Four Broncos named in All-Stars training side

The NRL All-Stars training side has been named with a whopping 64 players mentioned. The Broncos that have been named are Corey Parker, Ben Hunt, Ben Hannant and Alex Glenn which I think is fantastic. Even being nominated in this side is a fantastic honour and should be a great confidence booster, in particular for Hunt and Glenn. How the final side is selected is unnecessarily complicated but here's the gist of it:

• The players with the most fan votes in a position is automatically selected
• Once a player from a club is picked, no other player from that club can be picked (excluding the highest ranked player)
• If someone withdraws from injury, a bench player is promoted and that spot is backfilled with the next highest vote getter from the injured players club, forward/back as required.

Bit complicated but that's it. Personally I'm tipping Parker to get a run as there are many qualified players that can cover Glenn's positions.


It's been very quiet on the news front with the Broncos and to be honest, that's absolutely fantastic. No drunken debacles yet, touch wood.

From the ranters, we hope you had a fantastic Christmas and that the new year brings a premiership back to Brisbane!

Is Henjak the right man for the Broncos?

Ivan Henjak stepped into the biggest shoes in the history of coaching in the NRL, possibly the world. The man he had to replace was Wayne Bennett, a god amongst men when it comes to coaching as far as I'm concerned. I might be slightly biased given he was in charge during all six premierships the Broncos have won. There's no doubting that he, along with Jack Gibson, is one of the greatest coaches to ever exist. Can any man replace Bennett? Probably not. Is Henjak the man to lead the Broncos into the next decade? No.

Henjak, a former player for Canberra, served his apprenticeship under Bennett for a solid 15 years. Obviously he would learned a few tricks of the trade over that time and had the privilege of working with some great players over those years. Since taking over the reigns, there really hasn't been much to be impressed about the way Ivan's been steering the ship. Jim highlighted midseason that there were a few decisions that were questionable to say the least - dropping Te'o and Winterstein for being late to training is a prime example. The main one for me is the lack of a solid consistent defence through large portions of the year and quite frankly, the Broncos seem uninspired to put it all on the line. One of the Bennett's key attributes is being able to get the best out of a man and Henjak just doesn't have that quality.

So if Henjak isn't the man, who is? One named that has be thrown around in the media has been Ricky Stuart. I used to hate his guts personally - nothing gave me greater joy than when 50,000 people at Suncorp booed his name when they were announcing the Australia vs. England teams a few years ago. Since he went to the Sharks, I've seen a different side to Sticky. He's just a bloke who got stuck with a really awful setup at Cronulla. That being said, he's not the guy we need.

That man, if interested, would be John Lang. He's confirmed that he'll be moving on at the end of the 2011 season and Henjak's contract ends in 2012 (which means compensation should this occur). Lang is a proven coach who took Penrith, who were a team of relative nobodies mind you, to the premiership in 2003 and while coaching the Sharks, they had their best years under him. He provides a level of maturity and composure that would suit the Broncos, given our young playing roster, quite well.

The Broncos need a sturdy skipper at the helm of the ship and Lang is the man that can provide that.

NRL screws the fans again

The NRL announced today that all Sydney finals game will be forced to play at either the Sydney Football Stadium or ANZ Stadium starting next season. I have to admit I laughed when I first heard the decision and thought it was hilarious that NSW teams are screwed. Then it dawned on me - the only people getting screwed are the Sydney fans.

I hate clubs like Souths, Manly and the Roosters with a passion. It's part of who I am - you only need to look back at the pillaging they did to Brisbane clubs prior to the Broncos to see what fuels my hate. The problem is that the fans aren't the ones who did that - I love my footy just as much as they do and if I was forced to trek to Skilled Park to watch a 'home' final I'd be devastated as well.

The NRL is attempting the justify this by saying that due to increased membership numbers, this guarantees the best seats in the house for as many fans as possible. Sure, that is remotely logical but can you really shaft a few thousand people by making them sit in the cavernous ANZ Stadium or the SFS? Seems like Gallop thinks so.

Just another example of why a change needs to occur in key positions of the powers that be in the NRL. Think about the fans for once, guys.

Well well well....

Today it was announced that the NRL has blocked the contract that Souths had submitted for Greg Inglis. I was wary of the whole situation given the talent Souths already have and this outcome justifies that suspicion.

I must admit I had a bit of a chuckle at the whole thing. Souths fans were quick to jump on the bandwagon that Brisbane were boasting Ingli$'s signing and yet now they are being mocked for doing the exact same. Even their owner did it - their defence is that the contract was submitted and signed by Greg. Pro tip lads - he isn't yours either until the NRL agree. Now the public are eagerly awaiting South's next move in this chess game of greed. South's will likely have to unload a player or even two with Roy Asotasi looking to get the axe. I feel for Roy because he hasn't had the best time at South's and that's not to say it's the clubs fault though, it just hasn't worked out for the bloke.

To sum my opinion of this whole situation and Greg Inglis - suck shit.

Until next time Ranters,

Waldo.

Dane Carlaw on his way back to Red Hill?

While I was waiting for my coffee this morning I picked up the paper and read that Dane Carlaw is applying for a release from Catalans to return to Australia. The word from the Broncs is that they are waiting until an official release to occur and since the Ingli$ drama, who can blame them.

Dane was a very solid backrower who notched up 13 caps for the Maroons and scored one of the more memorable tries in recent Origin memory (see video below, around 3:00. Pretty decent video overall actually). He's since been plying his trade overseas with some success and it appears Monaghan might be headed that way as his replacement.

Given the Broncos have Te'o, Parker, Thaiday, Anderson, Gillett and young Rohan Ahern as backrow options, it might be an idea to get him to add some depth but I'm not sure if it'll end up that way. Surely he wouldn't settle for a non-First Grade spot but who knows, the Broncos have a history of giving old fellas a run again.

Two Broncos named in the Indigenous All-Stars

One of the highlights of last season was without the doubt the NRL All-Stars vs. Indigenous All-Stars match. It provided an early taste of what the NRL season had to offer and offered a platform for Indigenous players to strut their stuff and represent their people. Sam Thaiday and Jharal Yow Yeh have been named in the side and the rest of the team is as follows:

Preston Campbell (c) (Titans)
Nathan Merritt (Rabbitohs)
Willie Tonga (Cowboys)
Greg Inglis (Rabbitohs)
Scott Prince (Titans)
Johnathan Thurston (Cowboys)
Tom Learoyd-Lahrs (Raiders)
Travis Waddell (Raiders)
George Rose (Sea Eagles)
Jamal Idris (Bulldogs)
Greg Bird (Titans)
Ben Barba (Bulldogs)
Jamie Soward (Dragons)
Carl Webb (Eels)
Cory Paterson (Knights)
Joel Thompson (Raiders)
Ryan James (Titans)
Matt Bowen (Cowboys)

It's safe to say that this side will be as entertaining as ever to watch with the likes of Thurston, Bowen, Campbell and Tonga throwing it around. It will be interesting to see the NRL All-Stars side when it's announced and if Lockyer will line up for them. Personally I'd like to see him take a step back from Rep footy but it's his choice naturally. Also interesting to see Carl Webb get a shot as he hasn't exactly set the world on fire for and a number of years now. Barba is also a bit of a bolter and a good side story has arisen with Greg Inglis retuning to face the sure to be angry fans at Suncorp.

Personally I can't wait!

Until next time ranters,

Waldo.

Potential 2011 Team

While our roster doesn't appear to be set in stone yet, I thought I'd have a crack at what our team could potentially be for Round 1, 2011. By my estimates, the squad will be:

1. Josh Hoffman
2. Denan Kemp
3. Justin Hodges
4. Dale Copley
5. Jharal Yow Yeh
6. Darren Lockyer (c)
7. Peter Wallace
8. Ben Hannant
9. Andrew McCullough
10. Shane Tronc
11. Ben Te'o
12. Sam Thaiday
13. Corey Parker

14. Matt Gillett
15. Nick Kenny
16. Alex Glenn
17. Ben Hunt

The forwards pick themselves really, Dunamis Lui/David Hala/Mitch Rivett are too green for regular NRL play at the moment. Dodds and Anderson can consider themselves unlucky however with a solid pre-season and good trial form they may make it in the side at the expense of Kenny or even Tronc.

In the backs department, there is a bit more competition with the likes of Gerard Beale and Dane Gagai hot on the heels of Hunt and Kemp. Rohan Ahern is a rank outsider and the Toyota Cup will do him some good.

The above is all dependant on injuries of course and the one everyone will be watching is Hodgo. After a year on the sidelines he should be 100% injury free but will naturally be a bit rusty. Here's hoping that he can hit the form that made him an automatic Kangaroos selection again.

Until next time,

Waldo.

Player Movement Rumours

Just a short and sharp post from me tonight. Word on the street is that since the Inglis deal fell through and the Broncos have money to burn, they are apparently aiming up for Billy Slater or Willie Tonga.

While you'd be mad to say no to the number 1 fullback in the game (and we've had a pretty decent run of fullbacks dating right back to Julian O'Neill and more recently Darren Lockyer and Karmichael Hunt), Tonga is better fit for our side currently. I've got faith in Copley to come good but Tonga has had a cracker of a season and put on some stellar performances in an otherwise uninspiring Cowboys team. I'll admit I was a doubter mid-season but he would definitely bring something to the Broncos for 2011.

Until next time ranters,

Waldo.

Inglis Saga comes to an end

The Greg Inglis saga continues but the Broncos involvement has ended. In what can only be described as a fantastic decision, the Broncos have withdrawn their contract offer which leaves Inglis as a relatively free agent in the Rugby League world.

