Where to From Here? Let's Plan for 2021...er...2025

[Sproj]

Are you sure there was no interest in the Australian fullback and a QLD winger?

Would he have been a loss if not re-signed? Don’t forget Brisbane had Barba and Milford when Bennett signed Boyd in the first place. Yes 2015 and 2016 Boyd worked out well in the end but he was not a needed signing in the first place and the extension, like many contracts in the last ten years by the Broncos, was too much and too long.

 

[Thelmus]

Are you sure there was no interest in the Australian fullback and a QLD winger?

Yeah I seam remember the panic when oates contract came up last time (previous to blood poisoning etc.). There were people certain the cowboys would scoop him up for 600,000 or 700,000.
It mimicked what was going on with fiffita, except in that instance we "won" the battle for the contract.
The same thing is being said of some of our young guns now and it's a cautionary tale. For the record I think it was the right decision with fiffita to hold the line with the money, but time will tell.
Outside of smith, there are few players we have lost out on long term with potential versus the reality, but the few we have are memorable.
In the end, you can't keep them all, but I think it's sound strategy to build from within with good (Nrl ready) players and augment with the occasional star than go all out try to buy a spine and fit your squad around them. That's what the titans have done until recently and they inevitably pay the price as potential spine players and rising stars leave to a club where certain positions and players are set in stone.
In short, build the core of the team from within, be flexible with selections, and be prepared to let your stars play reserve. This has been our mistake. Lastly be prepared to sacrifice performance in the short term to instill the right attitude.
Dropping macca for Turpin was fair enough, but when we brought in saguaro mid-season and playing him without any idea where his head was at, we were playing with fire and we got burnt.
It was worth a shot, but you have be super-cautious of those type of players and let them show consistency in the lower grades (on and off the field).
If I had to sum up why we have failed these last two seasons it's that we rushed a lot of things and we're too impatient for immediate success.

 

[Huge]

What brand of footy does everyone think we'll be playing next year? i think the last 2 years has proven an overly structured game plan where we work to set part's of the field on certain tackles just isn't right for this group.

Furthermore i don't think we have the strike to play an expansive game where we attack from any point of the field we please. Milf is no longer that explosive player and we've lost fifita for good and staggs for a big chunk of the season, our ability to attack from within our own half is really poor.

Given our likely team dynamics I'd say our most sucessfull game plan will be based on been a defensive powerhouse and almost frusterating teams out of games. I think sublime discipline and defence and work on breaking opposition teams down by having the ability to not make errors, give penalties and miss tackles.

I know it sounds very simple and like basic rugby league principles but we've gotta get it right. I can't see us been a team who can score 3 tries in the last 15 minutes to win a game.

I think your third paragraph nails it. I'd say you're right on the money there. I might be saying that because it lines up with what I personally would do were I coach Huge.

Added to that would be 3 or 4 really well rehearsed plays and as I have blithered on about before I'd start with half speed practice slowly building up to game speed during the off season. One things certain though, I'd make sure my forwards bent at the waist and drove shoulders into midsections. I'd cut out this idiotic shoulder high tackling. I'm so over guys going high time after time. My team would be called Victa's...they keep mowing ***** down. Yes, I don't care about 'wrapping up the ball carriers arm'. From my observations blokes heading towards the dirt at a great rate get very little time to offload effectively but have oodles of time while they jog along with two or three guys all playing touchy feely around the shoulders.

Post contact metres against my team would drop dramatically. Lose something here, gain something there. Defence wins games.

 

[Sproj]

I think your third paragraph nails it. I'd say you're right on the money there. I might be saying that because it lines up with what I personally would do were I coach Huge.

Added to that would be 3 or 4 really well rehearsed plays and as I have blithered on about before I'd start with half speed practice slowly building up to game speed during the off season. One things certain though, I'd make sure my forwards bent at the waist and drove shoulders into midsections. I'd cut out this idiotic shoulder high tackling. I'm so over guys going high time after time. My team would be called Victa's...they keep mowing ***** down. Yes, I don't care about 'wrapping up the ball carriers arm'. From my observations blokes heading towards the dirt at a great rate get very little time to offload effectively but have oodles of time while they jog along with two or three guys all playing touchy feely around the shoulders.

