2017 Brisbane Broncos Thread - we hate them for their freedom

Oz Sport Mad wrote:

Yeah but unlike Tigers, Parra and Knights players; ours are usually well disciplined and behave themselves off the field and therefore just don't get the media exposure of these players/clubs.
This undoubtedly puts us at a significant financial disadvantage.

I would love to see a peer reviewed, super serious study on the extra exposure Nate Myles shitting in a hotel hallway gained the NRL.

ryno_ wrote:

I would love to see a peer reviewed, super serious study on the extra exposure Nate Myles shitting in a hotel hallway gained the NRL.

I don't know who Mylesy's manager is....but quite frankly the bloke clearly missed a beat when it came to third party sponsorship opportunities which could have eventuated after that fateful night from carpet cleaning companies and the like

Complaint: You get an advantage from 7 day turnarounds
Answer: We have no more than other teams
Complaint: Yeah but you have longer turnarounds than other teams
Answer: Actually we don't
Complaint: But you get more FTA coverage
Answer: That raises money for your club. You're welcome. Also we have similar amounts to a few other clubs who aren't top 4.

Maybe, just maybe, and here's a thought that might be tough to get your head around, the teams that play better are near the top of the comp regardless of the draw, and the teams that play poorly are at the bottom of the comp regardless of the draw.

Oz Sport Mad wrote:

Yeah but unlike Tigers, Parra and Knights players; ours are usually well disciplined and behave themselves off the field and therefore just don't get the media exposure of these players/clubs.
This undoubtedly puts us at a significant financial disadvantage.

What has a Knights player done recently? Mullen? Sure.

Jo Ofa. Roberts.

Dip wrote:Complaint: You get an advantage from 7 day turnarounds
Answer: We have no more than other teams
Complaint: Yeah but you have longer turnarounds than other teams
Answer: Actually we don't
Complaint: But you get more FTA coverage
Answer: That raises money for your club. You're welcome. Also we have similar amounts to a few other clubs who aren't top 4.

Maybe, just maybe, and here's a thought that might be tough to get your head around, the teams that play better are near the top of the comp regardless of the draw, and the teams that play poorly are at the bottom of the comp regardless of the draw.

And maybe, just maybe, a Broncos supporter could admit that they (along with a couple other clubs) get a leg up over the other clubs that just furthers the gap between good and bad.

Regardless it's a void point since the Broncos haven't won anything in over a decade.

Honeysett wrote:

And maybe, just maybe, a Broncos supporter could admit that they (along with a couple other clubs) get a leg up over the other clubs that just furthers the gap between good and bad.

Regardless it's a void point since the Broncos haven't won anything in over a decade.

Like what? What competitive (note, not commercial) advantages do Brisbane enojy that other clubs don't? Newcastle is a one-team-town. Dead last. Fuck, NZ are a one-team-country. Bottom 4. Rabbitohs have more Friday games then anybody. Bottom 4. Titans have the most consistent schedule in the league. 12th - barely.

Dip wrote:
Maybe, just maybe, and here's a thought that might be tough to get your head around, the teams that play better are near the top of the comp regardless of the draw, and the teams that play poorly are at the bottom of the comp regardless of the draw.

What is this sorcery you speak of??

Honeysett wrote:

And maybe, just maybe, a Broncos supporter could admit that they (along with a couple other clubs) get a leg up over the other clubs that just furthers the gap between good and bad.

Regardless it's a void point since the Broncos haven't won anything in over a decade.

I freely accept that more FTA games is an advantage, have never disputed it. There are advantages and disadvantages all over the place, like travel, draw, scheduling, grand final location, injury recovery facilities etc. I just think it pretty much evens itself out, and the haters aren't prepared to acknowledge the disadvantages we have either, such as travel requirements. The reason behind the gap between say the top 4 (Storm, Sharks, Dragons, Broncos), compared to the bottom 4 (Knights, Tigers, Rabbits & Warriors) is only in small part because their FTA exposure. FTA exposure is usually the result of getting the other things right, not the other way around.

In the end, it really comes down to the fact that who plays the best almost always wins. That's the reason we haven't won in over a decade. Our players haven't performed as well as other players. Maybe that's because they're not as good, maybe it's because the structures aren't in place, or it could be a few other reasons.

Honeysett wrote:



What has a Knights player done recently? Mullen? Sure.

Jo Ofa. Roberts.

Apologies, I meant to include shambolic club operations, as this usually attracts a bit of media attention also.

My mistake and sorry for the confusion.

ryno_ wrote:

You would guess wrong (no surprise). Its about 70%. Same as the Rabbits, although they only play once on a Thursday and 66% of the time on a Friday alone. And it may be a commercial/exposure advantage but its not a competitive one - most teams sit at or around 70% of their games being played on 2 discriminate, consecutive days. Except the Raiders who are at 83% (Sat/Sun) and Titans who have 94% (Fri/Sat).