Rumour has it that Andrew Gee sat down with Inglis on Friday and asked for Greg's commitment in relation to the Broncos. Allegedly he gave a verbal agreement to Gee and then headed down to Sydney to talk to Shane Richardson and South Sydney. Gee issued a 24 hour deadline for commitment from Inglis and this deadline elapsed without a peep from him.

This decision is an extremely positive one for the Broncos. It shows our own players, and other of course, that no one man is bigger than the team. What makes me laugh a little is that Greg has said that he turned us down for "personal reasons" and that he is looking out for himself. Considering the deal was going to be around $500,000 and he was released on compassionate grounds initially anyway, I find this hard to believe. That being said, good luck to you but prepare for a hostile welcome whenever you trek up here.

A few people have been fairly critical of Bronco fans for jumping on and off the Inglis bandwagon. The fact is he openly stated he wanted to move with his girlfriend, convinced his club to release him (Storm fans should be more concerned with that than us) and then he turns his back on Brisbane but also lies to the Storm? Get out of here.

Souths appear to be the front runners in courting Inglis and best of luck to them. All I can say is I'll be very interested to see what Gallop and Ian Schubert have to say if that happens, especially in relation to Souths salary cap situation. Now we wait and see what we do with the free cash...

Until next time ranters,

Waldo.

Australia vs. New Zealand Preview

This weekend sees the match that we've all been waiting for. PNG are barely on the radar, as are England. Australia vs. New Zealand should be an absolute cracker. The Australian side entering this clash is:

1. Darius Boyd
2. Brett Morris
3. Brent Tate
4. Chris Lawrence
5. Lote Tuqiri
6. Todd Carney
7. Cooper Cronk
8. Matt Scott
9. Cameron Smith (c)
10. Dave Shillington
11. Greg Bird
12. Sam Thaiday
13. Paul Gallen

Interchange (one to be omitted):

14. Dean Young
15. Petero Civoniceva
16. Tom Learoyd-Lahrs
17. Robbie Farah
18. Kurt Gidley

This game signals a number of changes that Sheens insists is form related. Sorry mate but Lockyer and Slater are 100% locked in for the final, injury permitting. Boyd and Carney are fantastic young players who will get the job done but quite frankly their time will come. The story is a little different with the number 4 jersey as I think Lawrence can legitimately seal his spot in the final with a cracking performance on the weekend. Tonga has had a fantastic season but so has Lawrence and the West Tigers connection out wide carries a bit of weight.

Matt Scott's inclusion in the starting line-up may very well signal a changing of the guard in terms of Props. Petero will forever be remembered as a workhorse that did Brisbane (and Penrith I guess), QLD and Australia well much in the same way Webcke is but his time is slowly coming to an end. Scott however is similar in the sense that he is a big lad who runs hard, never gives up and provides constant go-forward.

Time to take aim at the selection of Kurt Gidley again. For some reason a lot of fans have it in their heads that he is a brilliant fullback. Pro tip guys - if he was that good, why would NSW constantly play him out of position and have an overrated hack in his place? Let's assume he plays this weekend - are they going to sit out Dean Young and leave themselves short a big man on the bench? Or drop a legitimate hooking option in Farah and have Gidley cover Smith? It just boggles the mind to be honest.

Enough about selections, what can we expect from the match? The Aussies will need to brace themselves heading into Eden Park. I expect the Kiwi's to be ready to play and will come out strong as always. The first 20mins should lay the platform for the dominant side to bring it home but that being said, both teams have the strike power and endurance to make this a memorable game. Australia has a superior side across the park as far as I'm concerned however with blokes like Benji, Waerea-Hargreaves and SKD you can never be too confident.

Prediction? Let's see if I can get close again. Australia wins 20-18. Stay tuned in the coming days for a review and also a solid rant on Monaghan and the "Man's Best Friend" incident.

To Wallace or not to Wallace...

One topic that has been hot among Brisbane fans in recent times has been Peter Wallace and if he is what the team needs moving forward. Wallace joined Brisbane from Penrith in 2008 and on the whole has been sub-par in relation to other halfbacks.

Yours truly did a bit of number crunching and I found that out of the regular halfbacks, Wallace ranks as follows:

Tries - tied last
All Runs - 2nd Last to Sandow
All Run Metres - 2nd Last to Sandow
Line Breaks - 4th last with Foran, Cronk, Prince
Offloads - tied 3rd last
Tackles - 5th
Missed Tackles - 7th
Errors - 5th

The popular opinion is that Wallace is a very solid defensive halfback but he doesn't really stack up against the likes of Hornby, Cronk and Foran. In terms of line breaks, offloads and metres gained it seems he isn't that flash either. The other thing that is lacking in my opinion is his long passing game. Sure he doesn't get to show it much with Lockyer calling the shots but it's still a necessary part of any halfback's arsenal.

The above is a purely statistical standpoint which sometimes doesn't say the whole story. When watching Wallace in defence he often shuts down opposition players by himself and in attack he tends to offset Lockyer's passing with more ball running. He is still yet to develop into an attacking ball runner like Thurston but that should come with time.

So really the above still leaves us in limbo about good old P Wal. In State of Origin in 2008 he was NSW Halfback so the kid can play. He was in the form of his life up until the point he ruptured his testicle. I hate to say it but it seems a dislodged ball is enough to derail a football player. Players always take time to recover from injuries. Minichello is a prime example - he suffered a back injury and subsequently had more time off the field than on it. This year he rediscovered his form and was one of the better fullbacks in the NRL. His comeback was from a back injury which is far more substantial and limiting than a ruptured testicle.

With Lockyers potential retirement looming, the Broncos need to look for a halfback that will steer the side into the oncoming decade. Wallace is a solid halfback but for far too long have we gone without a game breaking halfback. The hunt for a new halfback needs to begin now. Or let's bring back Alf.

Robert Finch steps down from Referee's Boss position

Like most things in life, there's always an upside and a downside. A pro and a con. Robert Finch today announced that he would be stepping down as Referee's Boss as the end of the Four Nations tournament. The crew here at Red Hill Rants have generally been critical of the bloke given he manages to appear completely inept at times. In his defence, he has probably the worst job in the NRL - you pretty much always come out being the bad guy and you have to make many difficult decisions.

The upside to losing Finch is that it opens the door for someone to step up and show all and sundry how it is done. I don't doubt Finch's integrity as I'm sure he was always doing what he felt was right but the fact is that feeling was sometimes off the mark. A fresh face is what the referee's need after this season which can be dubbed the Year of the Howler.

The downside is that while it opens the door for someone, that someone may very well be Bill Harrigan. Greg McCullum (current Match Review Commissioner) is the front runner however Bill and fellow gronk Steve Clark are also in the picture. Greg would be a logical choice welcomed by the Rugby League community - generally speaking the judiciary get it right and you have to think he can be thanked for that in part. Harrigan is known for thinking he is bigger than the game itself and was nicknamed Hollywood for his attitude in relation to his position. Do we really want a guy who has been dropped countless times for errors in charge of the whistleblowers?

Best of luck to Finch on his future endeavours and let's hope that common sense prevails with the appointment of Greg McCullum as Referee's Boss.

A few tidbits of Broncos news

A short and sharp post from me today. There's a bit of news floating around so I thought I'd give you all a quick run down of the happenings at Red Hill.

John Te Reo given another shot

John Te Reo has been given another shot after he was sent packing along with Ian Lacey for alleged involvement in an incident that left a man hospitalised. Lacey has since signed with the Titans but is yet to play an NRL game.

Inglis a no-show to training

Not even worth mentioning, if only to highlight the amazing beat-up capabilities of the media. Inglis didn't show to training with the others on Monday. That's because he was getting rehab done on his shoulder. Nice one lads.

More Relevant Inglis news

Should Inglis's contract not go through as planned, there are no shortage of suitors waiting to pounce on the QLD and Australian star. Souths is keen along with a number of unnamed clubs, even French rugger clubs want a piece of him. I've got no doubt these rumours are true and considering the lack of integrity the Storm board have (or at least used to have, still waiting for them to redeem themselves) there's a chance this could happen. Let's hope not.

Australia vs. England Review

A friend of mine has a saying - "even the blind squirrel will find a nut eventually". 99% of the time I agree - odds are that something will go someone's way eventually. That 1% for me used to be England in the Ashes, we won't go there however. Now the English Rugby League team has taken that mantle well and truly.

My prediction of 30-12 wasn't too bad was it? Usually I'm wayyyy off but I have to thank the rain for this one. On a sunny day it would have been 60-10 easily. Luke Lewis had an absolute blinder until he was injured and really the whole side cruised it in for the win.

Apparently I was a little harsh in claiming I didn't know Sam Tomkin's name at all. Guess what - he did absolutely nothing except act as a punching bag for the Aussies. Do yourself a favour and come to Australia and get some QLD Cup into you. Really the whole English side were pathetic except for their captain, James Graham, and Luke Robertson. Graham proved he could hang with the Aussies and Robertson did the best he could behind an inept and lifeless pack.

England might beat PNG so the kids can go home saying they won a game. Australia look forward to New Zealand at the home of rugby, Eden Park in Auckland. The forecast is a rainy, windswept night with a high chance for entertaining football. Should be an absolute barnstormer of a game and I can't wait. Look out for a preview later this week and also an article on Broncos Halfback, Peter Wallace.

Until then Ranters,

Waldo.

Australian Squad named for England Clash

Tim Sheens has named an unchanged line-up to face England this weekend:

1. Billy Slater
2. Brett Morris
3. Brent Tate
4. Willie Tonga
5. Lote Tuqiri
6. Darren Lockyer (c)
7. Cooper Cronk
8. Nate Myles
9. Cameron Smith
10. Petero Civoniceva
11. Luke Lewis
12. Sam Thaiday
13. Paul Gallen

Queensland have an incredible 10 of the starting 13 players which is a testament to their domination of the State of Origin series for the last half-decade. A seven man interchange has been named with Kurt Gidley, Anthony Watmough, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs, David Shillington, Dean Young, Darius Boyd warming the bench. Sheens is likely to drop Dean Young and I hope Gidley and Watmough. Watmough because Learoyd-Lahrs is forward-utility and Shillington is a beast of a man. Boyd has had Gidley's number for 2 seasons now which should cement his space as to go-to utility back.

