PRE-GAME Round 21 - Eels vs Broncos

Sproj said:

Hmmm...what happened the last time we shifted our regular fullback to wing after injury. A little while ago I know but just sayin'.

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The guy that replaced him was also Hodgo who probably should have been a fullback to begin with considering his skillset there.

I know people don't like to hear the truth but the truth is, we only win the premiership this year with Hunt & Milford as our halves.
They have the combination and talent to get us there and Bennett knows it. With Niko and Benji there they are just putting the pressure on them to keep performing which is a good thing but deep down Bennett knows our title fate goes hand in hand with the effectiveness of Milford & Hunt in the finals.

Super Freak said:

Hunt has to remain halfback for the time being.

While Hunt was rocks and diamonds last night, one thing I did notice was that Hunt and Milford are starting to combine on both sides of the field which is something that has been lacking for a while now.

Give them a couple of games to improve, because we've all seen what they can do when they combine on both sides of the field like that.

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This true! But i also think Marshall and knik need to be in the team ..

pagey said:

This true! But i also think Marshall and knik need to be in the team ..

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Marshall yes, Knik not so much. He was OK last night but he will struggle to secure a spot in a healthy squad.

We could possibly win a premiership with Hunt, but he could just as easily (if not even easier) cost us the premiership too. You never know what you are going to get from him, even minute to minute. I would have liked to see Benji have more game time, he seems to be a better organiser than Hunt or Milford, and doesn't have those brain snaps.

Either way giving away less 7 tackle sets would be a good start.

Accept said:

Marshall yes, Knik not so much. He was OK last night but he will struggle to secure a spot in a healthy squad.

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According to Fox he made 6 tackle busts, 1 linebreak, but had 0 TAs (although that undersells his passing game). Pretty decent from a FB, but certainly not good enough to unseat Boyd.

Bennett: Nikorima no certainty next week

Despite a starring role against the Bulldogs on Thursday night Broncos coach Wayne Bennett says Kodi Nikorima is no guarantee of being in the 17 next week as Brisbane prepare to welcome Darius Boyd back from injury.

Thrust into a fullback position that he has played sparingly since his days in the under-20s, Nikorima celebrated the three-year contract he signed earlier in the week with a dynamic performance at the back.

The 23-year-old's speed and a tiring Bulldogs defence saw him score a crucial try midway through the second half and his energetic kick returns caused issues for Canterbury's kick-chase team all night, running for 140 metres with five tackle breaks in the 42-12 win that catapulted his team into second position on the Telstra Premiership ladder.

But with the return of Boyd, a man-of-the-match display from Andrew McCullough and a re-settled halves pairing of Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford, Nikorima is unlikely to figure in the run-on side in the short term, Bennett not even able to guarantee him a place on the bench.

"I don't know that," Bennett said when asked whether Nikorima would be in the 17 against Parramatta next Friday night.

"I don't know what the 17 will be next week so I can't answer that."

Brisbane have lost just two of the 10 games in which Nikorima has played this season and while non-committal about fitting in someone that can play in the halves, at hooker or fullback in the weeks to come, Bennett did praise the way Nikorima and others have stepped into the breach when key players such as Boyd and Milford have suffered injuries this season.

"We've had a lot of injuries this year in key positions but everyone keeps putting their hand up," Bennett said.

"Kodi was wonderful there tonight so that's all I can ask of them and they've all responded to that.

"It's not something that's worrying us too much if we've got a couple of injuries now because someone else is putting their hand up for us."

One player who is a certainty to be there against the Eels next week is hooker McCullough, who took his season try assist tally to five with two key involvements to go with his customary 32 tackles and 78 run metres.

It was McCullough's 30-metre bust that led to Brisbane's first try through Tautau Moga while his kick for Josh McGuire to score in the 62nd minute signalled the beginning of the end for the Bulldogs.

"He got the players' player and he deserved it," Bennett said. "He turns up every week. Some weeks are better than others.

"[Being in Queensland Origin camp] could have given him a bit of confidence. You can't be hanging around Cameron Smith and not learn something.

"He'd get a bit of confidence out of that."

Broncos captain Adam Blair described McCullough as an inspiration for the way he puts his body on the line each and every week for his team.

"For a small guy he gets stuck into those big boys and you get a lot of confidence off a guy that size that can get out there and put some tackles on the big boys, especially when they keep coming all day and he keeps turning up," Blair said.

"It's inspirational for us."

http://www.nrl.com/bennett-nikorima-no-certainty-next-week/tabid/10874/newsid/110191/default.aspx

Accept said:

Marshall yes, Knik not so much. He was OK last night but he will struggle to secure a spot in a healthy squad.

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I am actually the opposite on this. Last night the bulldogs ruck was really starting to tire in the back of the half and that's when we used to unleash Kodi onto the field.

Battler said:

According to Fox he made 6 tackle busts, 1 linebreak, but had 0 TAs (although that undersells his passing game). Pretty decent from a FB, but certainly not good enough to unseat Boyd.

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Didn't Kodi throw the last pass on Jet's second try?

Accept said:

Didn't Kodi throw the last pass on Jet's second try?

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champion data gave him a try assist, but nrl.com didn't

I don't remember if it was second last or last pass for that try, but with three halves combining in Milford, hunt and knik, it looked beautiful. I only hope it gives them the confidence to do it again, come the finals. It looked so smooth, almost as a set play. Wonderful!

Thelmus said:

I don't remember if it was second last or last pass for that try, but with three halves combining in Milford, hunt and knik, it looked beautiful. I only hope it gives them the confidence to do it again, come the finals. It looked so smooth, almost as a set play. Wonderful!

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Im sure it was the last . And i think JD metioned that to 1910 , about watching kodi link with the halves .

Soo acknowledging moga's ability to make good meters and more recently cause a few teams some real headaches, is it time to bring in opacic purely purely to strengthen our defence?

I think opacic's defence and even his ability to get the ball to the winger more then makes up for what we lose in attack by dropping moga. If we are going to do it then do it now so he can build a combination or fail and revert to moga befofe the finals.

Mightybroncs2k17 said:

Soo acknowledging moga's ability to make good meters and more recently cause a few teams some real headaches, is it time to bring in opacic purely purely to strengthen our defence?

I think opacic's defence and even his ability to get the ball to the winger more then makes up for what we lose in attack by dropping moga. If we are going to do it then do it now so he can build a combination or fail and revert to moga befofe the finals.

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Fair point but it's too late in the season now to find new combinations out there unless forced by injury. Reckon we are stuck with the powerful,undisciplined buggar for the run home.

There is a bloody good footballer somewhere in Moga but he is possibly the dumbest son of a bitch to ever lace a boot on. Mind bottling....

Aldo said:

There is a bloody good footballer somewhere in Moga but he is possibly the dumbest son of a bitch to ever lace a boot on. Mind bottling....

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You have summed it up perfectly. The same trait that prevented the likes of Chris Walker and Dave Taylor from becoming superstars. You can have all the natural ability known to man but if the space between your ears is vast, then it will hold you back.

_noosh said:

I still feel as though the benefits of Hunt's running game could just as easily work for us off the bench.
I really want to see more of Benji controlling. Would like to see him start this game.

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Benji is also like an on field leader for our players when he is out there.. something the Broncos desperately need...

Milf is getting better at it but Hunt just aint got it in him to lead and bark orders.