Your 2013 team.

[Big Pete]

I'm not dropping Reed on form.

I just don't think he offers enough with ball in hand & believe Copley will from centre.

 

[broncos4life]

1. Josh Hoffman
2. Lachlan Maranta
3. Dale Copley
4. Justin Hodges
5. Jharal Yow Yeh
6. Peter Wallace
7. Ben Hunt
8. Ben Hannant
9. Andrew McCullough
10. Josh McGuire
11. Alex Glenn
12. Sam Thaiday (c)
13. Corey Parker

14. Kurt Baptiste
15. Matt Gillett
16. Dave Hala
17. Aaron Whitchurch

Hoffman at fullback because at full strength I believe he's our best long term option. Norman could be an alternative but would rather he focus on playing halves and would make him do that in QCup. Maranta & I spose Kahu would be my alternative.

Copley in centres because I legitimately think he's a better attacking player. Just hope he's worked on his d.

Hunt in halves because he showed more promise than Norman did in less game time & actually has a track record in juniors of being good, unlike Norman.

Pack is what you expect.

Bench would provide the most impact. Baptiste is a gun out of dummy half, Hala could be Moi Moi v2 & Whitchurch is shaping as a strong fringe runner and is the closest player we have to Te'o.

Rest of our squad would look like...

Jack Reed
Corey Norman
Scott Anderson
Mitchell Dodds
Dunamis Lui
Luke Capewell
Nick Slyney
Brendon Gibb
Jarrod Wallace
Mitchell Frei
Jordan Kahu
Matt Smith
Matt Berwick - Hopefully he pulls through
Chris Binge
Francis Molo
Corey Oates
Caleb Timu

I'm sorry but reed is in the 17. Yeah he hasn't been as good as the year before but of the people in the team that need to be dropped, it's not him

 

[Big Pete]

He very well could be.

But that's not the point of this thread.

 

[Kimlo]

I actually think Reed may be in the backrow next year in place of Te'o. He plays much more like a backrower than he does a centre anyway. I actually see value in Reed in the backrow, with Te'o gone someone needs to fill that bench backrow spot.

I'm happy to give Hoffman 3-5 games, if he's still as bad as he was for the last few months then he'll never see first grade again, if he re-gains form then I couldn't be happier because he can be a very good player.

The only thing that will make me confident for 2013 is signing a gun player, like Johnson.

 

[gUt]

So assuming we get Sezer my round 1 team would be

1. Hodges
2. Maranta
3. Copley
4. Hoffman
5. Yow Yeh
6. Sezer
7. Wallace/Hunt
8. Hannant
9. McCullough
10. Thaiday (c)
11. Glenn
12. Parker
13. Reed

14. McGuire
15. Gillett
16. Hala/Whitchurch
17. Hunt/Hala

 

[Alec]

Johnson, whilst undoubtedly talented, is years from his best. He has plenty of development left just like Norman, Hunt and Hoffman. In fact - he's even less experienced than all of those fella's.

Isn't that an even better reason to sign him and/or think of him as a saviour? He's already better than most halves in the comp, and he's still just going to get better.

 

[Alec]

Also as for Reed, even if you don't play him in the centres, you play him on the wing. I wouldn't drop him for Maranta.

 

[Mister Wright]

1. Norman
2. Copely
3. Hoffman
4. Hodges
5. Yow Yeh
6. Wallace
7. Hunt
8. Hannant
9. McCullough
10. McGuire
11. Glen
12. Thaiday
13. Parker
14. Reed
15. Gillett
16. Hala
17. Anderson (or some other young prop)

 

[Porthoz]

1- Corey Norman has the instincts to be at the right place in broken plays, is physically strong and can break the line quite well, can throw a good pass in a set play, and has a very good long kicking game. Hoffman needs to go back to the drawing board and learn to use space and time in a offensive set, to give himself the chance to either throw a pass or evade the player rushing out of the line to tackle him!

2- Dale Copley: Like most people here, I have been impressed by his progress this season. He has become very safe under the high ball, is a damaging runner of the ball, and if he gains a little more control, he can be a great finisher. Lachlan Maranta and Josh Hoffman await in the shadows to grab this spot.

3- Jack Reed, unless he doesn't recover from his 2nd year syndrome, at which point he could become a handy bench 2nd rower, while Copley moves into his favorite position and Maranta or Hoffman fight over the remaining wing spot.

4- Justin Hodges really came of age in the second half of the season, and showed how good he really is, and still amongst the top 3 centres in the game. Hoffman could try to make a name for himself here during the Origin period if he doesn't keep the FB spot.

5- Jharal Yow Yeh: I just hope he comes back to his best, because he can and will make a huge difference to our backline, especially his aerial game will a huge gain.

6- Peter Wallace, a great organization halve with a great short kicking game and the vision to make things happen, as long as he gets the time to execute them, which he won't get as first receiver.