It's a fairly widely known fact that England have been without a trophy from a tournament featuring Australia since 1972. Sam Burgess summed it up when he said that England need to perform on the international stage consistently. Sam Tompkins (who is apparently a superstar over there..?) has said that the supposed superiority that the NRL has over the English Super League is a myth.

Sorry to break it to you Sam but there is a distinct difference between the two. It says a great deal that the only poms succeeding are Gareth Ellis and Sam Burgess. Gareth Widdop is registered with the Storm but can't get a run due to Billy Slater. If English players were good enough, they would have been offered contracts long ago. The fact is the Australian youth system is very strong, the NRL is lightyears ahead of any other competition in the world and this leaves England for dead. A comparison is the English Premier League vs. the A-League in soccer - hardly in the same ballpark.

Australia will destroy England this weekend and all this talk of being wary is just media hype and the usual media rigmarole that is required from players in this day and age. Predictions? Australia 30, England 12.

The Greg Inglis Saga

Controversy seems to follow the Broncos in some way during the year, even in the off-season. This time it involves our big signing for next season, Greg Inglis. At least it doesn't involve a camera phone and a nightclub bathroom right?

The guts of it is that while Greg Inglis was up for assault last year and the Storm spent roughly $113,000 ($35,000 of which Inglis owes apparently) on legal fees to clear his name. You'd be naive to think that this was not only to defend Greg but also salvage the Storm brand which copped a massive hit in the wake of the Salary Cap scandal. Greg's argument is that he had no say in what legal action was taken and the Storm hired a QC to defend the player.

I struggle to accept that this is the sole reason they are attempting to scuttle the Broncos deal by not releasing Inglis to sign with the Broncos formally. The NRL is yet to approve the contract pending the outcome of this situation. The Broncos and the Storm have built a solid rivalry over the last few years and it's my belief that they are using Greg as leverage to get their way. Pro tip Melbourne - you can chase these funds without Inglis on your books.

Thankfully some sort of common-sense has prevailed and Inglis has been allowed to start training with the Broncos. Although he is restricted to light duties due to off-season shoulder surgery, it's a step in the right direction. Let's hope Melbourne smarten up and release Inglis formally. It's not like they've done wrong by fans and the game in the past, right?

2010 Broncos Club Awards Announced

Friday Night saw the announcement of the annual Bronco awards at the 2010 Broncos Presentation Ball at the Brisbane Convention Centre. The results are:

Rookie of the Year - Matt Gillett
Defence Play of the Year - Jharal Yow Yeh
Most Improved - Josh Hoffman
Most Consistent - Corey Parker
Best Back - Israel Folau
Best Forward - Sam Thaiday
Encouragement Award - Matt Gillett
Play of the Year - Antonio Winterstein
Player's Player - Josh Hoffman
Player of the Year - Josh Hoffman

It is fantastic to see Matt Gillett receive two awards, even if one sounds like the "I Participated" award that kids get at a Sports Carnival in Primary School. Sam Thaiday and Corey Parker should considering himself very unlucky to not get the Player of the Year award. I think it's blatantly obvious that this year has been the best of Sammy's career and Parker topped the Broncos for Tackles, Points, Hit-Ups and Metres Run.

The award for Most Consistent was awarded to Parker couldn't be more accurate - Parker has turned into one of the pillars of this team, similar in the way that Andrew Ryan has done for the Bulldogs for a number of years.

Hoffman was clearly the biggest winner of the night and while I agree that he has a successful year, I find it difficult to believe that Hoffman deserves Player of the Year. Player's Player is obviously the players' choice so we can't really argue that and Hoffman improved out of this world this season. Player of the Year though? Parker or Thaiday's form this year was far better than Hoffman's as far as I'm concerned.

That's about all from the Ranters at this point - to keep yourself entertained and for a good laugh, have a read of the Fox Sports NRL Awards.

The 2011 Broncos draw released.

Maybe I lied when I said there would be not much to cover until the Tests. The NRL draw has been released for the 2011 season. The matches are:

Round Date Opponent Home/Away
1 Mar 11 - 14 Cowboys Home
2 Mar 18 - 21 Raiders Away
3 Mar 25 - 28 Titans Away
4 Apr 1- 4 Panthers Home
5 Apr 8 - 11 Knights Home
6 Apr 15 - 18 Roosters Away
7 Apr 22- 25 Wests Tigers Away
8 Apr 29 - May 1 Bulldogs Home
9 May 7 - 9 Storm Home
10 May 13 - 16 Panthers Away
11 May 20 - 23 BYE -
12 May 27 - 30 Sea Eagles Away
13 June 3 - 6 Sharks Away
14 June 10 - 13 Raiders Home
15 June 17 - 20 Dragons Home
16 June 24 - 27 Rabbitohs Away
17 July 1 - 4 Eels Away
18 July 8 - 11 BYE -
19 July 15 - 18 Titans Home
20 July 22- 25 Storm Away
21 July 29 - Aug 1 Sharks Home
22 Aug 5 - 8 Warriors Home
23 Aug 12 - 15 Cowboys Away
24 Aug 19 - 22 Knights Away
25 Aug 26 - 29 Rabbitohs Home
26 Sept 2 - 4 Sea Eagles Home

For those of you who don't want to (or can't be arsed) reading the list, the key sections are weeks 1-10 where for some reason we play the Panthers twice(!), the Storm, the Roosters, the West Tigers and the Titans. Origin time we don't have too bad of a run really (excluding the Dragons and potentially the Raiders) but the run home is fantastic. The Sharks, Warriors and Rabbits at home and the Cowboys/Newcastle away. Lets hope we get into a good enough position to capitalise on that run home.

Keep an eye out at RedHillRants.com for a review of the Broncos presentation night on October 8.

Another season is over,,

Well, I should probably give up on predictions. As you probably know, St George Illawarra dominated the Sydney Roosters 32-8. To be fair, based on the first half alone my prediction was pretty spot on. What I cannot believe is the performance of the Roosters after they came out of the sheds to face the second half. St George did step it up a cog so I give credit for that but honestly, the Gatton Under 7's could have put up a better battle.

The highlight for me was Frank-Paul Nuuausala in defence at the back-end of the first half. Each hit was an absolute bone-rattler and packed 110% intensity. That is what Rugby League is all about as far as I'm concerned.

Poor old Brian Smith missed out - to Wayne Bennett again. This win seals the deal for Bennett as the game's greatest coach but I really feel for Brian Smith. Hopefully his time will come before he hangs up the coaches clipboard.

Lastly the Australian squad for the Four Nations has been named. Justifiably only two Broncos have been named - Sam Thaiday and the Australian captain, Darren Lockyer. In great news for the club, 4 players qualified for the Young Kangaroos - Gerard Beale, Dane Gagai, Corey Norman and Tariq Sims (Sims has signed for the Cowboys in 2010 however).

Australia plays PNG on the 24th of October, we will bring you a review of the potential demlotion closer to that date. Until next time readers, Waldo.

Grand Final Preview

As the Roosters and the Dragons start to prepare for the biggest game of their lives, I thought I'd take a quick look at what both teams will bring to the game and what we can expect to see.

The Roosters

The fairytale continues for the lads from Bondi - it's easy to forget that they nabbed the wooden spoon with some atrocious footy last year. I've asked myself a few times what could have led to this dramatic change and I've got two answers - Brian Smith and Todd Carney.

Some may look at Smith's time at Newcastle and say "he's useless" but if you cast your eye further back to when he coached St George and Parramatta, his pedigree becomes more obvious. He led them to four Grand Finals - sure they lost them all but you can't get there without being somewhat successful.

As for Carney, I've always said he is one of the most natural ball players that I've seen in a few years. He was a moderately successful fullback but he has really come into his own at five-eighth. This season proves that once he stops setting peoples pants on fire, he can be as devastating as anyone in the NRL.

The Dragons

There's not much more to say about the Dragons that hasn't already been said. The obvious factor is Wayne Bennett, the super-coach that led my beloved lads to six premierships. What I will say is that I don't think the Dragons have as many impact players that can split the opposition apart compared the Roosters. The Roosters have Carney, Pearce, Minichello, SKD. The Dragons have Creagh and Morris...anyone else see the problem? The Dragons make up for it with consistency across the park - the only weak link I can see is Ben Hornby. I don't rate the guy one bit. Watching him against the Tigers, his only achievement was a few smart grubber kicks. Soward was left to handle the attacking workload and he did so, barely.

The Usual Grand Final Controversy

Almost like clockwork, there is minor controversy leading into the decider. Dean Young is embroiled in a racial slur drama which is sure to provide some distraction to this weeks preparation. Apparently he called Robbie Farah a "f**king wog". Farah was content not making a complaint on the field however it was clearly detected by the on-field microphones. I just hope that the appropriate punishment is given as racial slurs have no place in this game.

My Prediction?

I won't lie, I don't like the Dragons. Not one bit. Wayne coaches them, we beat them in numerous Grand Finals and Illawarra had Rod Wishart for god's sake. I'm not a big fan of the Roosters either, case in point is Phil Gould. So from a fan's point of view, I want the Roosters to win. From a neutral point of view, these two are hard to split. On one hand you've got the most consistent team in the NRL vs. arguably the most exciting team. My prediction is the Roosters by 14.

As the dust settles...

