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

[Painin the Haas]

Not at all, stagg is a gun tackler, I was meaning his other centre field counterparts. we went soft up the middle too much and parker can't do it all

 

[Grimmiq]

What I'd do..

1- Barba
2- Hoffman
3- Copley
4- Reed
5- Yow yeh
6- Strasser
7- Hunt
8- McGuire
9- McCullough
10- Kennedy
11- Gillett
12- Thaiday
13- Parker

14- Glenn
15- Oates/Vidot
16- Hannant
17- Hala

15min - McGuire Off/Hannant On
20min - Thaiday Off/Glenn On
25min - Kennedy Off/Hala On
35min - Hannant Off/McGuire On
50min - Hala Off/Hannant On
55min - Glenn Off/Thaiday On
60min - Gillett Off/Oates/Vidot On
70min - McGuire Off/Kennedy On
75min - Hannant Off/Hala On
1 Situational Interchange left.

First Half - 1 Big Man, 1 Workhorse prop.
Hard slog in the middle - 2 Workhorses.
Final stretch - 2 Big men and fresh hard runner.

McGuire - 50 mins
Hannant - 45 mins
Kennedy - 35 mins
Hala - 30 mins
Glenn - 35 mins
Thaiday - 45 mins
Gillet - 60 mins
Oates/Vidot - 20 mins

Hodges' Return - Reshuffle backline, Reevaluate prop/Hooker fitness.
Start of Origin - Reevaluate halves pairing, possible reshuffle.
During Origin period - Ofahengaue, Adams given a shot.
Post Origin - Reshuffle based on performance until now, keep for the rest of the year barring injury.

 

[Grimmiq]

EDIT: Double Post.

 

[coreyh88]

My team

1. Barba

2. Hoffman

3. Reed ( i want him and Hoffman on right)

4. Oates/copley/mills (might consider Hoffman here if yow yeh is good to go otherwise dependant on trial form)

5. Vidot/yowyeh

6. Kahu/strasser(possibility of m barba or Cullen)


7. Hunt

8. Kennedy (moose doesn't have much impact in early exchanges)

9. Macca

10. Hannant

11. Gillett

12. Thaiday

13. Corey parker



14. Cullen/ granville

15. Moose

16. Glenn

17. Lowrie/hala/oates


every position but 17 is purely decided on form (Glenn might start instead of gillett) so ill be very interested to see what hook does there. Otherwise i think it will look exactly like that except possibly the prop rotation.
7.77

 

[Painin the Haas]

What I'd do..

1- Barba
2- Hoffman
3- Copley
4- Reed
5- Yow yeh
6- Strasser
7- Hunt
8- McGuire
9- McCullough
10- Kennedy
11- Gillett
12- Thaiday
13- Parker

14- Glenn
15- Oates/Vidot
16- Hannant
17- Hala

15min - McGuire Off/Hannant On
20min - Thaiday Off/Glenn On
25min - Kennedy Off/Hala On
35min - Hannant Off/McGuire On
50min - Hala Off/Hannant On
55min - Glenn Off/Thaiday On
60min - Gillett Off/Oates/Vidot On
70min - McGuire Off/Kennedy On
75min - Hannant Off/Hala On

McGuire - 50 mins
Hannant - 45 mins
Kennedy - 35 mins
Hala - 30 mins
Glenn - 35 mins
Thaiday - 45 mins
Gillet - 60 mins
Oates/Vidot - 20 mins

Hodges' Return - Reshuffle backline, Reevaluate prop/Hooker fitness.
Start of Origin - Reevaluate halves pairing, possible reshuffle.
During Origin period - Ofahengaue, Adams given a shot.

Well thought out but i think Hannant should have another 10 minutes, which is ok because Hala couldnt do 30 just yet. Sadly Thaiday might be only good for 45min you would hope your international 2nd row captain could play more than just over half a game

 

[Grimmiq]

Well thought out but i think Hannant should have another 10 minutes, which is ok because Hala couldnt do 30 just yet. Sadly Thaiday might be only good for 45min you would hope your international 2nd row captain could play more than just over half a game

Maybe, but I'd hope a professional athlete could do 15mins of work, 10 min rest, 10mins of work, 25 min rest, 5 mins of work. If he'd stop tackling around the ankles every damn tackle and having to lift his massive frame off the ground each time I think he could do it.

