What is the strongest team the Broncos can field in 2014 and 2015?

[CaptainHook]

We're desperate for a five/eighth. In hindsight, knowing that we couldn't secure Milford for 2014, we maybe were a bit hasty in letting go of Prince. It could have been good for Ben Hunt to play a whole year with an experienced half like him rather than partnering up with another rookie.

 

[Broncoman]

Prince wasn't the future and was well past it when we signed him. I thought he did provide some value and if he was playing this year he most likely would have the five-eighth spot.

Prince retired by his own choice we didn't let him go.

 

[Socnorb]

I'd have him back. One year deal. Win win.

 

[broncos4life]

TBH with the way things have appeared to turn out (no milford next year) I would have preferred it if princey was still playing next year, at least we would have someone experienced there that would lighten the load while these new combinations clicked.

 

[CaptainHook]

Prince retired by his own choice we didn't let him go.

Are you sure, Bman? I could be wrong but I thought he had every intention of going around again but the club never offered him a deal.

I agree that he was passed his best. His speed and defence were causing real problems. He still had the vision though and his kicking game was still decent. Playing outside an experienced half would do wonders for Ben Hunt - he needs to develop the skills needed to close out a game, put in sensible kicks etc. Princey would be ideal for that.

 

[Big Pete]

In theory, the idea of keeping around a veteran half to assist the young up and coming half sounds like a good idea but I don't think that's the case in this situation. I don't know if Prince would be able to replicate his late season form where he played every game like it was his last for the entire duration of the season, nor do I think he's necessarily the right player to partner up with.

When I think of Scotty Prince, I think of the zippy guy who could come up with the big play at the right time. Ever since 2010, Prince's ability to come up with those plays has diminished and by the end, he was a near shadow of his former self.

He got about as good a send off as he could get and while the Broncos have found themselves in a predicament, I don't think it'd be a wise idea to send Andrew Gee round to the Prince's, have him knock on the door and ask if young Scotty wants to come out and play. That ship has sailed and Hook is going to have to be creative in deciding who the next player is. This is going to be a real test for him and I think either way, the result should please the fans.

 

[Painin the Haas]

When prince did sign with us I was glad thought he'd be good, give us the killer blow at the right time which we seemed to lack. Now after this season I really think its the game plan and not the players. Prince was as good as sandow in defence, beyond a joke and the amount of times he kicked out on the full but at the same time he did how a hint of vision when playing off what was in front of him, so did hunt but whatever this game plan is we are beating ourselves.

which comes to the conclusion either this game plan will turn into a master stroke by hook and its not played out right just yet, or the man is going up the creek

feel real sorry for the way prince went out he deserved more,

Plus side youth pairings seem to be paying off recently (manly and titans, whose halves are very underrated)

 

[Rhys van Beurden]

Plus side youth pairings seem to be paying off recently (manly and titans, whose halves are very underrated)

Titans halves pairing underrated? From my point of view, they are talked up so much it is almost at the point where they are overrated!

 

[bazza]

Would anyone else like to see the team below to start off 2014, until Hodges is back, or at least until someone can force their way into the side...?

1. B.Barba
2. Kahu
3. Hoffman *
4. Reed **
5. Vidot
6. Strasser
7. B. Hunt
8. Hannant
9. McCullough
10. McGuire
11. Glenn/Gillett ***
12. Thaiday (Co-Captain)
13. Parker (Co-Captain)

14. Granville
15. Gillett/Glenn
16. Kennedy
17. Hala/Oates ****

Reserves: Stagg, Lowrie, Dodds, Copley, Maranta, etc


* - The reason I personally would put Hoffman at left centre instead of left wing, is that it will showcase his strong running game more. Since he'll most likely get early, clean ball from Hunt and Barba we'll better utilise what he brings to the team. I think he offers more in attack at centre than on the wing, due the greater amount of available space to work with. More often that not, Hoffman is capable of beating his opposition defender, so why hide him away on the wing.

I think last year we didn't see enough of Hoffman's running game, it was just mostly getting the ball late, with limited room, yet he still finished off the movement. Imagine what he could do with more space. He is one of our top backline threats, and with Hodges now out, he needs to be our main go to man along with Barba. His hard running style is able to carve straight through the defence, without going too sideways, so we won't be moving too laterally like last year.