Apologies for the absence of posts recently, again life has taken me away from my beloved blog. As the dust settles on the 2010 season for the Broncos, it's as good a time as ever to do a bit of a post-mortem on the year and look at the good and the bad.

Player of the Year

The best player of the season was clearly Sam Thaiday. Recently named the best Second Row player in the NRL, his barn-storming runs and stiff defence were his trademarks this season. No other player showed more commitment to the cause than Sam - it's safe to say that without him we wouldn't have been able to blow our shot at the finals because we would have been down near the Cowboys on the table. Brisbane and Queensland fans are indebted to him for his heroics this season.

The 'Pack your shit because you are fired' Award

The worst player of the season for mine was Peter Wallace. I know I'm raising a few eyebrows by saying this but this was the season that Wallace was meant to show us that he can steer the ship without Locky. He is still one of the best defensive halfbacks in the game, dealing out brutal tackles for a bloke his size, but his kicking game and passing game left much to be desired this season. It was only in 2008 that he was the NSW Halfback before his brutal ball-tear and since then he hasn't been the same.

Rookie of the Year

Easily this one goes to Matt Gillett. The Best A Man Can Get showed experience beyond his years by being versatile enough to play multiple positions and excel at them. His best position is clearly Second Row and just the raw effort this kid puts in is phenomenal. Worthy winner of the Dally M Rookie of the Year.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's look forward to next season. I'm still a little annoyed at the way we ended the season and missed the finals for the first time in almost two decades but hey, it had to happen eventually. Our line-up will look something like this:

1. Josh Hoffman
2. Jharal Yow Yeh
3. Greg Inglis
4. Justin Hodges (pending Achilles situation, otherwise we'd be looking at someone like Beale)
5. Denan Kemp
6. Darren Lockyer
7. Peter Wallace
8. Ben Hannant
9. Andrew McCullough
10. Nick Kenny
11. Matt Gillett
12. Sam Thaiday
13. Corey Parker

14. Scott Anderson
15. Shane Tronc
16. Ben Te'o
17. Ben Hunt/Corey Norman

If that isn't one the best forward packs in the NRL then I don't know what is. The great news for us are the depth that we have outside of the 17 players above - Josh McGuire, Dale Copley and Lagi Setu to name a few (although I wouldn't be surprised if Setu gets transferred).

We could sit here and rant that Henjak is a gronk and has no clue but that doesn't do us much good. The worst season to start a Broncos blog has ended and while it didn't match our normally high standards, it did give us plenty to write about. Now that the season is winding down the blog will be slowing down as well (not that it hasn't been slow lately, damn you real life), we'll still be reporting out on the Four Nations at the end of the year and any other Broncos news that comes to hand.

Until next season, you stay classy Red Hill Ranters!

The Business End of the Season!

After a short hiatus, I'm glad to report I'm back on deck. Gotta love real life taking away from our beloved blog. Back to business..

Round 22 ends tonight and that means that the road to the finals is another step closer. A friendly run home can mean the difference between the finals and an early Mad Monday. The good news is that the Broncos run home isn't difficult by any stretch:

Round 23 - Friday , August 13
Broncos vs Eels, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Round 24 - Friday , August 20
Knights vs Broncos, EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle

Round 25 - Friday , August 27
Warriors vs Broncos, Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, NZ

Round 26 - Friday , September 03
Broncos vs Raiders, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

The Eels are going to present an interesting challenge - everyone knows about their run home from last season and they will be keen to replicate it this season. I hate to break it to you Parra fans but this isn't your year. The Hayne Train has been about as reliable as Queensland Rail - absolutely useless in other words.

The Knights should be a piece of cake - provided our forwards lay the platform, our experienced halves should dominate the pairing of Mullen and Gidley. Pro tip Newcastle - Gidley is a fullback. Really need to watch out for their wingers however - Uate and Vuna conjure memories of Big Dell and Lote back in the day.

Warriors away isn't fun for anyone - the fog, rain and away crowd is brutal for even the best. This game will be the real acid test before finals - the Warriors are in an almost identical spot at the moment. Their results in recent weeks have been sub-par but if you look at the side they have, they can unleash at any point.

The last game before finals is Canberra at Suncorp. I get really nervous before playing Canberra, I'm still scarred by the beating we copped last season. If we don't beat Canberra we don't deserve to be in finals and that's that.

It's game on now boys - time to show the world what you are made of.

Whitewash

The latest chapter in the Maroons Origin dynasty has ended in an emphatic whitewash over the Mexicans from the below the border. In case you have been living on another planet, QLD became the first side in 15 years to whitewash a series with 2 wins down south, it was a beautiful sight.

This series for me has been one of my favourites. For the obvious reason, winning 3-0 is just an amazing achievement. It doesn't happen often but when it does, man I love it. The other reason this series was fantastic was because it had three different types of wins. The first was a clean victory over a Blues side that fought fairly admirably. The second was a stomping that we haven't seen in a few years - absolutely untouchable and the Blues were effectively a park football side.

This third win however was fantastic because they were up against it. The Blues failed in the first game, tried some rough house tactics in the second game (i.e. Luke O'Donnell) and it failed spectacularly. The third game showed the true colours of 2 players - Greg Bird and Michael Ennis. We already knew that Bird was the scum of the earth, his charge of glassing his girlfriend was more than enough proof (yes he was proven innocent but the fact he rang his mate to get to take the blame? Come on, really? Some mate you must be). Bird is a dirty player of the worst calibre - his tackles have more elbows than a Muay Thai fight. The Blues use the word enforcer to turn a blind eye to it - I prefer the word grub.

Ennis is a widely recognised niggler in the NRL. For those of you not familiar with the term, it's used to describe someone who gets under the skin of opposition players and they in turn concede penalties. Another one is Justin Hodges to a certain extent. The difference between Ennis and Hodges is the fact Ennis crosses the boundaries several times to do it, often breaching the rules of the game in doing so. NSW on Wednesday night were elbowing more than Manly in tackles all night and when Ennis copped the slightest hint of it against him, he had a brain explosion and unleashed several hits on Nate Myles who was getting to his feet. This is a prime example of the gutless wonder that is Ennis. It takes a big man to punch someone while he's down doesn't it. Thanks Mick, you handed us the win on a silver platter. The penalty that was deservedly given to QLD which led to a try and subsequently the win. Hopefully that's the end of him and Robbie Farah gets the nod next year.

Soak it up Queensland fans, the juggernaut that is QLD just keeps on rolling and it's a beautiful sight. Cop that NSW, cop that. Queenslander.

Tigers Review - Bitter Pill

You could see it coming. After dominating a game like that, the only fair result would have been a last minute try to sink and demoralise us right? The football gods didn’t disappoint, and handed the West Tigers a win in the last seconds of the match. It was a bitter pill for any Broncos fan to take. Just thinking about it is still making me cringe. But it could have been worse. I was super keen to go and watch the game, but couldn’t find anyone to go with me. The girlfriend was less than keen, and even Waldo turned the offer down. It turned out to be a masterstroke. If I had known before the game that I would be sitting in the rain for 2 hours watching our team bomb try after try, and throwing away a win, hell I wouldn’t have even watched the game on the TV.

But I did. It was a cracker of a game, don’t get me wrong. It’s just hard to accept the fact that we were ahead of every statistic except the scoreboard at the end of it. The Broncos combinations inside the oppositions 20 metres just weren’t clicking. After enjoying the lion’s share of possession, and eating up the metres through the middle of the park it was almost embarrassing watching us falter at the finish line every time. It was just one of those games where we couldn’t get across the line. All of our pressure amounted to nothing, and you knew it was just going to take one mistake for the game to be snatched away from us. McCullough did just that, and a little inexperience from Yow Yeh (getting out of position then slipping when he realised) gave the West Tiger’s an undeserved 16-14 win. Their words not mine.

Full credit to the boys though. Without Lockyer, Thaiday and Folau we still put up a hell of a fight. Parker had an enormous game, as did Tronc and Kenny, and Josh McGuire played fantastically as well. He’s definitely one for the future. People are jumping all over Wallace’s back saying he can’t deliver. It’s rubbish. He had a few mistakes, but he certainly didn’t lose us the game. He put tries on a silver platter for our team on a number of occasion, yet through poor control, poor running and poor decision making we managed to bomb them every time. It was inexperience cost us in the end, but Broncos fans have come to accept that during the Origin period. There were enough positives to take from the game, and hopefully our side will be at full strength for the remainder of the season.

One thing I do hope we take from the game above all though is an end to this experiment of playing Gillet and Te’o in the centres. They are great players, but they are second-rowers and Henjak has to come to accept that fact. Centres need one quality above all, speed. These two just don’t have it. Te’o got run down by a 50 year old Tuqiri with an 8 metre head start. Neither of them had the pace to get on the outside of their opposites, so instead they just tried to go through them. It’s alot easier to defend. When your centres have the pace to get outside their man, it creates question marks in the defensive line. The winger doesn’t know whether to stay on his man, or to come in and help and it leads to gaping holes forming. These kinds of questions just weren’t asked of their defence last night, and that’s the largest reason why we spent an eternity inside their 20 metres and didn’t put the points on the board to prove it. Surely we have some youngsters more suited to the roll of a centre?

We have a bye next week, which will hopefully give Hodges enough time to be back in time for our next match. That will add some much needed class to our three-quarters. It’ll also give our Origin boys a chance to get over any niggles, and allow us to mount an assault on the run into the finals. We’ll definitely be there come September, but we do have the quality to be more than just also-rans. With a little luck in terms of stability, which will lead to a little less of people being played out of position, we should be able to build a serious assault on the 2010 premiership. Wouldn’t that be a story after the start we had...

