Queensland Selectors ignore Dallas Johnson

What a man. Source: 2dayfm.com.au

The QLD team has been named for Origin 3, with an extended bench:

1. Billy Slater (Melbourne Storm)

2. Darius Boyd (St George Illawarra)

3. Justin Hodges (Brisbane Broncos)

4. Greg Inglis (South Sydney)

5. Jharal Yow Yeh (Brisbane Broncos)

6. Darren Lockyer (c) (Brisbane Broncos)

7. Johnathan Thurston (North Queensland Cowboys)

8. Matthew Scott (North Queensland Cowboys)

9. Cameron Smith (Melbourne Storm)

10. Petero Civoniceva (Penrith)

11. Nate Myles (Sydney Roosters)

12. Sam Thaiday (Brisbane Broncos)

13. Ashley Harrison (Gold Coast Titans)

Bench: Cooper Cronk (Melbourne Storm), Corey Parker (Brisbane Broncos), Ben Hannant (Brisbane Broncos), Jacob Lillyman (Warriors), Dane Nielsen (Melbourne Storm) - one to be omitted

For some time now I've been calling for the inclusion of Dallas Johnson. Why he isn't picked is beyond me. Was Mal and the selectors watching Game 2 where we got brutalised down the middle? Were they watching when it seemed like no one wanted to put a hit on the Blues? Dallas is your man, gentlemen. A little look at the NRL stats and Dallas is second for tackles made, behind Nathan Hindmarsh. His average is sitting at around 42 and his work ethic is phenomenal. 

If it's a case of sticking with the team that was picked previously, Dane Nielsen might have something to say about that. Yes, Nielsen is new and Hodgo is the obvious selection but really, it's an example of the best players being picked. With the omission of Dallas, you can't really say that Harrison is the best Lock running around.

Outside of that, the team is pretty much as expected. I'm looking for JT to have a big one - he needs it and QLD need it. You'll also notice that Dave Taylor hasn't been selected, mainly due to the charge he received against the Broncos. It's almost a farce given that:

• Uate did a similar tackle and got a Grade 1 charge
• Taylor's tackle was relatively tame yet South Sydney won't fight it

If you watch the video, I can't say that the throw was Taylor's fault. Yes, he was the last man in the tackle but Sutton should share half the blame. What also didn't help was Anderson shifting his weight at the last minute. One last point - don't listen to Laurie Daley. He bleeds blue and I promise you his comments were anything but impartial.

At the end of the day, we've got a very, very decent squad and we should be able to bring this home at Suncorp. Jim, Tesh and myself will be at the game to revel in the glory of a series win or suffer in defeat. Either way it should be a cracker. 

Broncos sink in Perth

Last night the Broncos trekked for Perth which meant our game was delayed. Not really a bad thing, we got to watch the Bulldogs pull form out of nowhere to beat an almost retarded Tigers. When I think of Perth, I immediately think of the WACA - hardened by the sun, the pitch always gives solid bounce and fast pace. The telecast switches over for the Broncos game and the first thing we all say is: "You cannot be serious."

It deadset looked more like a water polo match than a game of Rugby League. Isn't there a point where starting that game had to be in question? Yes, they were in Perth. Yes, you couldn't call the game off due to the good that it will do for the expansion of the game. How about delaying it to Saturday afternoon? Or at least getting a super-sopper for God's sake.

As soon as that game started in those conditions, it went from a NRL to a coin flip. Case in point, Rhys Wesser's try. Sandow kicked the absolute piss out of that ball and in any other conditions, it would have hit old mate in the 7th row. Instead, it hits the massive lake in the try area and stops on a dime. Wesser strolls in and scores. The Bunnies cannot beat an egg yet they beat us due to the weather. Call it crying foul over a loss or whatever you will, that was bullshit.

Oh, at least JT got off and the Publican at the Victory for feeding McCullough and Hunt drinks as it gives a reason to drop the two noobs.

Consistency

There's one thing that I want when it comes to sport - consistency. Whether that be from the players, the coach, the NRL, the referees, the judiciary, consistency is what keeps the masses happy. If my team is good one week and bad the next, it's not an enjoyable experience. I've harped on about referee's enough but my gripe isn't about them at the moment.