Plus, with Kahu, on his outside, he is more than capable of finishing tries off as well, so we won't lose much in terms of finishing. Also, it might allow Hoffman to develop a decent passing game, without the pressure of needing to be a top class ball player.


** - The reason I think Reed should move to right centre is, because with Hodges gone, we might be a bit weak defensively. Plus with a new five-eighth, Reeds defence would greatly help him out and would keep that edge tight. Reed also carries the ball in his right hand side, which means when he plays at left centre, his right arm is unable to fend, making it easier to tackle him. However on the right edge, he has his left arm free to fend off this opponent, while allowing him to keep his right arm free for an offload to put his winger away (The same reason Hoffman should play on the left - He carries the ball in his left hand). Plus he has played right centre in the All Stars game before, as well as for the Broncos, so it wont be completely new to him.


*** - I would start with Glenn, mostly because defensively he is stronger and more reliable. I hope he returns to his hole running/try-scoring best. I would bring on Gillett on the left when a few cracks in the opposition defence appear from fatigue. He is that x factor/impact sort of player, and formed a good combination with Hunt on the left side last year. However I would like for him to be able to roam around in attack without being restricted to one side. He is another player that can do something freakish, and the more he touches the ball, the more opportunity for the likes of Barba and Hoffman to capitalise off.


**** - I would probably just opt for Hala based on the fact that we would have a four man prop rotation, and some solid, hard running impact off the bench. Hala probably wont play big minutes like the other three props, but I'm hoping that he comes on for short 15 minute intervals and wreaks havoc while he's on. However if a three prop rotation is enough, then by all means put Oates on the bench, and slowly introduce him to the second row.


Obviously there would be changes with injury and form determining the team, but I think the team above is quite strong...

What do you guys reckon, I'd love to hear your opinions... Hopefully Hook reads our little suggestions and tips :lol:

 

[Splinter]

I saw enough nice touches from Kahu last year to think he would be completely wasted on the wing outside Hoffman, I would swap them around.
i believe Oates won't make the start of the season because of rehabilitation from surgery.

your team looks pretty good but I will wait before declaring a 5/8

 

[bazza]

I saw enough nice touches from Kahu last year to think he would be completely wasted on the wing outside Hoffman, I would swap them around.
i believe Oates won't make the start of the season because of rehabilitation from surgery.

your team looks pretty good but I will wait before declaring a 5/8

Honestly, I think Kahu's lack of: experience, overall game time (NRL and QCup) and match fitness in addition with his injuries in the past would better suit him on the wing to start off with. He still has to be eased in to first grade and hence shouldn't be given the full-time role of centre or even five-eighth yet.

Hoffman played two games from memory at Centre, and looked incredibly dangerous in attack. With more game time, properly adjusting to the centre position, both in attack and defence, he could find a long term home there. When Kahu finds his feet in first grade, there no reason as to why they can't switch every so often in attack throughout the game. Just adds a new dimension to the attack while keeps the opposition guessing.

I think the fact that Strasser has played to best part of a season in the halves in the QCup, mostly at five-eighth, better suits him for the five-eighth spot. He would be would be perfect partnering Hunt and would have a fairly simple game plan.
From what I've seen of him, he is just what we need in attack. He likes to play late at the line, which creates holes in the opposition. He either plays short - across the face for a hole runner, plays it back - deep for his sweeping fullback, or uses his beautiful show and go - slicing through himself.

He really straightens the attack up, so we wont see the non-effective sideways movement from last year. He'd really only have to just make the right decisions in attack and defence, with Hunt and Macca taking most of the responsibilities. He just has to worry about picking the right pass or option, and feeding the ball early to Barba or his outside players. This would greatly take the pressure off Hunt and keep Strasser's gameplan simple, yet effective.

However if need be, he can take on more responsibility as he establishes himself in first grade. He's got a solid passing, running and short kicking game, which will only further improve and develop based on game time.

His support play is probably another thing we have been lacking. He is constantly looming up in support, after putting his player through a gap, and he doesn't give up on the play. This would be valuable given Barba would probably make a fair few breaks from lurking around offloads from Parker or Gillett.