Broncos vs. Tigers - Line-up and Preview

1. Josh Hoffman
2. Antonio Winterstein
3. Matt Gillett
4. Gerard Beale
5. Jharal Yow Yeh
6. Corey Norman
7. Peter Wallace
8. Shane Tronc
9. Andrew McCullough
10. Nick Kenny
11. Ashton Sims
12. Ben Te'o
13. Corey Parker


Interchange
14. Ben Hunt
15. Mitchell Dodds
16. Scott Anderson
17. Josh McGuire

For the first time in years I'm not fearing the pre-Origin player drain that we usually suffer from. Three of our best, Darren Lockyer, Israel Folau and Sam Thaiday, are out of this weekend's clash due to Origin commitments. The reason I have no fear is because of the way the team has handled itself in the past 2 months. Flashy wins, tough victories and a truckload of effort has us sitting on 7 wins out of our last 8 matches. The only change to the line-up is that Gerard Beale comes in for Lagi Setu who today injured his knee, not entirely sure what the overall damage is as of yet. Setu had been the target of a rant or two from myself but to his credit he's been barnstorming in recent weeks.

The Tigers are an interesting opponent. I'm a big fan of theirs - I love watching them play because they throw caution into the wind and play attacking football. It's often at the expense of their defence however. They are one of the tougher opponents in the NRL - Gareth Ellis, Robbie Farah and Chris Heighington are dynamic ball runners and hard defenders which makes for a staunch opponent. Wade McKinnon at the back has the potential to be lethal in attack but I've always questioned his defensive abilities. Oh, and they also have a bloke called Lote Tuqiri who I'm sure you are familiar with.

What will the weekend's result be? I've been pretty average with predictions as of late but my guess is 30-24. Should be a high scoring game and entertaining to say the least.

Until next time, Waldo.

Tough Wins and Possible Clean Sweeps

On the weekend we witnessed something that hasn't been done by a Broncos side all season. The side headed into the weekend on the back of a loss to an impressive Penrith side. The loss to Penrith was a combination of good play from the Panthers and the Broncos shooting themselves in the foot constantly. Handling errors and conceding penalties meant that the Broncos didn't stand a chance. The performance that the lads put on can be described as laborious, efficient and tradesman-like. You can tell more about a side winning in that sort of scenario than you can from when we flogged Souths. A sign of a good team is that they can turn on the razzle-dazzle when required but can also knuckle down and battle in the trenches when required. Low scoring games are often wars of attrition and the weekend's game was no exception.

In other news, Queensland have named their side that will contest Origin III. The line-up is:

1. Billy Slater
2. Darius Boyd
3. Greg Inglis
4. Willie Tonga
5. Israel Folau
6. Darren Lockyer (capt)
7. Johnathan Thurston
8. Matt Scott
9. Cameron Smith
10. Petero Civoniceva
11. Nate Myles
12. Sam Thaiday
13. Ashley Harrison

Interchange

14. Cooper Cronk
15. David Shillington
16. Neville Costigan
17. Dave Taylor

The unluckiest man in Australia is probably Ben Hannant - the bloke didn't put a foot wrong but due to Petero being fit, someone had to go. Shillington and Scott have been outstanding this year and it makes sense to give these 2 a bit more experience, they have more to gain than Ben.

The Blues selection team are bordering on farcical as far as I'm concerned. Picking Barrett is just about the most ridiculous thing that I've heard - the only thing worse is not using this opportunity to start building a solid foundation for the future. What's the point of picking a player for a dead rubber that is retiring at the end of the year?

All they have done is continued to provide proof as to why the selectors need to go. Lozza and co., it's time to clue up.

Highs and Lows

This past week was an absolute roller coaster of emotions for the Red Hill Rants crew. Elation, disappointment, anger and amazement were all experienced throughout the week of Rugby League.

Let's start with the positive. Jim and I were on hand to witness history in the making. We saw possibly the greatest display of domination by a QLD team that has ever occurred. There was not a player on the field that can honestly say he was outmatched by his counterpart. I'll be honest, the second half was a little blurry for Jim and myself as we immersed ourselves in the party atmosphere in the stands and may have been slightly inebriated. I've never been a part of anything like that before - a good 48,000 of the 52,400 present were Queenslanders and the camaraderie among our section of the stand was insane. In that 80 minutes, we went from random individuals to old mates from way back who had known each other for years. We were all united for the same cause - unleashing a flogging on to the NSW team like never seen before. The scenes at Caxton Street were of total jubilation - my hand and shoulder still hurt from giving and receiving an inordinate amount of high 5's. I can honestly say that I'll be heading to as many games as possible in the future.

As for the low's, these come in 2 forms. The first being the Broncos limp display against the Panthers after their demolition of the Rabbitoh's the week before. There were a number of issues - firstly, the amount of handling errors was unacceptable even for an under 11 side. Simple errors like that just shouldn't be made by professionals. The next was the forwards inability to lay the platform for the backs to do their thing. For some reason we decided to pass 2 and 3 times before the hit up, thus gaining less ground and forcing kicks from our halves deep in our own territory. Nick Kenny and Sam Thaiday were the only exceptions - Kenny had a solid game upon his return and Thaiday showed why he is a shoe in for the QLD side. The bloke was backing up from Origin Wednesday and tried his absolute best to conjure a win for the lads. To no avail it turns out.

The other negative was the refereeing. I'll be honest, I've made sailors blush with some of the language that I've sent in the ref's direction over the years. As I've gotten older I've become more accepting of errors because they do happen. What I've got no time for was the lack of a video referee referral in the Yow Yeh try. On the replay you can clearly see that both referee's were some distance from the play yet they decided instantly that it was a knock-on. The replays were quite clear in showing that Yow Yeh hit it forward himself and regathered for the try. Don't get me wrong - we probably would have lost regardless but really, the video referee exists for a reason, use it. I'm all for ref's backing their judgement and often they are right but in this case, it was a horrible decision. Henjak must have the patience of a saint when commenting on referee's - see this for proof. Hell, if I had 10k to spare I'd donate it to the Broncos just to see Ivan let fly about the atrocious decisions. Gavin Badger probably won't even be stood down for next week - time for referee boss Robert Finch to be given a kick up the backside. I don't like quoting other blogs but this bloke has it spot on.

So all in all I'd say it was a positive week for the Red Hill Ranters. Definitely looking forward to our game against the Eels next week - surely we should take the Panthers game as a reality check and blow Parra off the park.

Until next time readers,

Waldo.

One word....Queenslander

Christmas in July was created to provide a second joyous period in the calendar year. It's especially common in the southern hemisphere given it is winter for those below the equator. Personally I think it should be renamed to Christmas in May and June. Whys that you ask? State. Of. Origin.

State of Origin means absolutely nothing to those outside the eastern seaboard. In fact you'd find that not many Tasmanian or Victorian sports lovers would even know what it is. Once you venture into the Blue territory of NSW or the Maroon lands of QLD, you start to see the fanaticism that engulfs crowds and fans alike. It's that good even rugger fans get in on it. Origin is the greatest stage for football as far as I'm concerned - it's greater than the Rugby World Cup and AFL Grand Final put together.

Origin eligibility prior to 1980 was determined by what state your current club was in. This led to total NSW domination - so much so that QLD only one 3.8% of all interstate games between 1959 and 1981. It was a farce - the negative media attention these games attracted was insane. Even back at the very origins of interstate football, QLD have been bagged:

"There can be no doubt the NSW men are improving a good deal... They cannot be blamed for the farce, for it was nothing else. If the Australian team depends on Queenslanders to strengthen it, one is afraid it will be found wanting. They are quite the weakest lot of footballers I have even seen come down from Queensland. The play needs no detailed description as it was simply a practice match for NSW, and certainly did not advantageously advertise the new game."
-The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 July 1908

Once Origin established itself in the 80's off the back of brutal hits, fast-paced action and an exciting brand of football, it started to gain a cult following north of the border. This cult following has grown almost exponentially and leads us to the Origin series that we see today. Lang Park constantly sold out to max capacity, 48,000 football mad supporters screaming for the Blues blood.

The word Queenslander can be summed up by looking at how it was coined. In 1995, the Super League war was in full swing and the ARL declared that any Super League-aligned players were ineligible to play. This meant that the Broncos and their star studded backline could not play for QLD. The Blues were heavily backed favourites and memories of pre-1980 interstate games were abundant. During Game 2 and leading at half time, the cameras switch to the tunnel to see the QLD side walk out on to Lang Park. Billy Moore, a great lock for QLD, had fire in his eyes and was chanting "Queenslander, Queenslander" to get the lads fired up. We went on to win that game 20-12 and subsequently the series, albeit as massive underdogs that had apparently no chance. That image is burnt into my memory as the definition of Queenslander - never give up, work as a unit and devote every last drop of energy towards defeating the Blues.

That is what it's all about. NSW players grow up wanting to play for Australia, QLD players grow up wanting the play for the Maroons. We may no longer be the underdog for Origin games at the moment but the spirit of the past lives on through our current QLD side. The Red Hill Rants crew will be at the game on Wednesday night and I'm willing to bet that both Jim and I will be hoarse the next day from chanting that famous line....QUEENSLANDER.

Brisbane Broncos vs. South Sydneys Rabbitohs - Lineup and Preview

1. Josh Hoffman
2. Antonio Winterstein
3. Alex Glenn
4. Matt Gillett
5. Jharal Yow Yeh
6. Corey Norman
7. Peter Wallace
8. Shane Tronc
9. Andrew McCullough
10. Lagi Setu
11. Ben Te'o
12. Ashton Sims
13. Corey Parker

Interchange
14. Ben Hunt
15. Mitchell Dodds
16. Scott Anderson
17. Nick Kenny

This week the Brisbane Broncos head into the familiar territory of facing a tough game during the Origin period. Thankfully and deservedly, the only players on Origin duty are Israel Folau, Darren Lockyer and Sammy Thaiday. Three of our best players this year missing will hurt but we should be able to cope on the back of our past few performances.

