Broncos looking good out there

This year I've felt a strange feeling, a new feeling. This feeling occurs almost once a week, with a notable exception at the start of the season. It was absent all of last year and was only really experienced regularly in 2008. What is this feeling you ask? Waking up the morning after the Broncos games not wanting to kill yourself because, heaven forbid, the Broncos are doing quite well in the NRL.

The Broncos are top of the table, equal with the Dragons, and are showing signs that conjure memories of 2006 when we last won the title. Obviously it's early days and I don't want to jinx it by announcing that we are front runners to the title but I will say that we are travelling quite well. Origin as always is going to be a test as we're likely to be missing Lockyer, Thaiday, Hannant, Hodges and possibly Yow Yeh and Wallace (but probably not the latter).

In other news, we're no longer under the radar in terms of our defence. We are the #1 defensive team in the NRL currently and are conceding only 1.5 tries a game. This has led to some analysis on our defensive game and trying to find holes - provided the Broncos continue to work for each other and muscle up when it matters, no amount of homework can stifle this defence. That article is a pretty good read and is written by Jason Taylor..

This Friday we take on the Bulldogs which is fire vs. ice in theory - the best defensive team against one of the best attacking teams in the NRL. Bring it on!

Gillett out for 8 weeks

It's just been announced that Matt Gillett has been ruled out for up to 8 weeks with an injured foot. The actual injury is unclear at the moment but Gillett undertook scans late last week and was informed of his 6-8 absence recently. This is a tough blow for the Broncos who are on somewhat of a roll and leading the NRL along with St George and Melbourne.

Gillett has been one of the great finds from the greater Brisbane area, having grown up in Bribie Island. The 2010 Dally M Rookie of the Year is known for hard running, good footwork and amazing hands for a forward. 'The Best a Man can get" has a big, big future with the Broncos and I'll make a bold statement - he will play for Queensland at some stage before the end of 2013.

In other Broncos news, Corey Parker has reaffirmed why he is one of the fan favourites at the club by stating that rival club offers of better money won't lure him away from the Broncos. As he has done right by the Broncos I'm sure we'll do right by him.

Outside of this it's been a quiet week. This weekend we face the Tigers which is always an interesting game mainly due to the presence of Benji. Check back later this week for a preview of the game...

Watts and Carney - What to do?

(Pic courtesy of www.abc.net.au)

The latest black mark on the NRL Community is that Anthony Watts allegedly assaulted his ex-girlfriend on Saturday Night. The word is that Watts was out with everyone's favourite party animal, Todd Carney, after their demolition at the hands of the Broncos. Now this begs the question, should the players have even been out and drinking (if you believe the newspapers) after the loss when they should have been recovering physically from the game?

I'm sure I don't need to cover off the history of Todd Carney but the crucial piece of information that you need to know for the purposes of this article is that he is currently attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to assist with an alcohol issue. If Todd indeed has alcohol addiction issues, then obviously him allegedly being on the drink is a serious problem. I, for one, don't believe that he is addiction issues with alcohol but rather an issue with self-control and moderation. Alcohol Addiction is a very broad term and I believe the problem lies more with - in other words, Alcohol Abuse more so than Alcohol Dependence.

Either way, it's clear the bloke needs a hand with the situation. If the AA has taught him to drink in moderation and that's what he was doing, no problem as far as I'm concerned. Who should be drawn and quartered for enjoying 2 or 3 drinks after work on a Saturday night? On the other hand, if the AA was for Todd to avoid all alcohol, then obviously that failed. I don't really care either way personally, I think Todd's been caught up in this only because of his past, not because of any actual criminal wrong-doing Saturday night. But hey, that won't stop the media unleashing on the poor bugger about it. Each time the media mention his name outside of his football performances, it seems to be the sole mission of the author to further discredit the bloke. Give him a break.

