Déjà vu...

Pic courtesy of David Kapernick

Last night was a tad depressing I'll be honest. I should have seen it coming - for the first time, I saw someone let go of the ball to kick it yet didn't move their foot and knocked it on. In case you missed it, it was McCullough. What did we learn from last night?

The McCullough and Hunt experiment has to end

McCullough has potential but really he's in the side because we've got no-one else. If he isn't an 80 min player, find someone who is. Hunt is NOT a number 9 and hasn't been for a long time. Send them both to QLD Cup and get a real rake.

Errors, Errors, Errors

Unforced errors were horrible last night which meant that the completion rate was sub-par. We've been shouting from the roof of the Red Hill Rants HQ that completion of sets equals winning in the NRL yet we seem hell bent on pushing passes that aren't there. Two hands boys, two hands.

Gerard Beale is a useless gronk

I'm convinced this kid isn't a footballer. He's blunt in attack, useless in defense and doesn't communicate. If you stayed around to watch the Roosters/Souths game you would have seen what a centre should be. I'm not saying that Beale needs to be a GI or an SKD but really, a centre needs to work with his winger to shut down attacks. When he runs with the ball and cuts back, no-one buys it at all. Why? He can't pass to save himself and they know when he cuts back, he doesn't have the pace to beat the line.

Reed and Gagai were very solid

One of the few positives for me was the debuts of Reed and Gagai. Reed's impact was seen very early on with his try but also his strong defence on Bani. Gagai was also very solid in attack and will be a great fit with Hodgo when he returns. Hodges will be able to help these kids develop a lot and we should see another 2 Broncos come along nicely as the season progresses.

So, rather than dwell on the loss, let's look forward. We face the Raiders in Canberra without Campo so that's a positive but we will need to do some serious work on our ball handling before that game. Canberra's forward pack is phenomenal so we'll see how we travel. This round of NRL action has quite a few decent games left, and to throw a cat amongst the pigeons, I tipped the Titans to beat the Dragons. Enjoy the weekend of footy!

Until next time,

Waldo.

Broncos vs Cowboys Review, Season Questions and Predictions

I don't know about you all but I'm excited. Why? The greatest game of all kicks it's season off this Friday night with the traditional opener of Brisbane vs. North Queensland. This game starts off what is going to be an absolute cracker of a season but it also starts to uncover answers for the questions that are on many punters minds. First of all, the team for Friday is:


1 Josh Hoffman


2 Jharal Yow Yeh
3 Gerard Beale
4 Jack Reed
5 Dane Gagai
6 Darren Lockyer (c)
7 Peter Wallace
8 Sam Thaiday
9 Andrew McCullough
10 Scott Anderson
11 Alex Glenn
12 Matt Gillett
13 Corey Parker

Interchange

14 Ben Hunt
15 Ben Te'o
16 Josh McGuire
17 Shane Tronc
I'm a big fan of Anderson - I think he's got more than enough potential to kill it in the NRL. Strange that he was picked ahead of Tronc though, Anderson seems far more impactful than Tronc would be. Don't be surprised if Tronc gets shifted to the starting line-up.


The first question you are probably asking yourself, as did I, is "Who is this Jack Reed kid?". You know about as much as I do - the word on Reed is that he's been working really hard at training and had some solid form in the trials. He's also a more physical player compared to Beale, although lets be honest - a wet paper bag has more starch physically than Beale.


The second question is aimed at Daniel Gagi - why is he getting a run ahead of a more experienced Denan Kemp? Long story short Kemp is struggling for form and only got 1 run in the trial games and didn't impress. Gagai is an interesting pick - he's the first son of a former Bronco to line up in first grade. Gagai's defence is what I'm concerned with but let's thank the fact that the winger he's up against is Ash Graham who in recent seasons has transformed into a fully fledged unco.


And lastly - why is Sammy T being picked at Prop? Noone can deny that the man is skilled enough but is 'Hook' repeating the same errors that Henjak did in playing a quality backrower out of position. I'd much prefer Sammy T at Second Row, Glenn on the bench and ditch McGuire.


The long road to September starts Friday night and I'm keen as. Cricket season is good and all but nothing beats the NRL for me. Just to wind this one up, I'm going to take a punt at predicting the 8 for this year. In no particular order:


Broncos - duh.


Storm - they still have the spine of Slater, Cronk and Smith and will rip it up


Bulldogs - the Doggies bought the best out of all the teams in my opinion and have a pretty fearsome line-up, particularly in the forwards.


Tigers - an electric team who shoot to thrill


Raiders - the dark horse for this year, Orford will give them the structure they have desperately needed at number 7


Titans - Prince, Zillman and (dare I say it) Bird will produce again for the Titans. Their home record is phenomenal and will assist them greatly, they just need to travel well.


Dragons - defending premiers


Roosters - provided Carney doesn't deck someone and stays off the grog, he'll guide the Roosters into the 8 with ease.

Watch this space for a blog on Friday reviewing the slaughter of the Cowboys. Until then readers,

Waldo.