Given the situation, we see Matt Gillett move from the back row into centre, Corey Norman re-enters the squad to play 5/8th and Scott Anderson returns from injury at just the right time. Gillett at centre is interesting - hopefully he's given a roaming role in attack as playing centre may restrict his effectiveness across the park. Norman is a perfect fit for Lockyer - he always struck me as a natural 5/8th and with Wallace next to him, he should be free to rip it up like he did during the opening rounds of the year.

In the forwards department I'm glad to report that Anderson returns and Nick Kenny is finally back from injury. Not sure if Kenny was being brought back too early but it's good to see that he's likely to start from the bench. I'm also exited for Anderson's return - I really rate the quiet achiever and as he develops as a footballer I can see him being similar to Nick Kenny. Solid workhorse and always puts in the hard yards.

Looking at our opponents, they also are affected by representative duties. Dave Taylor has been picked for QLD and Sam Burgess is currently back in the UK playing against France. Mick Crocker hasn't been named but word has it that he's a chance of getting back on the paddock this weekend. Crocker is past it that's for sure but the firebrand still has that passion and that's enough danger for me.

I'm not entirely sold on Souths. They are coming 3rd on the table but I'm not convinced that when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. To beat this mob, we'll need to employ similar tactics to what they did to the Cowboys last week. Get up in Sutton's face and make him feel some hurt. It's much harder for a playmaker to work his magic when he's got a backrower up in his grill. I'm looking for Sims and Setu to put some massive hits on Sutton and Sandow to disrupt their chi.

As far as the Broncos go, we need to watch Beau Champion like a hawk. That lad has been carving it up like there is no tomorrow. He's big, fast and powerful. Winterstein and Glenn should be on high alert for Champion and Talanoa - don't be surprised if Parker or Sims gets placed out there to assist because those two are a definite handful.

Prediction? Broncos 30-24. Nice and high scoring football for a Sunday afternoon - I give the Broncos the edge due to having the majority of our forward pack intact and the fact that I still think Souths are a bit soft.

Until next time readers,

Waldo.

QLD Origin Team Selections and Artie Beetson

The team for Origin 2 was selected late Tuesday afternoon and there were 2 changes and one big surprise. Ben Hannant in for the injured Petero Civoneciva and Cam Smith back for Matt Ballin. Ballin can consider himself slightly unlucky but it was always on the cards.

The biggest issue to come out of the selection was the naming of recent code defector, Israel Folau. In case you've been under a rock, Izzy signed one of the biggest contracts in Australian domestic Sport. Ross Livermore from the QRL was quite vocal about not picking Israel and only picking 'committed' players. I disagree wholeheartedly with the comments made by Ross and it is a tad of a shock to see Izzy selected on the wing. Just the other day I was discussing the topic of QLD backs and the lack of established wingers available. For mine, Lote Tuqiri would be next in line but you'd have to think Livermore wouldn't want that considering his past defection to the lesser game. To me, the only wingers within cooee of a shot on the QLD side are Joseph Tomane, William Zillman or Jharal Yow Yeh. The issue with those three however is that they are not fully developed footballers - they have a way to go yet in terms of making mature decisions on the football field. Look at Yow Yeh in recent weeks - he's made a few blunders that just cannot happen in the Origin arena. Their time will come - with another year or two of experience these three guys should all be in contention for an outside back spot.

I'd like to take the rest of my rant to have a crack at old footballers; namely, Artie Beetson. For those of you who may be new to league, he was the inaugural QLD Origin captain back in 1980. Artie now is part of a seemingly large contingent of ex-sports people who don't work in the media but feel they have the right to impart their misguided and archaic wisdom to the sports loving public. Another former athlete that falls into this category is Jeff Thompson. His rants about what is wrong with the cricket world are enough to drive me crazy. Last time I checked the world had changed a lot since their day. An example of Beetson's ancient logic can be viewed in this article - what right does he think he has to demand to know what a total stranger is doing with their life decisions?

It isn't an issue of lack of respect - Artie and Thommo paved the way for the athletes of today and their performances were of the highest standard. My issue is that essentially these two sit on the front porch like 2 elderly men complaining about the youth of today and that back in their day, a bottle of milk cost a threepence. I hate to say it but for better or for worse, we live in a modern world and their archaic opinions about the state of the game are horribly irritating. Everyone is entitled to their opinion however out-dated views are annoying and quite frankly a pain to endure.

Until next time,

Waldo.

Manly Review and Maroon Mumblings

One thing you’ll always get from me on this blog is honesty. So, shamefully I must admit that I tipped the Sea Eagles to give us a right thumping down at Brookvale. Even though they were missing the influential Jamie Lyon, I didn’t think our pack would be able to match the Sea Eagles’. Thankfully I was very wrong, and that was actually where we won the game mostly thanks to Sam Thaiday. He’s having the season of his career, unmatched by anyone else in the NRL for effort in my opinion.

We surrendered a try early, but that was about as happy as the night was going to get for Manly. All the forwards played their part, defending well and making great yardage. You could be excused for thinking it was the Broncos of old. I’m really enjoying having Tronc on board. He looks a little lethargic, but a prop with good go-forward that can make 35 tackles without missing a single one is quite special.

I love beating Manly. It was one their typical performances too, where they dropped knees and elbows on faces in just about every tackle they made. They have such a dirty culture at that football club, and it’s certainly gotten worse since Hasler took over as coach. Just watch the highlights if you need any proof. In the lead up to our last try Thaiday makes another inspirational hit up. For his troubles he cops a swinging elbow and a knee to the chin as he’s bending to play the ball. I fucking hate Manly.

Moving on... NSW have just named their team. I care very little about anything to do with their team, but they’ve named Gidley again which means that even if Hayne is available to play he’ll be on the wing where the damage he can do will be limited. The decisions the NSW selectors come up with have boggled minds for years now, but they’ve outdone themselves again by dumping Kimmorley in place of young Mitchell Pearce. Their problems in game 1 had nothing to do with their number 7, who was actually one of their better players on the night. Oh well, it’s their loss.

The QLD team will be announced tomorrow. Lockyer has done a backflip on what he said last week about selecting Folau and he’s now pleading to have him named in the side. It sounds very unprofessional from Lockyer, who’s apparently suddenly realised that we don’t have much to choose from now that Tate has gone and broken his jaw. State of Origin positions are influential in keeping our players in the NRL, and now that Folau has decided to turn his back on the game we simply must cut our losses and give his jersey to someone else that is worth investing in. The logical choice is Tuqiri, even though he’s only just returned from another code himself. Tahu has slotted straight back into his NSW jersey after returning to the NRL from union, so there’s no issue on whether or not Tuqiri should be allowed to do the same for QLD. The only thing that might stand in the way of that decision is a rumour that Tuqiri wants to play for the Fijian national rugby league side.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens tomorrow, but I’m confident that our selectors will make a decision that’s in the best interests of our game. Until then sports fans.

Something a little different....Waldo's NSW Side

So in addition to our standard QLD team predictions, I thought we'd take a crack at the NSW side as well. Besides the fact that I think NSW are doing it wrong, it's a much more entertaining side to pick given the state of NSW football. So here we go...

1. Jarryd Hayne
2. Brett Morris
3. Michael Jennings
4. Jamie Lyon (Jamal Idris if Lyon unavailable)
5. Michael Gordon
6. Jamie Soward
7. Brett Kimmorley
8. Brett White
9. Michael Ennis
10. Michael Weyman
11. Anthony Watmough
12. Ben Creagh
13. Paul Gallen

14. Kurt Gidley
15. Luke Lewis
16. Jason Ryles
17. Tom Learoyd-Lahrs

So I've gone with a different squad to the one you'll see the Blues name. I've gone with playing players in their position, not just as a creative stopgap. Hayne, although the most overrated player in the NRL, deserves the fullback spot mainly because Stewart is out. The reason I say overrated is that he is being talked up to be of the same ilk as Lockyer and Johns. Lockyer and Johns play well in struggling sides and single-handedly win games when they are up against it. Hayne hasn't done enough of either to convince me he is the real deal. Morris, Gordon, Jennings and Lyon pick themselves.

Soward has been overlooked for many years due to his size and the fact he has a penchant for getting monstered by a barnstorming Greg Inglis. Give him a shot - I think he has what it takes. He is the primary play-maker at St George and can't really put a foot wrong this season. Kimmorley had not much to work with in Origin 1 given the forwards played like they were for Brisbane Girls Grammar, not New South Wales. With a slightly dominant pack, Kimmorley will have room to move.

All of the run on forwards select themselves. Paul Gallen is made for Origin, anyone who disagrees needs to actually watch a game of football. He's tough as teak, will give you 110% every time and never stops running.

My bench is fairly predictable however I must admit I struggled to find a spot for Gidley. The bloke makes too many errors to be run-on fullback but he does have something to bring from the bench. Learoyd-Lars is there as an enforcer à la Neville Costigan and also the fact he can play Prop as well. Ryles should have been there from the start and even in the Australian side in my opinion. Luke Lewis is a machine and tough as nails - for any naysayers, watch a replay of Penrith's game last night and tell me how he played on after copping a hideous head knock.

Even if the above side is picked, QLD is set to secure an unprecedented 5th consecutive Origin series. The Red Hill Rants crew will be at the game to hopefully witness history.

Until next time readers,

Michael Waldron.

Brisbane vs. Manly Preview - A look back to the past...

Sports fans are a strange breed. You will struggle to find a more fanatical bunch. There aren't many people who will continually turn up to a stadium and support their team during the blistering cold, brutal storms or howling winds. Rain, hail or shine, a true fan turns up each and every time, for better or for worse.