Back to the topic of Watts - NRL players need to learn that any criminal indiscretions not only bring shame to themselves but also the NRL community as a whole. While this shouldn't be the case, it is the reality of the situation. I'm 25, I don't mind a drink and try to avoid trouble where possible. If I were to get into an altercation, the likelihood of my employer finding out would probably be minimal. But that's because I don't have a cast of thousands waiting with camera at the ready to snap my every move. NRL players need to realise that this is the unfortunate reality of their profession where, quite frankly, they are getting paid more than most for doing something they love. At the end of the day, these blokes need to realise that this is a sacrifice that they need to take in order to live the dream. Their NRL career won't be there in 20 years but the pub will be.

As a final comment, for those who are screaming for both to get the sack, whatever happened to the old adage - "Innocent until proven guilty"? If Carney does have a no-alcohol clause and he was drinking, then the sacking will probably go ahead. Ultimately, that is best left to be a matter between the Roosters and Carney.

Lockyer shines in miserable conditions

(Picture courtesy of www.brisbanetimes.com.au)

On a wet and windy night on the central coast at Bluetongue Stadium the Broncos stood up and made themselves title contenders with a resounding 24-6 win over the Roosters. Lockyer's kicking game was without a doubt the key to the victory as the boys racked up 24 points on the scoreboard. There were at least 6-7 attacking kicks from Lockyer that led to either tries, forced line drop outs or making the opposition start their set from the 1 metre line.

Roosters coach, Brian Smith, was quoted in saying "He was just pulling the strings, in the second half in particular I thought he is what he is, and what he has been for a long time."

Unfortunately the Broncos record of not conceding a try this season in the second half has been broken with Roosters winger, Joseph Leilua, scoring on the right wing in the 67th minute. You could see it in their faces how disappointed they were when they conceded that try, hopefully Anthony Griffin can use this as motivation to gee up the boys to make sure we hold every team scoreless.

It's hard to find something to be critical about when discussing the Broncos; but for me personally, I'm not sure what Griffin is trying to achieve when bringing on Corey Norman and putting him at fullback. When Beale comes into the line and Norman is at fullback, the defence just looks so much weaker; the same thing happened last Monday vs. the Knights. Norman came on and Beale went into the line and we almost conceded two tries. Hopefully Griffin's experiment with playing Norman at fullback will come to an end after this week, and with Hoffman to come back from injury soon it's all looking good for the Broncos.

With the Dragons and Storm, who are both on 8 competition points, still to play this week, the Broncos are sitting pretty at the top of the NRL table with 10 competition points, a points difference of +57; and of course - still hold the stat as the best defence in the league (after 6 games only 50 points conceded.)

The Broncos go on the road again with a tough test at the SFS against the Wests Tigers. Benji Marshall has been in impeccable form so far this year, but the Tigers are coming off a loss to the Titans and will be hungry to bounce back with a win at home. This will be the biggest test for our defence this season and hopefully Locker and co. can walk away from the SFS with 2 competition points.

Brisbane Broncos vs. Sydney Roosters Preview

(Picture courtesy of www.brisbanetimes.com.au)

In an eventful week, Wayne Bennett appeased all the intrusive idiots by announcing he has signed with Newcastle for 4 years. Best of luck to him and them for the future, he should be able to do good things there. Closer to home, the Broncos are taking on the Roosters Saturday night and the side will look this..

1. Gerard Beale
2. Dale Copley
3. Jack Reed
4. Justin Hodges
5. Jharal Yow Yeh
6. Darren Lockyer
7. Peter Wallace
8. Ben Hannant
9. Anthony McCullough
10. Sam Thaiday
11. Alex Glenn
12. Matt Gillett
13. Corey Parker

14. Mitchell Dodds
15. Dane Carlaw
16. Nick Kenny
17. Corey Norman

Te'o is a late withdrawal due to breaking his arm and that means a shift of Jack Reed to Centre and Dale Copley into the spare wing spot. Dane Carlaw is named which is interesting, there will be many sets of eyes on him during the game to see if he's up to scratch. Great to see Nick Kenny back as well, he's a hard worker that keeps on rolling forward no matter what.

The real question is can we win this game? The Roosters haven't been firing on all cylinders lately but they are still averaging 22.4 points in attack. Our ace in the hole is the fact they are still conceding 20 points a game, which lets our somewhat misfiring attack get some points through hopefully. If we can head into half time with  a lead, we should be able to bring this home comfortably.

Predictions? 14-10 Broncos.