 

[Brett]

Copley has to be there somewhere. The guy is huge now and is apparently training the house down. Your points about Hoffman and Reed make perfect sense to me.

Changes I would make to your team:

2. Copley (Instead of Kahu)
11. Thaiday (He plays better on the right)
12. Gillett (Plays better on the left and is a more dynamic player than Glenn, IMO)
15. Glenn
17. Hala / Oates (When he's fit and depending on Hala's form)

 

[bazza]

Copley has to be there somewhere. The guy is huge now and is apparently training the house down. Your points about Hoffman and Reed make perfect sense to me.

Changes I would make to your team:

2. Copley (Instead of Kahu)
11. Thaiday (He plays better on the right)
12. Gillett (Plays better on the left and is a more dynamic player than Glenn, IMO)
15. Glenn
17. Hala / Oates (When he's fit and depending on Hala's form)

Ahhh yes indeed, I have Thaiday on the right, with Gillett and Glenn on the left. The numbers don't mean much though because Thaiday has played as #12 countless times before, for Australia and QLD, as well as the Broncos, always on the right.

The only reason I chose Gillett off the bench, is because he would offer more in my opinion off the bench then what Glenn would offer off the bench.

I forgot to mention, the reason I didn't include Copley, and Yow Yeh for that matter in the team to start off with, is because they're both coming off fairly long injuries and haven't played a game of football for a long while. They would probably need to go through QCup to get adequate match fitness and confidence in their injuries to be ready for NRL. But if they are ready by the trials and their form warrants selection, by all means, they'd get a spot in the team.

Another reason behind picking Kahu on the left side, despite being right handed, is because he tends to use more footwork than power and is more agile than Vidot. One of Vidots greatest strengths is his ability to carry defenders with him. He is therefore on the right side, as he carries the ball with his right hand, meaning he has the left arm free to push off and fend defenders. It is probably therefore more usesful for Vidot to play on the right, allowing him to utilise his fend. He probably won't use as much footwork as Kahu, rather will use the pure power that his big frame offers.

 

[Painin the Haas]

Copley has to be there somewhere. The guy is huge now and is apparently training the house down. Your points about Hoffman and Reed make perfect sense to me.

Changes I would make to your team:

2. Copley (Instead of Kahu)
11. Thaiday (He plays better on the right)
12. Gillett (Plays better on the left and is a more dynamic player than Glenn, IMO)
15. Glenn
17. Hala / Oates (When he's fit and depending on Hala's form)

Thaiday has never played left

 

[Painin the Haas]

Would anyone else like to see the team below to start off 2014, until Hodges is back, or at least until someone can force their way into the side...?

1. B.Barba
2. Kahu
3. Hoffman *
4. Reed **
5. Vidot
6. Strasser
7. B. Hunt
8. Hannant
9. McCullough
10. McGuire
11. Glenn/Gillett ***
12. Thaiday (Co-Captain)
13. Parker (Co-Captain)

14. Granville
15. Gillett/Glenn
16. Kennedy
17. Hala/Oates ****

Reserves: Stagg, Lowrie, Dodds, Copley, Maranta, etc


* - The reason I personally would put Hoffman at left centre instead of left wing, is that it will showcase his strong running game more. Since he'll most likely get early, clean ball from Hunt and Barba we'll better utilise what he brings to the team. I think he offers more in attack at centre than on the wing, due the greater amount of available space to work with. More often that not, Hoffman is capable of beating his opposition defender, so why hide him away on the wing.

I think last year we didn't see enough of Hoffman's running game, it was just mostly getting the ball late, with limited room, yet he still finished off the movement. Imagine what he could do with more space. He is one of our top backline threats, and with Hodges now out, he needs to be our main go to man along with Barba. His hard running style is able to carve straight through the defence, without going too sideways, so we won't be moving too laterally like last year.

Plus, with Kahu, on his outside, he is more than capable of finishing tries off as well, so we won't lose much in terms of finishing. Also, it might allow Hoffman to develop a decent passing game, without the pressure of needing to be a top class ball player.