The other characteristic of a sports fan is that they tend to foster rivalries that are sometimes decades old. Manchester United and Manchester City. New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Ferrari and McLaren. All vaunted rivalries driven by a genuine dislike for their opponent.

Manly and Brisbane might not be a rivalry that many recognise but for me, Manly are the true enemy. Recently the Melbourne Storm have challenged that mantle - the Broncos squashed their Grand Final dreams in 2006 and Melbourne proceeded to knock us out of the finals for 3 consecutive years, albeit illegally.

Prior to the Broncos entering the NRL (then ARL) in 1988, Manly were known as the Silvertails. Why the Silvertails? Back in the 70's and 80's, they went on a buying spree that cannot be compared to even the Storm of the late 2000's. They plundered the playing stocks of other teams without remorse.

You are probably saying "Well, that was before your time so why concern yourself with it". During my younger years, Origin was just as special as it is now. Watching Renouf, Langer and Walters are fond memories of mine. Not so fond memories are of watching players such as Terry Hill, Geoff Toovey, Mark Carroll and Cliff Lyons run amok. Mark Carroll, dirty player extraordinaire. Toovey, the little whinging halfback/hooker. Terry Hill, possibly the most lacklustre footballer but managed to always talk it up. Cliffy Lyons for purely being successful in a Manly jersey.

This weekend sees the Broncos ventures to Fortress Brookvale, the home of the some of the most despised fans in the NRL. Manly always step it up a gear at home similar to us at Suncorp and I expect 110% from the lads this weekend. Manly are without Lyon which robs them of one of their stars this season. The Broncos need to lay the foundation with the forwards and shut down players such as Watmough and Stewart. I sound like a bit of a broken record but completion rates and error free football will get us home here. We were a little average against Cronulla so I expect the boys to turn it up.

Prediction? 18-12 Broncos.

Sea Eagles Lineup and Folau

It's been easy to forget that there is a round of NRL competition this weekend. Here's our lineup for the Manly Sea Eagles game.

1. Josh Hoffman
2. Antonio Winterstein
3. Alex Glenn
4. Israel Folau
5. Jharal Yow Yeh
6. Darren Lockyer [c]
7. Peter Wallace
8. Shane Tronc
9. Andrew McCullough
10. Lagi Setu
11. Ben Te'o
12. Sam Thaiday
13. Corey Parker

14. Ben Hunt
15. Matt Gillett
16. Mitchell Dodds
17. Ashton Sims

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this might be the first unchanged line-up we've had all season, 13 weeks in. As surprising as that statistic might be, there are no real surprises in the team list. Nick Kenny is still struggling with injury, and is now expected back in round 15. You have to wonder what the problem is there, are we trying to rush his recovery process?

Anyways, enough about these crazy NRL games on the weekend. Let’s talk about Folau. As a rugby league fan, whenever this kind of thing happens I can’t help but feel ripped off. The NRL has spent a lot of money on this guy. Life-skills, training, and his big contracts he’s been on since he was a boy. The NRL has turned him into what he is today, the NRL made Israel Folau. At only 21 years of age, the NRL had already provided him with what any sane person would call a very, very successful life and it was only going to get better. So how does one repay that? By signing a deal with the AFL’s expansion into NRL heartland of course.

It’s a complete kick in the cock, and not just to the NRL administration. We have a young man who is still a long way from being the complete footballer saying, “I’m bigger than all of you, your league can’t support the likes of me. I’m worth more than most of you combined”. So it’s a pretty big punch in the guts to the 400+ other players in the NRL. AFL players have a right to be feeling dirty as well. Some of them have spent the last 10 years giving everything they have to what is, let’s face it, a terrible sport. The AFL is handing someone who’s never even kicked an AFL ball a $6 million deal, while some of them are playing for peanuts.

Now, we have a rather vocal bunch of moral high ground searching people saying that you can’t blame Israel, anyone would have done the same thing in his shoes. I’ve thought long and hard about this today, and I for one can say that I wouldn’t have. Rugby League has been very good to Israel Folau. The contracts he has been on since he started were very flattering, his last one with the Broncos being worth approximately $450 000 a season. Add QLD and Australian representative match payments onto those contracts and you have what a simpleton like me would call a fuckload of money. With a new TV deal coming soon for the NRL, he would have been looking at significant pay increases over the coming years as well. For him to turn his back on what rugby league has done for him in search of more wealth is just poor form.

I’ve tried not to use the word loyalty today. The salary cap killed out loyalty a long time ago. There are instances where clubs simply can’t afford to pay a player what he is worth, and he is forced to move on. Sometimes this even means a move abroad, or in extreme circumstances a switch of code. In the case of Folau, we didn’t have an extreme circumstance. He was on a beyond-fantastic deal for a player of his age with the Broncos and being looked after very, very well. He’s then chosen to upgrade from wealthy success, to a little more wealthy success with another code. Make no mistake, what Folau has done boils down to one thing, and that’s greed.

"When it comes to playing for Queensland and Australia it's an honour and privilege. When you decide to turn your back on that, I think the jersey is bigger than any one player."

The QRL looks set to announce that Folau won’t be selected for the remaining two State of Origin matches, and that will absolutely be the right decision. Darren Lockyer sums it up perfectly above. Wise words indeed. We can’t be showcasing defectors in the ultimate form of our game, especially when the defector is leading the AFL’s march into Rugby League’s traditional heartland.

I find it interesting that people’s feelings on this kind of issue differ so much. There are lots of things to consider, and everyone gets hung up on different aspects. Everyone has their own interpretations too. Have at it in the comments if you wish sports fans, but before you do spare a thought for all those people who forked out ~$160 for a QLD jersey with Folau's name printed accross the back of it last week. Out!

Israel Folau - Another Man Overboard

Good Evening from the Red Hill Rants team. Due to a combination of the Broncos week off and my own personal technical issues (got to love PC's sometimes), there hasn't been a whole lot of action going on here. Happy to report that I'm back on deck with what seems to be impeccable timing.

Unless you live on Mars, you will have heard the news that Israel Folau has jumped ship and signed a multi-million dollar deal with the Greater West Sydney AFL franchise. With the deal being worth an alleged $1,000,000 a season, it would make him close to one of the highest paid domestic footballers outside of Matt Giteau and Stirling Mortlock from the rugger game and Chris Judd from AFL. Naturally he's not the first to leave the NRL to chase riches in other games - Wendell and Lote did the exact same thing, as did Rogers and Hunt. He's not the first and definitely not the last.

Can you really blame Israel for this? After talking to a few people about it, claims of greed and immorality are flying around. Loyalty has been mentioned more times than the phrase "Indigenous Game" by Big Dell on NRL on Fox. Is Izzy really disloyal? Not really. He hasn't broken his Broncos contract and he's more than obliged to shop around with other clubs or codes. Has he made a morally questionable decision? Probably not. League has invested a lot in Folau and off he goes to another code. Plenty of other players have done that yet the crucifixion of them lasted only long enough until the next wunderkid was discovered. In my eyes, he's a young man (21 years of age, as hard as it is to believe) who has just been offered double the salary to essentially do the same job in another city. If an employer offered me double the salary to move to another city and work, I'd give it strong consideration.

The real issue lies with the NRL and the feeble salary cap that our game is subject to. David Gallop has said repeatedly that the game doesn't have a money tree and I accept that. What I find difficult to accept is that the current TV deal that the NRL has is worth $500m over 6 years yet the AFL, who has a city centric league as well (Melbourne instead of Sydney), has a deal for $780m over 5 years. If, and that's a big if, the NRL pulls their finger out and gets a decent TV deal it must upgrade the salary cap. Even a boost of $2m per club funded by the TV deal would go a long way to preventing Gasnier's and Folau's from leaving for greener pastures. The other benefit of a new TV deal is that Channel 9 can stop punishing viewers by forcing us to listen to Fatty and Sterlo on a Sunday. That's another issue for another time however.

Yes, it's sad that Izzy is going to another code and yes, it could possibly be perceived as immoral but honestly, who wouldn't do the same if they were in his shoes?

QLD Team Announced for Origin 2010 Game 1

1. Billy Slater
2. Darius Boyd
3. Greg Inglis
4. Willie Tonga
5. Israel Folau
6. Darren Lockyer (c)
7. Johnathan Thurston
8. Matthew Scott
9. Cameron Smith
10. Petero Civoniceva
11. Nate Myles
12. Sam Thaiday
13. Ashley Harrison

Interchange:

14. Cooper Cronk
15. David Shillington
16. Neville Costigan
17. David Taylor

18th Man: Ben Te'o

Earlier today the Maroons side set to contest the first Origin game was announced. Yours truly takes the win on the prediction front edging out Jim by a solitary point.

The run-on forward pack was as expected - I do think Stagg was unlucky to miss out but time will tell about how we go without a Dallas Johnson-esque defence machine.

QLD lived up to their reputation of picking reliable custodians who have done the job before. Case in point is Costigan - he's only a few games back from injury but he retained his bench spot. I agree with the call though - he's got that mongrel that we will need.

The only selections worth talking about are Cooper Cronk as utility and big Dave Taylor as a bench player. Totally agree about DT - he was born to play Origin and he will run straight through the fringes. Cronk is an interesting selection - I was admittedly a bit stumped about who to pick as a utility and I'm not convinced Cronk is the man for the job. He can play in the halves but can he play anywhere else in the backline? Not really. Can he play Hooker? Maybe. I would have preferred using Lote Tuqiri on the wing and Darius Boyd as the utility. He can cover both wings, centres and fullback. I'd even chuck him in at Hooker in the event that (touch wood) Smith gets injured mid-game.