7- Ben Hunt needs at least half a season to get into a partnership with Wallace and a more capable fullback in Norman. If he doesn't succeed, then Wallace comes back into the position and we look at what Kahu / Norman are capable of, or... we throw a blank checkbook at Shaun Johnson!

8- Ben Hannant will become our number 1 prop after Civo's departure, and will hopefully be able to keep producing high quality minutes.

9- Andrew McCullough is becoming a bit more consistent and is certainly the best option at hooker for the Broncos. Hopefully, he will start playing 90 minutes so we don't waste a bench spot on someone to relieve him for 5 to 10 minutes.

10-Corey Parker is increasingly becoming more of a prop in his play style, runs with purpose, offloads at will and tackles well, with the advantage of leaving room for the more mobile Glenn, Thaiday and Gillett in the second row.

11-Alex Glenn is a no-brainer really, who IMO should be our captain, but I guess that ship has sailed...

12-Sam Thaiday hopefully will return to his damaging best on the right fringe, where his partnership with Hodges and Yow Yeh can create havoc for the opponent.

13-Matt Gillett after a year where he clearly let himself down, has to take the opportunity to go to the next level. I think he can play a role similar to that of Glen Stewart at the scum, and provide us with that extra x-factor we have been lacking so much.



14-Aaron Whitchurch could be the utility on the bench, capable of filling a position in the back-row or in the back-line.

15-Josh McGuire is another no-brainer, who will only keep getting better. His rotation with Hannant and Parker should allow for Hala to have more impact in his shorter stints.

16-David Hala can be our bulldozer and damage defenses in the later stages of each half, generating quick play the balls and opening gaps for our back-row and back-line to slip through.

17-Rotational spot for one of the many back-rowers we have, giving them the chance to gain experience and help us overcome the much maligned Origin period.


I still see the above team as having top 4 potential as long as it is utilized properly, and better attacking plans and set plays are created and trained until they are ingrained in each player's subconscious. And although we may be a bit thin in the prop depth, the likes of Maranta, Hoffman, Capewell? and Kahu in the backs, as well as the plethora of good back-rowers guarantee us a cushion we can rely on during injuries and/or Origin.


Gee and Griffin have the time to act now. Use that time wisely!

 

[Culhwch]

I like that team. I'm really warming to the idea of using Parker (or even Thaiday) at prop, and leaving McGuire on the bench. That starting pack should set a strong platform, and with McGuire and Hala coming on around the twenty minute mark we shouldn't lose any momentum - in fact it should be a good pick-up.

One change I'd consider is Hoffman into fullback and Norman to lock or to the bench either in Whitchurch's role or as a backrower. Norman could also shift into the centres with Reed to the bench int he same role.

Gee and Griffin have the time to act now. Use that time wisely!

That's the key thing. I really hope they do, but I wouldn't be surprised if they stick with the status quo and go with pretty much the same team that finished this season except for the forced changes caused by departures.

 

[mrslong]

I think Hoffman is suffering because he has NFI what Norman is going to do. No coincidence that with Locky feeding him the ball he was going great guns. If we had a decent 5-8 he would be perfect at fb.

 

[rnabokov]

I think Hoffman is suffering because he has NFI what Norman is going to do. No coincidence that with Locky feeding him the ball he was going great guns. If we had a decent 5-8 he would be perfect at fb.

I reckon that applied to pretty much every player. As for Norman, maybe his problem is that he has NFI what he is going to do

 

[IBA]

Hoffman has never really been gun in the opposition half though. It has been a noticeable gap in our attack over the last couple of years. Watch some compilations like these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_nLM9vPOsI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFLugjvLAQk&feature=related

Not many tries involving fullback (and when it does, it was usually Beale...)

and compare them to clips in Hunt era or of other teams with great attacking fullbacks, they chime in all the time. I don't think Hoffman has the play making skills to play as a modern fb unfortunately. Lockyer and Yow Yeh had been covering that up a little bit but it became extremely obvious without those 2 this year.

 

[Coxy]

I dunno, Hoffman scored a few tries last year running on inside balls from Locky, or the outball Locky-tap back in from Thaiday to Hoffman on the inside, unless I'm imagining things.

Those plays just don't exist with Norman and Wallace there.

And yes, the second man play is non-existent or useless...

 

[Bucking Beads]

I think a lot of our problems this year can be put down to a coaching issue. I don't feel like we play to our strengths. We play such a boring style that gives us no chance of scoring. We need to look to attack more. We just seem to run one out too much. No players in motion at all.

 

[vertigo]

I don't think you could name one team this year that would've been afraid of our attack, their gameplan would just be score more points and we're sweet because they aren't coming back.

You have no idea how bad I want us to be a side that can put on 40 points when the opposition is even a little bit off their game. Convincingly too, none of that arsey shit.

 

[noisetheory]

i agree. i just want us to be a team worth watching again. and i mean, entertaining football.

 

[Coxy]

Some of the tries we scored against the roosters and knights showed we're capable against defences off their game