 

[RedHillGuy]

Hannant is a must as a starter... when the Broncos went well last year it was invariably when he was playing... just unfortunate he had a bad trot with his calf injury... Macca often looks most effective inside the attacking 20m when Hannant was out there running hard as an option in close to the ruck...

Thaiday hopefully returns from his break fit and returns to the back row playing wide on the right.

Gillett as the other 2nd rower and I wouldn't mind seeing Glenn in the centres until Hodges is fit (assuming Glenn hasn't gotten any bigger in the offseason).

If Strasser plays well late at the line as others have mentioned, then it could be exciting to see the biggest strength of the broncos team (being the backrowers) all running hard at the line...

 

[Painin the Haas]

Hannant is a must as a starter... when the Broncos went well last year it was invariably when he was playing... just unfortunate he had a bad trot with his calf injury... Macca often looks most effective inside the attacking 20m when Hannant was out there running hard as an option in close to the ruck...

Thaiday hopefully returns from his break fit and returns to the back row playing wide on the right.

Gillett as the other 2nd rower and I wouldn't mind seeing Glenn in the centres until Hodges is fit (assuming Glenn hasn't gotten any bigger in the offseason).

If Strasser plays well late at the line as others have mentioned, then it could be exciting to see the biggest strength of the broncos team (being the backrowers) all running hard at the line...

I've only seen a bit of Strasser but he definetely goes to the line as late as he can I'll give him that.

Hannant did look good running onto a macca pass and kennedy will be even better 20m out than hannant.

Glenn is too slow and not good in defence atcentre, I really dislike him playing there especially with so many other good options vailable

 

[bazza]

Okay so really it's down to
Centre: copely
Wing: hoffman

Or
Centre: hoffman
Wing: copely
Hoffman is one of the best wingers in the comp. He does things no one else can there and can work well with little space. Having such a threat out wide takes pressure off those inside him. Eg the opponents knew they didn't need to cover maranta. Hoffmans skill set perfectly suit the wing yes he could develop into a good centre and has the running game but he doesn't know how to draw and pass.

Copley alternatively only just started looking competent as a winger although by all accounts is a very talented centre.
I think you massively under appreciate the importance of good wingers. Something that most of us did until last season where we had the two extremes of maranta and hoffman. Our attack looked quite good last season (a big improvement on 2013) it was just a lack of fullback and injuries that brought us down especially once we got hunt in. It was unfortunate that our attack with forwards was non-existent but hopefully we have that as well next season (as well as better defence)

I'd love oates to have a spot but as it is hooks make or break year he will only be starting if there are a ton of injuries. He isn't a better back than the actual backs (hunt and reed made him look veery good and any competent back would have excelled) and he will have to displace glenn to get decent minutes in second row.

Firstly, I do agree myself with a lot of what you said, but in no way do I underestimate the importance of a winger. I feel everyone else is missing the importance of a quality centre. A good winger can’t do much if his centre can’t create attacking opportunities. When wingers score tries it’s hardly an individual effort. All good teams need a centre that can create attacking opportunities, but when we lose Hodges, we lose that threat. Reed doesn’t quite exactly provide that the way Hodges does. I feel Hoffman has the right characteristics to replicate and provide that x factor quality while Hodges is out.

My only concern is having one of your attacking threats hiding away on the wing, where he gets limited touches to make an impact on a match. On the wing he is inhibited from creating his own opportunities, but rather has to work with what he’s given. Yes he can finish and do marvellous things in limited space, but my argument is - imagine what he could do with more space, where he isn't hugging the touchline??? With the added room to move, the fact that he will get the ball earlier from his halves means he has more time between himself and his opposition and hence can do more things with ball in hand. He’ll be able fully utilise his strong running game without being restricted by limited touches.

With everyone saying that we'll lose the ability to finish try's off, is not really accurate. Does that mean we have no other wingers that can finish??? If so, than that's poor recruitment. What happens if Hoffman is injured... do we have no one that can play wing to a high standard???

Either way I feel he'll still be finishing try's off, just with more room to work in, one position in from the wing. He’ll still be scoring tries, perhaps more so than now when he'll have more touches of the football.

To say he can’t draw and pass is incorrect. He can, just needs more practice. He was a five-eighth his whole junior career. What five-eighth can’t pass?? If he couldn't pass, why would he get recruited for Broncos U20’s as a five-eighth??? It’s probably just a bad habit he picked up just like most other players in NYC, who just dummy and go because the defence is so weak.