To much dismay, Johnathan Thurston has been given a 2 match ban by the judiciary for a Grade 2 Contrary Conduct charge for colliding with a referee on Saturday. I have a few gripes with this:

• Nothing was placed on report and no cautions were given during the game
• This is the second time the same referee has walked into a players line
• This doesn't match previous charges for the same situation

This referee has been caught in similar spots before - a few rounds ago Sam Thaiday collided with the same referee after he inexplicably ran backwards towards a scrum as it was breaking. During the game on Saturday, the whole situation was brushed off by the ref with a laugh - if it was that serious, surely the incident would have been placed on report at the time. To top it off, McCrone from Canberra got charged with a Grade 1 Contrary Conduct charge for pushing the referee in round 6. The difference between the two charges is that McCrone stuck his hands out to push the referee while replays show that Thurston was watching the ball and the ref backed into his way.

I really don't like swearing in blogs but quite frankly if this charge is upheld, it's utter bullshit. There is a history of shocking calls in the judiciary around Origin time, as recently as Uate before Game 2. The only solution I can see is that JT and the Cowboys fight the charge and get this ridiculous situation out of the way. 

Maroons cause heartache, Broncos cause elation

What a week of football. My prediction was that it would end up inversely - Maroons winning comfortably and the Broncos doing it tough. Let's start with the good. After a very average first 20 mins, the Broncos clicked into gear and did a number on the Dragon's that won't be forgotten any time soon. What I found most encouraging was our dominance in the middle - while missing Gillett, Te'o, McGuire, Tronc and Carlaw, we still managed to clear good yardage. Special mention goes to Hannant (54 tackles, 124m), Glenn (34 tackles, 105m) and Hala (1 Linebreak, 5 Tackle Busts) for their stellar performances.

The biggest concern for me was the defending from Yow Yeh. Noone can deny that in attack he is brilliant but his defence needs serious work. He received a bit of attention in Game 1 and was found out slightly, ever since then he has been targeted hard and has been caught out numerous times. He needs a good long lesson on playing the man and also when to leave his position, he's been mistiming that something fierce and it's difficult to watch to be honest.

Now, for the bad. Queensland lost to the better side during the week, that is a given. What I can't get my head around is why we played so badly. In the exact opposite of what the Broncos did Friday, QLD were nowhere to be found when the hard yakka needed to be done in the middle. In fact, during the second half, the lads didn't look like they even wanted to tackle NSW and gave them all the time in the world. Maybe complacency was the issue. Several players looked like they weren't even there mentally and a few were highly ineffective. Cooper Cronk, Yow Yeh and Thaiday had absolute shockers. Cronk thought he was Cam Smith and made run after run from dummy half and they read him like a book. Yow Yeh's defensive lapses were covered above. Thaiday played with reckless abandon and unbridled emotion which led to a lot of errors.

What happens from here? Quite simple really - Cronk dropped, Harrison to the bench, Dallas Johnson to Lock. The only thing that will save Yow Yeh will be the fact that Steve Michaels is the only replacement for him. That, or if Hodgo is fit, Nielsen can play there.

For QLD to win Game 3, they need to embrace what has treated them so well over the years. Hard hitting defence and hard work up the middle. Too often during Game 2 were QLD trying to push the pass when it wasn't on. QLD's brilliance has worked when the situation allows for it, trying to make a game-breaking play when the defence is in your face is a very low percentage play.

QLD can win this and should win this - they just need to play smart.

Origin 2 Preview

Get that into ya.

An age old question will be answered Wednesday night - in the modern game, which is better, a mobile or large pack? Go back 30 years and that question was easily answered - the big guys would dominate. I started watching League in 1991 and even from then to now, the general size of forwards has changed. Players like Glenn Lazarus, Alan Cann, Mark Tookey and Martin Bella were built like brick shithouses. Nowadays the players are still big (example: Moi Moi) but generally they are a lot more mobile and quicker.

It's all going to come down to, yes you guessed it, error free football. I've said it 100 times and it still rings true - the longer you hold on to the ball, the more opposition defends, they get tired, attacking team wins. Pretty basic concept. Now, a wet track doesn't change this, in fact it makes it all the more critical. Ball control is the most important thing in a wet game. Wet games also mean that the forwards play a very key part - you can't throw it around like the Tigers in the wet or you'll end up defending for 3/4 of the night. The forwards need to go up the guts relentlessly - this is where I believe the big lads like Petero and Scott will win the game. The mobile Blues forward pack will struggle with the constant attention through the middle. Footwork isn't so great in the mud.

The other big factor will be the halves. They play the role of the puppet master - in the wet their roles change slightly. While they are still responsible for the direction of the side, their kicking games come to the fore. Nothing works better than deep kicks down to either corner - the more you can make someone slog it out in the wet, the better. I hate to sound clichéd but this should be a game of inches - whoever has the dedication will win this. I can't see it being a high scoring game, I'm going to predict 14-6.

