Matt Orford

[Dan]

Dude, I agree with Volley, one of your worst. We are 2 wins away from 4th spot.

we could stay 2 wins away the rest of the season too though Clon.

I don't mean that there is no hope that we will make the finals, I am sure we will. I just dont think we have the team to win the comp under the current style of play. I would be happy to eat my words, but lets be honest. We cant expect Brett to score 3 tries every game and we dont have the smaller faster men everywhere. We built a team around a bigger dominant pack where the game required it, now that is suddenly no longer a winning formula. Lets blood some youngens and get ready for the next few years.

Also the quest to go back to back is what ends up losing teams a lot of players and makes things harder. Starting the rebuild the very next year would lead to longer term and more regular success and players coming in a lot cheaper than they would be if you had back to back grand final wins under your belt

 

[clontaago]

Mate the same was said last year by many people on here, that would wouldnt win a premiership with the side we had, and we did so by a record margin.Way too early to throw away a season just yet.

The game hasnt changed that much Dan. As someone mentioned earlier, the Tigers won in 2005 and everyone was saying that the game had changed and smaller/more mobile forward packs were the go. Fast forward a year to 2006 and the Broncos won with Petero and Webcke!!!

 

[Dan]

Mate the same was said last year by many people on here, that would wouldnt win a premiership with the side we had, and we did so by a record margin.Way too early to throw away a season just yet.

The game hasnt changed that much Dan. As someone mentioned earlier, the Tigers won in 2005 and everyone was saying that the game had changed and smaller/more mobile forward packs were the go. Fast forward a year to 2006 and the Broncos won with Petero and Webcke!!!

They were saying it based on faster smaller players, what happened? teams developed the wrestle tactics. The wrestle tactics are now ruled out of the game, therefore there is no other way to slow the speed of the game down.

Rather than a faster team winning because noone had developed tactics against them, the NRL has dictated new rules to suit them

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

If the Broncos are meant to be the benchmark and favourites, then how has the game changed towards smaller, faster players. Hunt is 1 of the slowest fullbacks round, Folau and Hodges are big men, Lockyer has lost the majority of his pace, and the pack aren't exactly small agile men with blokes like Clinton, Kenny, Taylor and co in there.

Conversely, at the other end of the ladder, we have a team including Payne, Thurston, Bowen etc.

This 2 ref speeding up the ruck thing is a huge beat up imo, because the games against the Panthers and Tigers had slower rucks than the majority of our games last season

 

[Dan]

If the Broncos are meant to be the benchmark and favourites, then how has the game changed towards smaller, faster players. Hunt is 1 of the slowest fullbacks round, Folau and Hodges are big men, Lockyer has lost the majority of his pace, and the pack aren't exactly small agile men with blokes like Clinton, Kenny, Taylor and co in there.

Conversely, at the other end of the ladder, we have a team including Payne, Thurston, Bowen etc.

This 2 ref speeding up the ruck thing is a huge beat up imo, because the games against the Panthers and Tigers had slower rucks than the majority of our games last season

Broncos are extremely mobile, not just through speed though there is some fair pace in their outside backs. But they are also light-footed when it comes to stepping etc.

Kicking is also a huuuuuge part of the new game. Lockyer can kick, Wallace can kick, hunt can kick.

Dragons - Soward one of the best in play kickers going

Souths - When Soward doesnt have a game as poor as he did last week, he is a superb kicker, as is Sutton. Pace in this team is nothing to be laughed at

Titans - Prince, Campbell and Rogers are no slouches when it comes to kicking either. They also have a lot of pace

 

[Cletus]

If the Broncos are meant to be the benchmark and favourites, then how has the game changed towards smaller, faster players. Hunt is 1 of the slowest fullbacks round, Folau and Hodges are big men, Lockyer has lost the majority of his pace, and the pack aren't exactly small agile men with blokes like Clinton, Kenny, Taylor and co in there.

Conversely, at the other end of the ladder, we have a team including Payne, Thurston, Bowen etc.