Problems with this world - Crap Journalism and Morning Television

(Picture courtesy of www.theage.com.au)

Since arriving in Melbourne for work, yours truly has been frequenting the Maccas next to the hotel for breakfast each day. The problem with this is that I now get exposed to something I've worked so hard to avoid during adulthood - morning television. Morning television consists of feel good stories (example: Cat and Dolphin "go viral") that are there for no other reason but to a) fill in time and b) make people who get no enjoyment out of life happy if only for a few minutes. It also consists of people letting the world know what they think about various issues - most of which are uneducated or designed specifically to stir shit.

The reason I'm explaining this to you is because I almost fell off my seat this morning when Rebecca Wilson decided to weigh in on the Wayne Bennett issue. I didn't think I could be any more shocked than I already was as I'd just had a run-in with a crack-head who was carrying a half-full bottle of Cooking Sherry (just what you want to see on a Monday morning at 7am) which wasn't pleasant to say the least. To top that off,  Rebecca stated roughly the following (I couldn't bear to listen to it again so I paraphrased, it can be viewed here however):

"It's unbelievable, for someone who says the game isn't bigger than one person he's making a good shot at doing so. We need to stop reporting on it and teach him a lesson, he's stringing us along to his great delight."

Pro tip Rebecca - you'll make everyone happy if you stop reporting on this. Wayne is allowed to make the decision when he wants, it's his life. I wonder if she's ever contemplated a change of employer? I bet she hasn't had 1000 people ask each day what that decision will be. This is just another example of abhorrent journalism and an attempt to sound like you know what you are talking about. Let the man be - it's no one's business but his own. The problem is now that all the people who take this show for gospel will start chatting about it and invariably anyone who know's football will have to listen to Wilson's dribble. Do us all a favour and get a clue.

Brisbane Broncos vs. Newcastle Knights Preview

For the first time this season (and hopefully the last), the Broncos square up for a Monday Night Football clash with the Knights. As usual there are sure to be many Novocastrians in support for their lads at Suncorp tonight. Yours truly is living the dream in Melbourne currently and is very thankful that Fox Sports will be telecasting it live as it seems that NRL doesn't exist much down here at all. The Broncos side for tonight is:

1. Beale
2. Copley
3. Reed
4. Hodges
5. Yow Yeh
6. Lockyer (c)
7. Wallace
8. Hannant
9. McCullough
10. Thaiday
11. Glenn
12. Gillett
13. Parker


Interchange (2 to be omitted)

14. Dodds
15. Te'o
16. McGuire
17. Tronc
18. Carlaw
19. Kenny
20. Norman


With the exception of Hunt and Hoffman, we are at full strength tonight. Carlaw and Kenny are likely to be dropped, unless McCullough has enough in the tank for 80 mins and if so, Norman will be left off the bench. Beale has proven me wrong and is playing quite well at fullback and Hunt isn't a major loss. The Knights have been very solid, they were unlucky against the Dragons although it can be argued they shot themselves in the foot with a few dumb penalties. This should provide a decent test for the Broncos but given our defence is the best in the NRL at this point, we should be able to bring this one home. Prediction? 22-10 to the Broncos.

Waldo's Greatest Broncos Side - Fowards

And now for the continuation of my greatest Broncos side...the Forwards! Good to see that my backline post generated a bit of debate, have some faith lads, as you'll see the notable omission will be addressed below...

8. Shane Webcke

Arguably one of the greatest Props of the modern era. A tireless workhorse that defended with all his will and ran the ball up the middle time after time. The best memory for me was the 2000 finals series where he broke his arm but played in the Preliminary and Grand Finals through the pain.

9. Kerrod Walters

The last true great Hooker that Brisbane had was the third piece of the Ipswich connection, Kerrod Walters. A fine performer for Brisbane, Queensland and Australia, Kerrod epitomised the no-nonsense hard working attitude that all number 9's should possess.

10. Glenn Lazarus

The Brick with Eyes played 118 games for the Broncos, 19 Origins and 20 Tests for Australia. The sheer size of the man was only matched by his heart. Like Shane Webcke, Lazzo was widely regarded as the best front-rower during the peak of his career.