QUEENSLANDER

Broncos edge out the Raiders in overtime

Wallace brings it home (Source: NRL.com.au)

Well, you know when I said giving up a 22 point lead was bad? Try 24 points. After cruising to a 24 point lead, the Broncos seemingly switched off for the last 20 minutes. Combine that with some rare error-free footy from the Raiders and you've got a tight game that should never been close. Below are things we can take from the game:

Our Forwards


With the representative guys on break and a few key forwards injured, it was time for our remaining forwards to step up. And they did, for 60 minutes. Dane Carlaw made a few menacing runs, Hala was a wrecking machine and Kenny provided his usual 110% effort. Special mention to McCullough as well - I mentioned earlier that he needed to step it up a cog and I'm glad to say he did. The highlight was a fantastic 40/20 kick off two steps - fantastic to watch.

Our Backs


Much the same story with the backs. Hoffman led the way in a manner that belies his experience. Moylan had a few good efforts and he also did a fair amount of work in the ruck to give our big lads a breather. Copley was impressive again, along with Peter Wallace. The backline plays at time were a bit disjointed but that's what you get with so many key players out.

There is no reason to step off the gas, ever


A lot of teams are guilty of stepping off the gas when a lead has been established. The Broncos didn't really have that problem a few years ago but ever since Wayne left, we seem to fall into lull once we gain a decent lead. A hallmark of great teams is that they all have that killer instinct - when a team has a 2-3 try lead, they don't ease up. They keep pushing until their opponent is well and truly beaten. Yes, our team was young so inexperience can take some of the blame but Wallace should have been able to take a leadership role during that time. I guess that's why Glenn was named captain.

A win is a win, any points we can take away during Origin time are a bonus. That cements us into 5th on the ladder which is quite a good effort so far. What is important is that the young players in our squad soak up their latest bit of NRL experience and learn from what happened today.

Darius Boyd

"Newcastle is that way" Source: News.com.au

Boyd is somewhat of a hot topic at the moment. Hopefully you should all realise that he played for the Broncos when we won the premiership in 06, left us at the end of the 08 season to go to the Dragons, along with Wayne Bennett. He chalked up a second premiership medal in 2009 and announced earlier this year that he will more than likely be moving on. Wayne announces that he's going to coach the Knights and lo and behold, Darius signs with the Knights.

To some, this is ludicrous. Some have called him a mothers boy, homosexual, weak, disappointing. Apparently it's a sin to enjoy playing under a particular coach. To others, including me, he's free to do whatever he wants. In his younger years, his parents had marital issues and he was raised by his grandmother. Is it that inconceivable that Wayne is somewhat of a father figure to him? Personally I don't care what he does. Sure, I'd love to see him back in Brisbane and ripping it up but it wasn't to be.

The public's issues with Boyd are similar to what Israel Folau, Sonny Bill Williams and Karmichael Hunt received when they made their announcements. It seems a little ridiculous that players that change teams regularly (or follow a coach) are in the same bucket as code jumpers. In fact, code jumpers are fine by me as well. Why? Athletes have limited earning potential. You and I can generally work until we are 65 in the same job and shouldn't have any problems. Athletes only have 20 or so years at best to earn as much as they can - and while some manage to study while playing, most don't/can't. Darius would no doubt be getting a very good deal from the Knights and it's his choice what he does. Exactly the same for K and Izzy, while it'd be fantastic to see them on the park in League, it wasn't to be.

The one odd person out in the above is Sonny Bill Williams. Darius, K, Izzy, even Gasnier, all left League in the right circumstances. By that, I mean their contracts had either ended or had exit clauses written into them. SBW on the other hand, outright dogged Canterbury and left mid-contract. He did wrong by the fans, the club and the league. It's no coincidence that the move occurred after he signed with Khoder Nasser but that's another story for another time. Fans have every right to be angry with SBW and the way he handled his situation.

The whole point of this article is to highlight the fact that these athletes that we cheer each week are actually human beings and have every right to make the decision that is right for them. Whether the motivator is financial or professional, it doesn't matter. Let him be.

Broncos vs. Raiders Preview

Hands on hips lads. Source: News.com.au

This weekend makes for a very interesting match-up indeed. On paper, the Broncos should steam-roll the Raiders into oblivion. You only needed to watch the Raiders and Cowboys last weekend to see what I mean - any team that establishes a 22 point lead and then loses is a team in trouble. The Broncos are down on troops with Locky, Hannant, Yow Yeh, Parker and Thaiday all being on Origin duty and several players being out injured. This means our lineup has only 676 games between them (average of 39.7) and Gagai, Norman, Reed, Moylan, Baptiste, Copley, Hala and Lui all have under 20 games of NRL experience. 