I think Copley is a gun, but as I've mentioned before, I have concerns of chucking him in the deep end at the moment.
Either way, I think the video below shows what Hoffman is capable of with more room, involvement, and proper service from his halves.It also shows that he can pass when needed, something that can be improved with some time. I hope Reed returns to this form, and of course Yow Yeh as well...

 

[bazza]

On a side note do we still have players such as Joe Bond, Denan Kemp, Delroy Berryman or Liam Georgetown...????

I was pretty annoyed that we didn't give any of them a crack last year, especially when we had trouble at times in the positions that they can play.

Instead of playing Norman, I really think Bond could've been something. He was QCup's version of Barba, probably quicker, but not as polished overall. He was probably another player that is talented enough to be a quality first grader, but needs a lot of work at the same time to become consistent. Now he'll probably never get a run in the NRL... maybe in the 9's???

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Denan Kemp was named to play against the Warriors in Round 15, but never did. He is another player that we would've benefited from last year as he is match winner and a brilliant outside back that could play wing, fullback and centre with ease. He should never have left the Broncos in the first place

With our lack of quality outside backs, forcing Glenn, Stagg, Gillett and even Oates, all backrowers to play wing or centre, wouldn't it have been logical to play either Berryman or Georgetown??? Delroy is quick, strong and brilliant at finishing, and although primarily a fullback, can play centre and wing. Georgetown himself is quite a handy winger and can kick goals.

 

[Splinter]

Firstly, I do agree myself with a lot of what you said, but in no way do I underestimate the importance of a winger. I feel everyone else is missing the importance of a quality centre. A good winger can’t do much if his centre can’t create attacking opportunities. When wingers score tries it’s hardly an individual effort. All good teams need a centre that can create attacking opportunities, but when we lose Hodges, we lose that threat. Reed doesn’t quite exactly provide that the way Hodges does. I feel Hoffman has the right characteristics to replicate and provide that x factor quality while Hodges is out.

My only concern is having one of your attacking threats hiding away on the wing, where he gets limited touches to make an impact on a match. On the wing he is inhibited from creating his own opportunities, but rather has to work with what he’s given. Yes he can finish and do marvellous things in limited space, but my argument is - imagine what he could do with more space, where he isn't hugging the touchline??? With the added room to move, the fact that he will get the ball earlier from his halves means he has more time between himself and his opposition and hence can do more things with ball in hand. He’ll be able fully utilise his strong running game without being restricted by limited touches.

With everyone saying that we'll lose the ability to finish try's off, is not really accurate. Does that mean we have no other wingers that can finish??? If so, than that's poor recruitment. What happens if Hoffman is injured... do we have no one that can play wing to a high standard???

Either way I feel he'll still be finishing try's off, just with more room to work in, one position in from the wing. He’ll still be scoring tries, perhaps more so than now when he'll have more touches of the football.

To say he can’t draw and pass is incorrect. He can, just needs more practice. He was a five-eighth his whole junior career. What five-eighth can’t pass?? If he couldn't pass, why would he get recruited for Broncos U20’s as a five-eighth??? It’s probably just a bad habit he picked up just like most other players in NYC, who just dummy and go because the defence is so weak.

I think Copley is a gun, but as I've mentioned before, I have concerns of chucking him in the deep end at the moment.
Either way, I think the video below shows what Hoffman is capable of with more room, involvement, and proper service from his halves.It also shows that he can pass when needed, something that can be improved with some time. I hope Reed returns to this form, and of course Yow Yeh as well...

Barely anything there to excite me about Hoffman's ability to pass.
You have ruined my day Bazza because now i have remembered just how good JYY was. My wish is now for JYY to be fit and play centre for the start of next year. He looked more likely to pass a ball than Hoffman

 

[Splinter]

On a side note do we still have players such as Joe Bond, Denan Kemp, Delroy Berryman or Liam Georgetown...????

I was pretty annoyed that we didn't give any of them a crack last year, especially when we had trouble at times in the positions that they can play.

Instead of playing Norman, I really think Bond could've been something. He was QCup's version of Barba, probably quicker, but not as polished overall. He was probably another player that is talented enough to be a quality first grader, but needs a lot of work at the same time to become consistent. Now he'll probably never get a run in the NRL... maybe in the 9's???