11. Gorden Tallis

Gorden Tallis is a legend as far as the Broncos go. He famously sat out a season with the Dragons because he wanted to play for the Broncos. The Raging Bull was known for hard running and a fiery passion that is unrivaled and of course, that tackle.

12. Brad Thorn

Brad Thorn pips Gene Miles for the other second row spot. Thorn gets selected over Miles for time spent in the Broncos jersey, given he played 200 games compared to Mile's 72. Thorn's height (6'5") added to his imposing stature and made him very hard to tackle. His switch to Union to become an All-Black was impressive but then his return to League (and the Broncos) makes him one of the great dual internationals as far as I'm concerned. He then returned to Union *again* and reached the pinnacle of that sport.

13. Wally Lewis

In an effort to fit in Lockyer, Walters and Lewis, I've named Wally at his often forgotten position of Lock. The King is the greatest player ever to play the game, regardless of what the Joey fanboys think. Wally performed consistently in the heat of Origin which Joey did not. Even though Wally only played 46 games for the Broncos, The King could not be left out. Favourite memory of Wally? This.

14. Andrew Gee

Gee is another workhorse that toiled through 255 games for the Broncos during 2 separate stints. The three time premiership player is most remembered (by me anyway) for breaking his finger and then getting it snapped back into place and playing on like nothing happened.

15. Michael Hancock

This 5 time premiership winger is remember for his jinking runs and ability to find gaps in the line. 120 tries in 274 games for the Broncos underlines the importance of Hancock to the Broncos. For a blast from the past, check this video out, Hancock stars from 2:10 onwards.

16. Corey Parker

One of the few active Broncos included, he's chalked up 216 games and counting over the span of 10 years. Those familiar with NRL Fantasy competitions will know that he is a very consistent performer. While we may rag on his goal kicking prowess he still averages 73% which is very solid indeed. To put it in perspective, Hazem El Masri averaged 83% and he was revered far more than Parker (although rightfully so!).

17. Wendell Sailor

Big Dell is a favourite of mine for a number of reasons. For one, his confidence was always an entertaining factor during his playing years and even into his post-season career, it still gets a laugh. His ability as a winger was phenomenal as well - his combination with Lote made for the first 'big' winger combinations that I can remember. With 110 tries in 189 appearances, 14 Origins and 14 Tests, the man was all class. And of course, he was a dual international and one of the first big defectors to Union in the modern era. Luckily for League fans around the country, he came back to League and provided entertainment, albeit playing for St George.


So that's my list - I'm sure people are going to disagree but hey, it's my list and I do as I wish ;). Do you agree with my selections?

Waldo's Greatest Broncos Side - Backline

I've been wanting to do this for some time so now's a better time than ever. I've grown up watching the Broncos and have seen all of the premierships that have been won, all the great players that have worn the maroon, yellow and white (and blue if you count the last few years). Each player has been picked not necessarily in their primary position as there is a few greats to fit in. I'll start with the backs and will post the forwards in the next few days.

1. Darren Lockyer

What more can be said that hasn't already been? As a fullback he was electrifying, as a five-eight he is visionary. While he's lost the leg speed he once had, he has more than compensated for that with a fantastic short and long passing game, incisive short kicking game and extraordinary long kicking game. Arguably one of the best to ever don the Broncos jersey.

2. Lote Tiquiri

Lote has it all - hulking size, blistering pace and a taste for the try line. One of the first big wingers that the Broncos have had, along with Big Dell.

3. Steve Renouf

"The Pearl" is probably tied with Willie Carne for the fastest Bronco that I can remember. The iconic headgear blitzing down the sideline was definitely a sight to remember. For one of his greatest tries, check this video out.

4. Justin Hodges

Strong, maligned, cocky, arrogant and brilliant - all of these words describe Hodges. Arguably one of the best complete (in attack and defence) centres in recent memory, he is often chastised for his attitude and outward arrogance against opponents. While the arrogance is true, one can argue that he is simply that good. See Brett White on the end of Hodges talk during State of Origin.