Canberra aren't fairing much better - Dugan just got re-injured, Campo is out again for 3 months (poor bastard) and they are also missing Orford and Vidot. Dugan, Campo and Vidot are losses that will hurt them just as much as ours do, Orford however has been utterly useless so his 'injury' is actually a godsend for the men in green. For any non-believer, watch this appropriately named video.

So really it's going to be 2 depleted teams battling it out for 2 competition points. I normally hate all of the 'playing for their season' talk this early but there's some merit to this one. Historically you need at least 28 points to make finals - the Raiders have 12 games left plus a bye, meaning they realistically need to win 9 from 12 of their remaining matches. When those 12 include matches against Brisbane, Melbourne, St George, New Zealand and Newcastle, it's hard to see this happening.

The most exciting match-up this weekend will be Alan Tongue and Andrew McCullough. Tongue has been a favourite of mine for a number of years due to his hard-nosed defence and old school attitude. Macca is on the other end of the scale - a constant under-performer who only looks good when we play teams such as the Sharks. Macca needs to step up big time and this weekend would be a fantastic time to do it.

With the above being said, we can expect the Raiders to come out fired up after the embarrassment of their last game and the prospect that after round 12, they are fighting for their season. The Broncos will have it tough for sure but being at home, I can see us taking this in a tight one. Prediction? 14-12 Broncos.

Broncos and Maroons Squad News

Pic courtesy of http://www.news.com.au

There's been a few interesting tidbits relating to selections for the Brisbane Broncos and the QLD Maroons. The Maroons named 2 changes, one forced by injury and one based on form:

1. Billy Slater - Melbourne Storm
2. Darius Boyd - St George Illawarra Dragons
3. Dane Nielsen - Melbourne Storm
4. Greg Inglis - South Sydney Rabbitohs
5. Jharal Yow Yeh - Brisbane Broncos
6. Darren Lockyer (c) - Brisbane Broncos
7. Johnathan Thurston - North QLD Cowboys
8. Matthew Scott - North QLD Cowboys
9. Cameron Smith - Melbourne Storm
10. Petero Civoniceva - Penrith Panthers
11. Nate Myles - Sydney Roosters
12. Sam Thaiday - Brisbane Broncos
13. Ashley Harrison - Gold Coast Titans

14. Cooper Cronk - Melbourne Storm
15. Corey Parker - Brisbane Broncos
16. David Taylor - South Sydney Rabbitohs
17. Ben Hannant - Brisbane Broncos
18. Jacob Lillyman - NZ Warriors


So in a nutshell, GI returns after his lengthy stint on the sidelines due to off-season surgery and DT has been brought in for Lillyman. Admittedly I wasn't that impressed with his selection in Game One however after a rocky start, he went on to have a solid game. This means that DT's form has pretty much demanded that he gets a dig for Game 2. The only question mark I have is about the size of our pack compared to theirs - we've got some very big units in Scott, Petero, DT and Hannant while NSW went for a much more mobile pack. What will decide this game is simple possession football - the more we run it up the middle, the more the Blues will get tired. If they start getting a bigger share of the possession, the defending will start to wear our lads out and their mobility will tear us to pieces. 


One last point about Origin, how Uate got out of a weeks suspension is beyond me. The fact that is was only Grade 1 is underrating the charge as far as I'm concerned and then the early guilty plea system means he ends up 7 points under the 100 point threshold for a week off. This does come back to the fact that historically players selected for Origin tend to get off rather easy if they get pinged in the weekend prior. I wouldn't go as far as to say that there is a conspiracy but it does seem to undermine the whole system.


Now as I hinted in my last blog post, the Broncos are a tad undermanned heading into this weekends game. The side is as follows:


1. Hoffman
2. Gagai
3. Copley
4. Beale
5. Moylan
6. Norman
7. Wallace
8. Kenny
9. McCullough
10. Anderson
11. Glenn (c)
12. Carlaw
13. Reed

14. Baptiste
15. Lui
16. Dodds
17. Hala


It's great to see Hoffman in the line-up, we are a better side with him in it. The Wingers and Centres are a concern though - 42 games between them and Moylan on debut. I haven't heard much about Moylan to be honest, even with research I've only manage to find some older stats which says he had played 71 QLD Cup games and scored 32 tries. Not a bad conversion rate but the NRL is a step up. The only other real talking point is the selection of Jack Reed at Lock. He has the size (6ft, 98kg) and the ranga passion but I'm not sure how he'll go. My gut says he'll do okay without starring. Quite frankly I think the Broncos need that from all 17 for us to get a win this weekend.