Big wraps on Te'o for getting 18th man - he's been in blistering form for the Broncos for a good part of the year and this will hopefully spur him on to bigger and better things.

I'd like to comment quick on the NSW side quickly, what are they thinking? I can't remember a time that I've seen 4 centres picked in a squad for Origin. The recipe for success according to them is to pick a reluctant 5/8, a player who continually ducks out of the City/Country game in his place and an 'impact utility' on the bench? Newsflash: Idris is a one dimensional player. What are they going to do, give Ennis a spell, shift a tired fullback to hooker, a winger to fullback to accomodate Idris? Give me a break.

Early prediction from me - 25-18 to QLD.

Jim's QLD side

Given we have a bye coming up this week it’ll probably be a pretty slow week for Broncos news. I guess at some stage we’ll have official word on the Ben Hannent signing, some injury news, and maybe something on Folau’s future but that is about as exciting as it’s likely to get.

Luckily it’s almost Origin time, so we’ll still have plenty to talk about here at the blog. Last week Waldo took a stab at how he thought the Queensland team would line up, so before the official team is announced tomorrow I’m going to take a punt as well. 100 RedHillRants Koins to whoever goes closest?

1. Billy Slater
2. Lote Tuqiri
3. Greg Inglis
4. Willie Tonga
5. Israel Folau
6. Darren Lockyer
7. Johnathan Thurston
8. Petero Civoniceva
9. Cameron Smith
10. David Shillington
11. Sam Thaiday
12. Scott Bolton
13. Corey Parker

14. Ashley Harrison
15. David Taylor
16. Nate Myles
17. Ben Te’o

All subject to injury of course. If Smith isn’t fit then Cronk is the man most likely to slide into hooker, even though he’s not a recognised number 9. No matter what team is announced, there are going to be some unlucky Queenslanders who miss out. Tate and Stagg in particular were very hard to leave out. I went with Te’o on the bench as he is in form and showing a lot of versatility lately by sliding into the centres when needed. I gave Taylor the nod also because he’s just one of those players that loves to prove people wrong, and looks like he was born to play Origin football.

Hannent will be fit for game 2, and Price might be up and running by then too. You can’t leave either player out, so that is sure to create some selection headaches when the time comes around. I really wouldn’t like to be a selector...

Anyways, Mal and the boys will get together tonight for a few beers and decide the Queensland team for game one. No matter who’s selected or who misses out, it’s going to be a very strong team. They’ll announce it tomorrow before lunch, and some massive cheating dumbass is announcing the NSW team tonight during half time of the Eels/Manly game. Enjoy your Monday sports fans.

Titans Review - Attitude Fixed?

For the first time all season, we’re finally celebrating 2 wins in a row here at the Redhill Rants Office (N.B. No such office exists). Feels good man! I think the 28-6 score flattered us; the game was definitely a lot closer than that. But it was still a convincing win and I found myself guilty of the occasional fist pump. A bye next week is another 2 points, and the week after that we are up against the Sharks again which is a very makeable 2 points. Amazingly enough that will see us well inside the top 8 and it just goes to show that you can never write off this football team.

So what’s changed to bring about this recent run of results? Obviously, it’s the attitude of the players. If you look at our games against the Roosters, or the Warriors there was just no hunger in our outfit at all. When Alex Glenn made his try saving tackle last night at around the 48 minute mark, you could instantly tell something had changed. 2 weeks ago, we wouldn’t have laid a finger on that player, and we probably would have let him walk around and stick it under the posts for a certain 6 points. Instead we now have players risking body and limb to save our tryline, which is what we’ve come to expect from the Brisbane Broncos.

The Broncos are answering their critics. The start to the season was unacceptable and we made that very clear, but over the last 2 weeks we’ve been silenced. Darren Lockyer has hit a purple patch, and after a slow start he’s convincing this blogger that he still has what it takes to compete at the top level. I’ve never doubted that he’s been the best in the world; he is in fact my favourite player. But I was beginning to believe that he’d had his day. However his attitude has lifted in recent weeks, and his play has lifted along with it. He’ll deserve the Maroons jersey that will be handed to him next week more than any other player in the NRL.

Attitude is probably one of the most contagious things on our planet, but it’s without a doubt the most contagious thing in a sports team. When one player puts his head down you know your team is as good as dusted and we saw that against the Warriors and Roosters. But when a player puts his body on the line like Alex Glenn did last night to save that try, you could visibly see the team lift. It was no accident that from there we went on to put the game out of reach of the Titans.

I was calling for Henjak’s head just one week ago, but I believe he’s done a lot since then to justify himself. The changes he made moments before kickoff against the Storm were brilliant, even though they weren’t popular and that’s how a coach needs to be. I still think there’s room for improvement when it comes to team selection but it’s a lot harder to fault the coach when a football team is winning. I can only guess that he’s played a part in the change of attitude we’ve seen, so a tip of my hat Henjak sir.

Before I run out of time I’d like to say that Hunt and Setu were very impressive last night. Setu’s try was one of the best you will ever see from a prop forward and I bet I wasn’t the only one who felt very happy for him when he got over the line. I’m hoping McCullough doesn’t walk back into the number 9 when he returns from injury. He was one of the player’s most guilty of spreading poor attitude and has everything to prove, while Hunt has done nothing to deserve losing his spot.

Until next time 2-wins-in-a-row-celebrators. (Today’s blog was brought to you by the word ‘Attitude’)

Waldo's QLD Maroons Origin Side

Hello Sports Fans. Inspired after reading Sterlo's NSW Predictions, I thought I'd have a crack myself. I'm sure this is going to generate conjecture and I more than welcome it. If you agree, disagree or think I've got no clue, let me know!

1. Billy Slater
2. Lote Tuqiri
3. Brent Tate
4. Willie Tonga
5. Israel Folau
6. Darren Lockyer
7. Jonathan Thurston
8. Petero Civoneciva
9. Cameron Smith (If fit, other Nathan Friend)
10. Matt Scott
11. Sam Thaiday
12. Nate Myles
13. David Stagg

14. David Shillington
15. Neville Costigan
16. Ash Harrison
17. Matt Bowen

Slightly controversial but justified I believe.

Slater at fullback picks himself - the only fullback to come close this season for QLD is Darius Boyd but he doesn't have the same spark as The Kid.

Tuqiri has the size, speed and finishing power that great wingers are made of. He's done it before and the form he is in currently, he can do it again. Wouldn't be surprised if Boyd gets a foot in before him though.

Tate and Tonga are the sensible choices - Tate for his menacing defence in the absence of Hodges and Tonga has been setting the world on fire in Townsville. Inglis hasn't got the form but just like Boyd, he'll probably get a run in front of Tate.

Folau needs to be there. He wasn't picked in the Australian side and rightfully so - Morris is the form winger in the NRL and thoroughly deserved the spot. Izzy's aerial ability is unmatched (yes, Idris isn't in the same league) and while he doesn't deserve a centre spot, we know what he can do on the wing.

Darren and JT pick themselves as far as I'm concerned. Yes Cronk is the current Australian halfback but QLD reward past form and barring injuries, he's only had 1 bad game all season. Darren Lockyer is, well, Darren Lockyer.

Petero is the games form front rower and has been for the past few years. Easy choice. In the absence of Ben Hannant, Matt Scott gets the nod for me. Quality forward.

Cam Smith, Nate Myles and Sam Thaiday are instant selections - Smith is the best rake around and Myles/Thaiday have been ripping it up all season long.

People will probably disagree with my choice of Stagg at lock. The reason I've pick him is due to his massive defensive workload. It's a seamless substitution for Dallas Johnson. If it wasn't for the depth of backrow talent at QLD's disposal, Scott Bolton would have made it in.

I've gone for a reliable bench - Costigan is an enforcer and puts big hits on each and every time. Harrison is going great guns for the Titans and Shillington is a monster of a man. The pick that even I'm a little unsure of is Matty Bowen. I don't doubt his skill - the bloke is a freak. My only concern is that he may be underdone given he has just returned from a horrid run of injuries. Going on his length of the field try last week I think he'll be right come Origin time.

So what do you think? Am I on the mark or am I horribly wrong?

Broncos vs. Titans - Lineup

1. Josh Hoffman
2. Antonio Winterstein
3. Alex Glenn
4. Israel Folau
5. Jharal Yow Yeh
6. Darren Lockyer
7. Peter Wallace
8. Shane Tronc
9. Ben Hunt
10. Lagi Setu
11. Ben Te'o
12. Sam Thaiday
13. Corey Parker

Bench

14. Gerard Beale
15. Matt Gillett
16. Mitchell Dodds
17. Nick Kenny
18. Corey Norman

One to be omitted.

For the first time in quite a few weeks I'm glad to say our lineup is looking somewhat normal! Wallace, Gillett and Winterstein return from injury to provide some much needed stability. Not to say the lads didn't perform last week but we're a much more rounded side with those guys back in.

The biggest surprise is Setu being named at Prop. Anderson is injured with elbow ligament damage however I'm wondering why Lui isn't either starting or at least on the bench. He's been named for the Toyota Cup clash however he doesn't seem to rate a mention with Ivan. Considering his unorthodox bench strategy I'm guessing it's due to Gillett's return.

Good to see Hunt get another shot at Hooker - Beale was actually solid in covering there last game which may see an unlucky relegation for Norman.

Not much else to mention really - Corey Parker plays his 200th game for the Broncos which is a fantastic milestone for any player to achieve. The only other topic that warrants any mention is the fact that Spence's debut last week marked the 28th player that we've fielded this season. Pretty amazing considering it's round 9 and it just underlines the predicament we've faced in terms of injuries.

Join me tomorrow for my pick for the Queensland team - don't forget that Origin is almost here, Game 1 is on May 26.