Hunt off to a stint in ressies for Ipswich.

Worst signing money wise, length of deal wise, at the player's age - in the history of the game

Pieman wrote:Worst signing money wise, length of deal wise, at the player's age - in the history of the game

He catches that kick off, he's a premiership winning half, and his confidence doesn't get shot. At that point... it's about right.

Now? Poor bloke is injured and playing way down on confidence.

Whilst I'm not happy to see him go, I think we're ahead on the deal

the benji marshall play to set up brisbane's try at the end was un-believable, hunt couldn't pull off a play like that, i'm not even sure milford could, it was just brilliant ball playing


i'm not gonna say he is back or anything but i think he has looked rather sharp in his last 2 weeks, certainly looks fitter and faster then last year, i think its a good move to see whether those weeks are just a small sample that he can't repeat or whether he might actually be in good enough form to offer something for brisbane this year

Yeah I expect Marshall to start tonight with Nikorima on the bench. I'm not sure if Benji adds anything from the bench.

Dip wrote:Yeah I expect Marshall to start tonight with Nikorima on the bench. I'm not sure if Benji adds anything from the bench.  

you could move nikorima into 9 and benji into the halves, i think benji could still add a spark off the bench but i wouldn't plan for him to be in the middle at any stage

leaguegod wrote:


you could move nikorima into 9 and benji into the halves, i think benji could still add a spark off the bench but i wouldn't plan for him to be in the middle at any stage

Yeah I agree with not playing Benji in the middle. That was a disaster when they tried it against the Bulldogs I think earlier this year for 15-20 minutes. I'm of the belief that I prefer your halves stay halves the whole match unless injury affected, because otherwise you're changing 2 spine positions instead of just hooker. Some of that is also because I think our backline is more clunky with Niko. I like him, and think he is a good bench hooker and cover for halves, but I do think he'll struggle to ever be a number 1 halfback option. His running game is great but there's been a lot of passes behind outside men, and not great organisation in attack. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh on him. Sure we won 5/5 with him, but looking at our opposition those matches, we had lucky wins against struggling Titans and Rabbits, had solid wins against the Panthers and Tigers at times they couldn't beat an egg, and had a good win against Manly, who have been close to the most inconsistent team this year. I think had Marshall or Hunt been fit those games, we probably would have been 5/5 with them too.

Marshall certainly brings a better kicking game. Niko and Milf together would be close to the worst kicking halves combination in the comp.

Dip wrote:

Yeah I agree with not playing Benji in the middle. That was a disaster when they tried it against the Bulldogs I think earlier this year for 15-20 minutes. I'm of the belief that I prefer your halves stay halves the whole match unless injury affected, because otherwise you're changing 2 spine positions instead of just hooker. Some of that is also because I think our backline is more clunky with Niko. I like him, and think he is a good bench hooker and cover for halves, but I do think he'll struggle to ever be a number 1 halfback option. His running game is great but there's been a lot of passes behind outside men, and not great organisation in attack. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh on him. Sure we won 5/5 with him, but looking at our opposition those matches, we had lucky wins against struggling Titans and Rabbits, had solid wins against the Panthers and Tigers at times they couldn't beat an egg, and had a good win against Manly, who have been close to the most inconsistent team this year. I think had Marshall or Hunt been fit those games, we probably would have been 5/5 with them too.

Marshall certainly brings a better kicking game. Niko and Milf together would be close to the worst kicking halves combination in the comp.

Completely agree with all of this.

Did I hear Bennett last night suggest that Niko will definitely be our half next season?

I certainly am concerned with a Milf/Niko halves combo as neither are pure ball playing and halves with refined kicking games.

I also think one of two things happens with dropping Hunt. Either Marshall plays really well and keeps his position for the rest of the year, and we look good for the rest of the year, or Hunt takes it as a bit of a kick up the bum, he comes back in a week or two knowing his position isn't safe, and brings his running game back like it was in 2015 and early 2016. Either way I think it will be good for the Broncos.

Oz Sport Mad wrote:

Completely agree with all of this.

Did I hear Bennett last night suggest that Niko will definitely be our half next season?

I certainly am concerned with a Milf/Niko halves combo as neither are pure ball playing and halves with refined kicking games.

I thought it was a case of people seeing Hunt being dropped, and Niko being signed for next season and adding 2 + 2 but getting 5. Deep down I think Wayne Bennett really likes the high profile, confident type of players like Benji, Dell, Alfie etc, providing they're also the sort of people who when it comes time to train, they work as hard as anyone, so I wouldn't be surprised if he wants Marshall to be first choice next year. It's like he really likes people who appear to be the exact opposite of him. It's like at the end of Rush (great movie by the way), when Nikki Lauda says of James Hunt "He was one of the few drivers I liked, and the only person I was ever jealous of".