Post contact metres against my team would drop dramatically. Lose something here, gain something there. Defence wins games.

Yes! It is ridiculous how often our players go high to tackle, the ball carrier pumping his legs making post-contact metres and then still able to pop an offload.

 

[theshed]

Would he have been a loss if not re-signed? Don’t forget Brisbane had Barba and Milford when Bennett signed Boyd in the first place. Yes 2015 and 2016 Boyd worked out well in the end but he was not a needed signing in the first place and the extension, like many contracts in the last ten years by the Broncos, was too much and too long.

Bennett very correctly punted Barba as his first point of action. Couldn’t get rid of him fast enough. Boyd was a huge part of our incredible defence in those 15/16 seasons. I had no issues with him returning. But I had a big issue with his and Gillo’s most recent contracts.

 

[Sproj]

Bennett very correctly punted Barba as his first point of action. Couldn’t get rid of him fast enough. Boyd was a huge part of our incredible defence in those 15/16 seasons. I had no issues with him returning. But I had a big issue with his and Gillo’s most recent contracts.

Don't forget, for all Barba's woes (and there were many), he went on to win a (totally legit of course) premiership with Cronulla. I actually think our side would have been BETTER with a fit and firing, Sharks' era Barba...and that occurred at the same time we had Boyd. Imagine how good Barba would have been playing off our eyes up attack of 2015/16.

We wouldn't have had to pay him the ridiculous, over the top wage we have been paying Boyd post-2016 either as he would have eventually got himself fired.

 

[Big Pete]

It's difficult to say if Barba would have been the player he was at Cronulla. I think he benefitted from their system and all the different points of attack they had. Usually, the media likes to represent the playmakers in a team by their spine but with the Sharks you have to include 3. Jack Bird 8. Andrew Fifita 11. Luke Lewis 12. Wade Graham 13. Paul Gallen.

I just think it was a smart move from Barba to go to Cronulla. It was the right move and after overcoming an ankle injury and working hard in the pre-season and got the rewards. It still wasn't a patch on his 2011-2012 form and it's a shame because he was a great player to watch.

When he was at the Broncos, Hook tried to make him play like Darius Boyd and it just didn't work. His game actually improved when he went to 6 because he wasn't so reliant on Hunt and Hoffman feeding him good ball. This was especially true when he had Hodges out the back so he had a great decoy to work off of.

 

[Fitzy]

Would he have been a loss if not re-signed? Don’t forget Brisbane had Barba and Milford when Bennett signed Boyd in the first place. Yes 2015 and 2016 Boyd worked out well in the end but he was not a needed signing in the first place and the extension, like many contracts in the last ten years by the Broncos, was too much and too long.

That’s a good point

 

[Accept]

This sums up things pretty well and mentioned a few things I had forgotten about. Wouldn't be surprised if a BHQ member is the author of this clip.

 

[Sproj]

This sums up things pretty well and mentioned a few things I had forgotten about. Wouldn't be surprised if a BHQ member is the author of this clip.

Yep summarised well and notice that injuries started to screw the side in 2016/17? Was this when the current medical idiots came on board?

The team has no genuine superstars anymore aside from Haas and Staggs but both of them are still just kids and have defensive deficiencies in their games.

No one else is even close to top 5 in the comp in their positions, aside from MAYBE Carrigan but even then, lock is a very strong position comp wide. There is barely anyone who would even be top ten outside the above mentioned 3.

Compare to the side of 2006 or even 2015 when you had teams littered with top 5/10 players in almost every position. You can't win anything when 98% of your side are in the bottom half/quarter of their position. What the hey was Seibold and the board thinking with this roster?

 

[Thelmus]

Yep summarised well and notice that injuries started to screw the side in 2016/17? Was this when the current medical idiots came on board?

The team has no genuine superstars anymore aside from Haas and Staggs but both of them are still just kids and have defensive deficiencies in their games.

No one else is even close to top 5 in the comp in their positions, aside from MAYBE Carrigan but even then, lock is a very strong position comp wide. There is barely anyone who would even be top ten outside the above mentioned 3.