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Denan Kemp was named to play against the Warriors in Round 15, but never did. He is another player that we would've benefited from last year as he is match winner and a brilliant outside back that could play wing, fullback and centre with ease. He should never have left the Broncos in the first place

With our lack of quality outside backs, forcing Glenn, Stagg, Gillett and even Oates, all backrowers to play wing or centre, wouldn't it have been logical to play either Berryman or Georgetown??? Delroy is quick, strong and brilliant at finishing, and although primarily a fullback, can play centre and wing. Georgetown himself is quite a handy winger and can kick goals.

I don't believe any of them are still on our books

 

[bazza]

Barely anything there to excite me about Hoffman's ability to pass.
You have ruined my day Bazza because now i have remembered just how good JYY was. My wish is now for JYY to be fit and play centre for the start of next year. He looked more likely to pass a ball than Hoffman

Firstly I never said he was world class as a ballplayer, but what I was implying is that he has passed the ball in the past, which suggests that with adequate practice and coaching, he can do a bit more of it.

I'm guessing you didn't read the post, as you would've realised that it wasn't about Hoffman's passing ability, but instead it was his running game, and how in order to improve our attack while Hodges is out, we should increase his involvement in a game.

There's nothing to say Yow Yeh can't reach that form again, in fact, that probably wasn't even his best as he was still fairly inexperienced in the NRL. Players reach their peak as they get older, and Yow Yeh's best, I feel, is still infront of him.

 

[bazza]

I don't believe any of them are still on our books

That's quite unfortunate, I really would have liked Kemp to regain the form he displayed for us prior to leaving. I also wanted Bond to get a few runs, as well as Berryman. I wasn't to sure on Georgetown. At his age I didn't think he could be successful in the NRL, but when we needed backs, he could've filled in I guess.

 

[Cult]

I don't believe any of them are still on our books

Bond signed with the Canberra feeder club, Mounties I think. Berryman signed with Manly. I haven't heard a thing Kemp and Georgetown. The Broncos annual 2013 only says "goodbye" to Prince, Wallace, Norman, Lui, Anderson, Tasi, Baptiste, Whitchurch and Gibb. So I imagine they are still on our books, somehow?

 

[1910]

On a side note do we still have players such as Joe Bond, Denan Kemp, Delroy Berryman or Liam Georgetown...????

I was pretty annoyed that we didn't give any of them a crack last year, especially when we had trouble at times in the positions that they can play.

Instead of playing Norman, I really think Bond could've been something. He was QCup's version of Barba, probably quicker, but not as polished overall. He was probably another player that is talented enough to be a quality first grader, but needs a lot of work at the same time to become consistent. Now he'll probably never get a run in the NRL... maybe in the 9's???

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Denan Kemp was named to play against the Warriors in Round 15, but never did. He is another player that we would've benefited from last year as he is match winner and a brilliant outside back that could play wing, fullback and centre with ease. He should never have left the Broncos in the first place

With our lack of quality outside backs, forcing Glenn, Stagg, Gillett and even Oates, all backrowers to play wing or centre, wouldn't it have been logical to play either Berryman or Georgetown??? Delroy is quick, strong and brilliant at finishing, and although primarily a fullback, can play centre and wing. Georgetown himself is quite a handy winger and can kick goals.

None of those players are with the Broncos and some never were.

Bond has gone to Sydney to play VB Cup a week before pre-season.
Berryman is at Manly
Kemp is retired and didn't even see out the season- his form was terrible.
Georgetown was playing FOGS last year and was never signed to the Broncos anyway.

 

[bazza]

None of those players are with the Broncos and some never were.

Bond has gone to Sydney to play VB Cup a week before pre-season.
Berryman is at Manly
Kemp is retired and didn't even see out the season- his form was terrible.
Georgetown was playing FOGS last year and was never signed to the Broncos anyway.

Ahhh ok, but did they all train with the Broncos 2013 squad??? I know Bond, Berryman, Kemp and Georgetown made the Broncos 2013 40 man squad...

 

[bazza]

For those not convinced on Granville, does this video below show enough potential for him to be a handy bench hooker???

In my opinion Granville would provide speed out of dummy half, as well as a bit of creativity as he likes to play what's in front of him. If used correctly, he could be a strike weapon off the bench when the opposition is looking tired. His defence looks to be solid enough, while his support play is another thing that caught my eye in every game he has played for Wynnum. That probably comes from his ability to play fullback. His passing game is good and his running game is also strong. I think he could do really well coming on for McCullough.