** - The reason I think Reed should move to right centre is, because with Hodges gone, we might be a bit weak defensively. Plus with a new five-eighth, Reeds defence would greatly help him out and would keep that edge tight. Reed also carries the ball in his right hand side, which means when he plays at left centre, his right arm is unable to fend, making it easier to tackle him. However on the right edge, he has his left arm free to fend off this opponent, while allowing him to keep his right arm free for an offload to put his winger away (The same reason Hoffman should play on the left - He carries the ball in his left hand). Plus he has played right centre in the All Stars game before, as well as for the Broncos, so it wont be completely new to him.


*** - I would start with Glenn, mostly because defensively he is stronger and more reliable. I hope he returns to his hole running/try-scoring best. I would bring on Gillett on the left when a few cracks in the opposition defence appear from fatigue. He is that x factor/impact sort of player, and formed a good combination with Hunt on the left side last year. However I would like for him to be able to roam around in attack without being restricted to one side. He is another player that can do something freakish, and the more he touches the ball, the more opportunity for the likes of Barba and Hoffman to capitalise off.


**** - I would probably just opt for Hala based on the fact that we would have a four man prop rotation, and some solid, hard running impact off the bench. Hala probably wont play big minutes like the other three props, but I'm hoping that he comes on for short 15 minute intervals and wreaks havoc while he's on. However if a three prop rotation is enough, then by all means put Oates on the bench, and slowly introduce him to the second row.


Obviously there would be changes with injury and form determining the team, but I think the team above is quite strong...

What do you guys reckon, I'd love to hear your opinions... Hopefully Hook reads our little suggestions and tips :lol:

you have a good point about reed, I remember 2011 his debut season every time hodges was injured he was shifted to the right next to yow yeh however would you want to change the combinations few rounds in when hodges is back

 

[Porthoz]

1- Barba
2- Hoffman
3- Reed
4- Copley
5- Vidot
6- Strasser (or whoever plays best in the trials)
7- Hunt
8- McGuire
9- Macca
10- Kennedy
11- Gillett
12- Thaiday
13- Parker

14- Granville
15- Glenn
16- Hannant
17- Hala/Dodds/Molo/etc...

Oates, Hodgo and Yow Yeh to come into the side at some point, and with Lowrie and Stagg to cover for Origin player loss, we might even not suffer that much during that period this year...

 

[bazza]

you have a good point about reed, I remember 2011 his debut season every time hodges was injured he was shifted to the right next to yow yeh however would you want to change the combinations few rounds in when hodges is back

Well, we know that Reed can perform on the left, so he can just as easily slip back there when Hodges is back. But while Hodges is out, lets "better" utilise Reed so he is not restricted in his actions by playing on the left side. The left side is the "wrong" side for a right handed player as it eliminates one of their attributes and means of getting past his opponent - The Fend. Although it is obviously playable to being on the "wrong" side of the field, but a player can be more effective when they have the full range of motion of an arm to palm the opposition off with.

Either way, changing combinations in a team is inevitable. Injuries and the form of players in the top 17, as well as those pushing for a spot will always force combinations to be reworked, but it doesn't necessarily make them ineffective.

The Broncos have to go back to basics, getting the little things right. They don't need to copy another teams playing style, and try perfect it. That wont work. Instead the Broncos need to work out what works for them, and what doesn't.

If they keep things simple, the they will develop their own style of play that will be effective for them, as it will take into account the pro's of each individual, and how they can maximise what they offer to the team. By doing this they can play to the teams strengths, rather than its weaknesses, bringing originality and creating variety to the Broncos attack.

There's no point copying how another team plays, as that game plan, plays to that particular teams strengths, not ours. Likewise, other teams can try and copy our game plan, but it wont work for them, as it plays to the Broncos strengths, not theirs. This makes it awfully hard to defend against, as we'll be playing in a way that no other team plays.

 

[bazza]

1- Barba
2- Hoffman
3- Reed
4- Copley
5- Vidot
6- Strasser (or whoever plays best in the trials)
7- Hunt
8- McGuire
9- Macca
10- Kennedy
11- Gillett
12- Thaiday
13- Parker

14- Granville
15- Glenn
16- Hannant
17- Hala/Dodds/Molo/etc...

Oates, Hodgo and Yow Yeh to come into the side at some point, and with Lowrie and Stagg to cover for Origin player loss, we might even not suffer that much during that period this year...

So you don't see any merit in playing Reed on the right hand side of the field, or having Hoffman at left centre...????