5. Willie Carne

The other Bronco that could match Renouf for pace was Willie Carne. He was the complete package - pace, finishing ability and a fantastic mullet. With an almost unmatched 72 tries in 136 starts, the figures outline what a fantastic winger he was.

6. Kevin Walters

The 5 time premiership player and 1 time premiership captain was a stalwart for the Broncos, Queensland and Australia. His combination with Allan Langer, known as the Ipswich Connection, was one of the true great halves combinations in League history. It stood the test of time and the success is clear to all.

7. Allan Langer

34 Origins, 258 First-grade games and 22 Tests for Australia underline the impact that The Little General had on the game. Alfie is hands down the best halfback I have had the joy of watching over the years. Thurston may very well take that mantle but Langer is in the very elite when it comes to halfbacks and players in general.

Join me later in the week for the debate about the forwards!

Tidbits about NRL, AFL and more...

Photo Courtesy of the The Daily Telegraph

Let's hear it for another Broncos win! Unfortunately I didn't catch the action as I'm in Melbourne and they happen worship that inferior game, AFL. Thankfully Fox Sports show NRL live and although Channel 9 essentially ignore NRL down here, it's good to get a taste of decent sport. And what a weekend of NRL! The biggest margin this weekend was the Roosters punishing a depleted Wests but for the rest of the games, it was an 8 point max difference affair across all the games. Absolutely loved it!

Speaking of the inferior game, the Gold Coast Suns had their first AFL game versus Carlton on the weekend and due to a complete lack of good television, I thought I'd check it out. I witnessed an absolute pummeling - something in the vicinity of 120 point deficit in the favour of Carlton. I mainly checked it out to see how Karmichael Hunt was doing, and well, have a read of this article. Sums it up pretty well I thought. In other AFL news, Greater Western Sydney had their first 'official' hit-out versus the Sydney Swans reserves and got dominated - Israel Folau got a grand total of 0 possessions which is pretty dismal but it was his first actual game I guess.

Back the world of NRL - the rumour is in overdrive suggesting that Wayne Bennett is all but back in to the hot seat at the Broncos. Watching the League Lounge last night, Gorden Tallis made a very good point in saying that we cannot assume anything until documentation is signed, sealed and delivered. It wasn't that long ago that Wayne almost departed for the Roosters and then backed out at the last minute, allegedly because the condition of the deal was that it remained under wraps and someone let the cat out of the bag. As Mike Colman said, only one man knows what he will do and that's the man himself.

Lastly, apparently Jack Reed is eligible to play for England should he so choose - let's hope that doesn't happen! This kid has the potential to be quite good and the last thing we need is the old enemy getting a hold of him.

Until next time,

Waldo.

Darren Lockyer to hang up the boots

It's the message we'd been expecting in the next year or so, certainly not as early as round 3 of this NRL season. A future Immortal, Darren Lockyer, announced that he will be hanging up the boots at the end of the 2011 season. Tributes have been flooding in for the man who has carried the Broncos on his shoulders for a number of years, through the good and the bad.

I remember watching him when I was quite young and seeing an electric fullback and being unaware at the time that I would be witnessing one of the greatest players to take the field in the history of Rugby League ply his trade. Someone mentioned to me that this is his 17th season in the top grade and that's quite a feat. As of today, he's played an astounding 335 first-grade games, 34 Origin games and 56 Tests for the Kangaroo's. This puts him among the all-time greats across all tiers of the game. While some players excel at club level and fail at Origin (or vice versa), Darren has led the charge on all fronts of the game and for me, that makes him an Immortal for sure. Being a die-hard Queenslander, I'll have fond memories for many, many years of him toiling hard and dominating opponents in the Maroon jersey.

I'll be the first to admit that when it was announced that Lockyer would shift from fullback to pivot, I was a non-believer. I was convinced that he was such a good fullback and if he transitioned to a new position, he wouldn't be as good or wouldn't be able to adapt. Boy was I wrong. The move was successful, obviously, and he will go down as one of the great halves. For me, the combination of a phenomenal passing game and accurate kicking game (long and short) culminated in us, the fans, having witnessed one of the true greats of our game.

We here at Red Hill Rants salute you Darren, let's hope that the Broncos can finish his career with a bang. and win the premiership.