This 2 ref speeding up the ruck thing is a huge beat up imo, because the games against the Panthers and Tigers had slower rucks than the majority of our games last season

I don't think the two refs have sped up the ruck that much, the main difference is in the amount of stoppages for the video ref ruling on strips and tries. It means theres a lot more fatigue so when teams have small agile guys they can take advantage of that. I honestly thought the ruck speed last weekend was one of the slowest this year, and probably worse than most games last year.
I think the two refs while make less difference as the year goes on as the players get fitter and more used to it, and the refs become less strict on it.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

[quote author=Kiwi Eagle link=topic=180124.msg219468#msg219468 date=1239858624]
If the Broncos are meant to be the benchmark and favourites, then how has the game changed towards smaller, faster players. Hunt is 1 of the slowest fullbacks round, Folau and Hodges are big men, Lockyer has lost the majority of his pace, and the pack aren't exactly small agile men with blokes like Clinton, Kenny, Taylor and co in there.

Conversely, at the other end of the ladder, we have a team including Payne, Thurston, Bowen etc.

This 2 ref speeding up the ruck thing is a huge beat up imo, because the games against the Panthers and Tigers had slower rucks than the majority of our games last season

Broncos are extremely mobile, not just through speed though there is some fair pace in their outside backs. But they are also light-footed when it comes to stepping etc.

Kicking is also a huuuuuge part of the new game. Lockyer can kick, Wallace can kick, hunt can kick.

Dragons - Soward one of the best in play kickers going

Souths - When Soward doesnt have a game as poor as he did last week, he is a superb kicker, as is Sutton. Pace in this team is nothing to be laughed at

Titans - Prince, Campbell and Rogers are no slouches when it comes to kicking either. They also have a lot of pace
[/quote]

We have ****loads of pace and kicking ablity as well. Orford, Lyon and Ballin can all kick, with Bailey and Stewart capable also.
On the mobility front, we may be down slightly in that area, but Watmough and Stewart can get around the park along with Rodney and Cuthbertson off the bench. People may laugh at that because Cuthbo is a big boy, but I don't have any problem with how he moves around the park

Personally, I think people are over playing this 'new' game thing, It isn't massively different imo, and I am not seeing the small men dominate much more, if any more, than they have in the past few seasons with the likes of Bowen and co.

 

[Dan]

Ballin is a distance kicker but not an accurate attacking kicker near the line.

When Orford is on song he is a great kicker.

How much kicking do you expect Centres to do?

 

[clontaago]

Kenny v Perry
Clinton v Kite
Gorrell V Ballin
Thaiday v Watmough
Sims v Hall
Parker v G Stewart

If you are seriously trying to tell me that the Broncos pack is more mobile than ours, Ill eat both of Volleys nuts.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Ballin is a distance kicker but not an accurate attacking kicker near the line.

When Orford is on song he is a great kicker.

How much kicking do you expect Centres to do?

It isn't  hard to move 5-10m across from you centre position to take a kick, I would expect a centre to do as much as Hunt would from fullback

 

[Dan]

[quote author=Dan link=topic=180124.msg219472#msg219472 date=1239860838]
Ballin is a distance kicker but not an accurate attacking kicker near the line.

When Orford is on song he is a great kicker.

How much kicking do you expect Centres to do?

It isn't  hard to move 5-10m across from you centre position to take a kick, I would expect a centre to do as much as Hunt would from fullback
[/quote]
Hunt plays as a second 5/8 they look like they want to bring him on the same as Lockyer. He also isn't the target of their kicking plays.

Taking Lyon away from centre to take an attacking kick means he is no longer a target of the play it also means defenses know they only have to worry about defending on the other side

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

I doubt they are grooming him like Lockyer, because he has been told to move on at the end of the year.

Lyon could also be used as a decoy to confuse defence, and Bailey moving out there would make him a target of the play

We still have numerous option we can call upon to perform various roles in the side at different times

 

[Dan]

They were may have been a more apt word if splitting hairs is the order of the day. He is a part of the attack in a different way Lyon is in ours

 

[Nutzcraw]

I think we'll put this one down to dan just having a busy day.

He has a few things on his mind. It's all good. We all have those days. Enjoy a nice long sleep tonight mate and we'll talk to you tomorrow.

Good night, dan

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Also, when has Lyon been the target of our kicking plays ? I hardly recall a time tbh

 

[PONTIAN SEA EAGLE]

He needs to just get his kicking game in order,& run with the ball more.On a brighter note he's stopped those stupid long passes that don't reach the mark.

 

[Dan]

Long week not just day!

Lyon scored off a kick in the warriors game I think. He may not be a specific target but I would never take a centre out of the chase to take the kick?