Compare to the side of 2006 or even 2015 when you had teams littered with top 5/10 players in almost every position. You can't win anything when 98% of your side are in the bottom half/quarter of their position. What the hey was Seibold and the board thinking with this roster?

Whilst I agree we have plenty of poor performers and a heap of injuries to the few that do, it is not all doom and gloom.
We have always had players that are never going to be dally m winners or even rep. players. Sometimes they have been the majority, but the team with a good coach can find a way to succeed.
That 2006 side had Perry as a half, Casey McGuire in the centres, along with David staff, and Dane Carlaw. Insert them in the current team and players they replace will start to look a whole lot better. They were good, but not great (and to be fair, two of those played origin). The difference was they had some truly great players around them, some old hard heads who knew how to compete and teach the young rising stars what playing for the broncos was all about.
If you look at our team, as it stands, the missing ingredient is that "never say die" attitude broncos like Walters had in spades. Recognising this Walters has made special projects of two players in particular: TPJ and Milford.
Both have the ability to turn a match on its head, regardless of where their teammates are performing and the state of the game.
It's one ingredient that's missing. That webke like "play the 79th like first" type player is there as well. In fact we have two in Haas and carrigan. The last part is a bit tougher: that mean old forward who can put the other team's champion on his back and double-guessing every play he gets hit in is an obvious point lacking.
I've seen Teo, TPJ, and even Offa give it a go but not quite pull it off for reasons of either fitness, technique or both. It's a fine to walk, but every team needs at least one, if not more.
In the past player like the axe, Ryan and even a young Ben Teo have done so in the forwards whilst Lewis, Hodges, Darren smith have done the same in the backs (I think staggs can do that role if he works hard but puts himself too often in "no man's land".
I don't envy Walter's job as other coaches, even Bennet right back to the beginning had all those types of players when starting their tenure. He will have to make them.

 

[Dazza 92]

This sums up things pretty well and mentioned a few things I had forgotten about. Wouldn't be surprised if a BHQ member is the author of this clip.

nice vid whoever made it...

 

[Morkel]

Plan 1. Don't get injured.
Plan 2. Don't get suspended.
Plan 3. Don't be a fuckwit.
Plan 4. Accept premiership trophy.

 

[Sproj]

Plan 1. Don't get injured.
Plan 2. Don't get suspended.
Plan 3. Don't be a fuckwit.
Plan 4. Accept premiership trophy.

Are you thinking this thread is for season 2121?

 

[lynx000]

Plan 1. Don't get injured.
Plan 2. Don't get suspended.
Plan 3. Don't be a fuckwit.
Plan 4. Accept premiership trophy.

Plan 5. Change out the music selection from the crap Seibold played at training to Gypsy Jazz or Jive.

 

[arieals]

Not sure if this has already been suggested but one of the issues with the salary cap across at all clubs seems to be overpaying players who aren’t performing. Maybe the Broncos could look at having a base wage for each position and keep say 20% off the cap for a performance bonus. That way all players have an incentive to play well and those that perform well are rewarded. It could also somewhat mitigate the issue of overpaying for underperforming players.

 

[Dazza 92]

Not sure if this has already been suggested but one of the issues with the salary cap across at all clubs seems to be overpaying players who aren’t performing. Maybe the Broncos could look at having a base wage for each position and keep say 20% off the cap for a performance bonus. That way all players have an incentive to play well and those that perform well are rewarded. It could also somewhat mitigate the issue of overpaying for underperforming players.

Im sorry but this makes sense, and therefore has no place at the 2020 Broncos..

 

[BroncsFan]

Not sure if this has already been suggested but one of the issues with the salary cap across at all clubs seems to be overpaying players who aren’t performing. Maybe the Broncos could look at having a base wage for each position and keep say 20% off the cap for a performance bonus. That way all players have an incentive to play well and those that perform well are rewarded. It could also somewhat mitigate the issue of overpaying for underperforming players.

And you will find those players will just sign elsewhere for a higher salary with no clauses to do the same thing.

The "performance" based bonuses are rep games ($20k a pop for origin and internationals).

This isn't Joe Blog on the street where supply and demand dictates that the employer has the power.

Good NRL players are a limited commodity and will be sought after... if you put a shit contract in front of them there will be a queue behind you waiting to give them a proper deal and they will be gone