunt's game is largely unchanged from last year except he is no longer playing as a split halves pairing giving him a little more flexibility. He's still dumping the ball off without committing the defensive line and his improved kicking game is largely due to the forward pack laying down a seriously good platform.

His running game is still nonexistent and he is relying on kicks a lot to create tries.

If McGregor can get him running again then he will be worth the $1.2m they're paying him

Agree... I'm not lamenting losing Ben Hunt either. I do wish we'd kept Benji around for another year...or two.

 

[lynx000]

Agree... I'm not lamenting losing Ben Hunt either. I do wish we'd kept Benji around for another year...or two.

Yes, very much agree with this. We could not afford to match what Hunt is being paid by St George in light of what his form had been since 2015. And I definitely would have paid Benji for two more years and if he showed any ability as a coach, semi have him in a coaching role for all of the club halves mentoring the younger ones.

 

[Battler]

Would Green be any better than Wayne? To me he seems like a less feared/ respected Bellamy who gets more out of his players in attack compared to defence. He just lost Ponga knowing that Coote was unsigned and doesn’t have much faith in him in 2018 anyway as he’s currently playing QCUP.

For me if we’re going to replace Wayne immediately (as in next year) we need to sign Bellamy. Just throw money at him, we can make him a deal no other club can match. Players seem to want to play or him, and our current crop needs a wake up call.

 

[Morepudding]

The thing I like more about Green is he seems to be really good at retaining players. Cowboys still have a large majority of their squad from the 2015 Grand final... That's impressive. Especially when you consider they were also in the 2017 Grand final. Bellamy to me is still largely untested. This year has been a big test for him as a coach as it's the first time in 15 seasons he hasn't had Smith, Slater and Cronk who are 3 of the best 10 players of that era.

 

[Wolfie]

I think we originally signed him to come play in the halves imo.

No, we signed him for lock.