A big congratulations for Alex Glenn on being handed the captaincy for the first time, hopefully it brings out the best in the young bloke. Join me on Friday for a preview of the game!

Broncos feeling the hurt

For most teams, the weeks surrounding Origin are a hectic time. Representative commitments, injuries and fatigue often cause problems for teams and unfortunately the Broncos are no different.

With the naming of the Maroon squad coming today at some point, the Broncos can expect roughly 4 players to be out for Origin II:

Darren Lockyer
Corey Parker
Jharal Yow Yeh
Sam Thaiday

The word on the grapvine is that Hodgo isn't coming along as well as planned and is not likely to be risked by QLD. Looking at the above list, that's a bit of hurt right there for the Broncos. What hasn't been mentioned much is our injury toll, which is as follows:

Justin Hodges - Hamstring (indefinite - likely to be 2-3 weeks however)
Shane Tronc - Neck (indefinite - possible surgery)
Matt Gillett - Foot (round 15)
Josh McGuire - Eye (estimated round 19)
Ben Hunt - Finger (indefinite)
Ben Te'o - Arm (round 18)
Nick Kenny - Shoulder (facing fitness tests however has been named)

When we lost 3 on the trot, I didn't give it much thought and having been unable to watch the games, it didn't dawn on me that we had so many players out. What hurts the most for me is Gillett and Hodgo - Hodges is invaluable to any side and Gillett is a rising star with limitless potential and the longer he is out, the longer it will take for him to get back into the groove.

Given our forwards depth, I never thought we'd be in a position where we are lacking solid forwards. The shining light out of this situation is Kurt Baptiste. I know a few people that have had wraps on Kurt for a long time in the QLD Cup and his performance last week was solid indeed.

While Origin is my favourite time of the year in terms of sport, it does cripple my beloved Broncos for a few weeks. If QLD win Game 2, I'll let that slide this year ;).

Has Ricky Stuart lost the plot?

Expect this pose at around the 30min mark during Origin II.

(Pic courtesy of News.com.au)

Previously, I had a crack at the NSW Blues side for Game 2. Now, I thought I had a good handle on what was going to happen but yet again I've been proven wrong. The side was announced yesterday and updated today:

1. Anthony Minichiello (Sydney Roosters)

2. Jarryd Hayne (Parramatta)

3. William Hopoate (Manly)

4. Mark Gasnier (St George Illawarra)

5. Akuila Uate (Newcastle Knights)

6. Jamie Soward (St George Illawarra)

7. Mitchell Pearce (Sydney Roosters)

8. Paul Gallen (c) (Cronulla)

9. Michael Ennis (Canterbury-Bankstown)

10. Tim Mannah (Parramatta)

11. Beau Scott (St George Illawarra)

12. Ben Creagh (St George Illawarra)

13. Greg Bird (Gold Coast Titans)

Bench: Trent Merrin (St George Illawarra), Kurt Gidley (Newcastle Knights), Anthony Watmough (Manly), Luke Lewis (Penrith).

Dugan was originally named however he injured himself Sunday and was subsequently ruled out. There's 2 positive inclusions there - Watmough and Lewis. Both are battle-hardened players who should get their respective jobs done in 8 days. The others though? Hoppa Jnr, 14 games into his NRL career. Minichiello, an aging fullback and while it's admirable that he's fought through the injuries he has had, is past it and is just a tad lucky to be there. Where is Learoyd-Lahrs? Idris? For a bloke who is allegedly building for the future, there's nothing like the selections of Mini and and Hoppa to damage his credibility.

While the selections are questionable, it doesn't end there. While I'm surprised he knows what he actually wants to do, he's said numerous times that he won't play people of position. Now I understand his hand is forced somewhat due to injuries, but come on - Hayne, Gallen and Hoppa out of position, really? Oh, and Gidley. What a pick that one is - he has got to be the most overrated super-sub I've ever seen. Year after year he's being hailed as the savior but what has he produced when it matters? Nothing. I know that Stuart has to make some changes, but making your philosophy known and then going against that is not a good formula.

In Maroon news, Tonga is out with his bung shoulder and Hodges doesn't seem like he'll be ready. Inglis seems to be a distinct possibility which will help us immensely. As for any other changes, I don't think there will be any. No real injuries apart from Tonga, no massive problems in Game One, the side should look virtually the same.

Game 2, Blues on the ropes. What's not to love?