Round 17 vs Broncos

[blazza18]

Welch could be even better if he stopped running with his head down. He missed a sizeable gap late in the game that could've resulted into something but he couldn't see it.

[Storm Spirit]

Welch could be even better if he stopped running with his head down. He missed a sizeable gap late in the game that could've resulted into something but he couldn't see it.

I actually watched him closely last night and noticed that his head was in an upright position more often when he took the ball and ran compared to other weeks...

Not a radical change last night.,...but I reckon Bellyache and Ryles will have identified the head down running as an issue and will be working on it with him...

[Ice]

Geez the injury gods have been cruel to us this year, it's amazing we're sitting in the penthouse given the players we've had out and it's a testament to the blokes that have come in and grabbed their opportunity with both hands. As mentioned the bye has come at the perfect time and while it may not be enough of a break to get the likes of McLean back (from all reports) and possibly T, at least it'll be one game less we'll be without them while hopefully we can get Glasby back in our pack to offset it a bit and Munster will be well over his ankle by then..

[Danger D]

Green was brilliant. His kicking, running and passing game takes a lot of pressure off Cronk and Smith. Hoping the club pushes hard to keep him.
I thought young was good tonight. I like the enthusiasm he has for bringing the ball back and getting to his feet quickly after the tackle.
The try we let in could be down to Cheyse chasing too hard after Milford who was already covered out wide leaving a big gap on the inside for Roberts to just waltz through. Otherwise he had a pretty solid game and definitely improved on last weeks effort.

[Mattpoet]

Felt it was Cheyse Blair's best game for us. His second try where he identified that throwing the dummy would get him through was great work.

[storm77]

An amazing performance in that first half. The D was back tonight. The O was spectacular. CC is playing as well as he ever has.

[Bullucked]

I would give Kenny Bromwich man of the match last night (although there were probably 12-13 who you could give it to and it would be a fair call), he was huge. Played big minutes and had a massive impact. The best game of his career.

I agree with this totally. For me Kenny was MOM.

This from Alex Glenn (don't shed any tears!)
"We haven't had a good run with injuries this year, but we just need to make sure we are doing everything we can to treat our bodies well and work hard each day."
BooHoo, and it's like we haven't had any injuries either!!!!! Depth of a squad, it says more about the recruitment.

Chambers coming back, yes and no. Chambers for his defense (so long as he doesn't still rush up) but not for his ball hogging. Chayse Blair, how many times did the Bronco's centre (can't remember his name) get on his outside? That seemed quite concerning to me (even though we covered up well). Also, Chayse scored when he should've passed (could've been made to look very silly if he hadn't got over the stripe). On balance, i think Chambers in for Blair when fit.

Do players ever come back through the reserves?

[RobbieRoss]

I hope this is not a silly question. How easy is it for a player at right centre to switch to left centre, and vice versa? At left centre obviously you are receiving from the right and passing to the left. I am no rugby league player, but as a predominantly left handed person I would find it a lot easier to pass to my right than to my left. Perhaps at the elite level these guys can pass equally well on both sides, and that Centres can readily switch from left to right and vice versa.

The reason I ask is that Will Chambers seems always to be at right centre. I agree he has to come back when fit. However on the right side Morgan is not flashy , but he is safe , makes good reads, and gives Suli room to move. Cheyse Blair has done well overall, but poorly last week and is more hit and miss. So if they can switch easily , I would bring in Chambers for Blair and put him on the left.

Apologies for showing my ignorance on this finer point of the game !

[RobbieRoss]

I am very pleased to see Dale Finucane not charged for the raised arm when taking the first hit up of the second half. Not much in it, but glad he does not have to sweat over that. With McLean and Harris likely out for the next few weeks, we could ill afford to lose Finucane as well. Presumably Matt White comes in for Jordan. It will be interesting to see how they deal with Munster's return after the bye . Is he a straight swap for Young , or does Young replace Blair at left centre and they bring in maybe Joe Stimson for Tohu , or does Young play as a forward ?

[TC]

I hope this is not a silly question. How easy is it for a player at right centre to switch to left centre, and vice versa? At left centre obviously you are receiving from the right and passing to the left. I am no rugby league player, but as a predominantly left handed person I would find it a lot easier to pass to my right than to my left. Perhaps at the elite level these guys can pass equally well on both sides, and that Centres can readily switch from left to right and vice versa.

The reason I ask is that Will Chambers seems always to be at right centre. I agree he has to come back when fit. However on the right side Morgan is not flashy , but he is safe , makes good reads, and gives Suli room to move. Cheyse Blair has done well overall, but poorly last week and is more hit and miss. So if they can switch easily , I would bring in Chambers for Blair and put him on the left.

Apologies for showing my ignorance on this finer point of the game !

Not a stupid question at all. Ultimately it comes down to the individual player.
Every player will have a preferred side - they pass better right-to-left, or step off the left foot or fend with the right hand. The more complete the player, the more balanced they will be.
BUT...some really good players cannot adapt. A good example of this is Inglis. Put him on the right hand side and he really struggles to have an impact.
Chambers has far less bias in his play, so I think it would be more a case of him developing a relationship with his winger than modifying his style of play

[Danger D]

Chambers has played both sides of the field both at club level and in rep football. Having said that you'd probably put him in on his preferred side because he offers more than either Morgan or Blair.
I agree that Blair should make way for Chambers because I rate Morgan as a better defender (he's good for around 20 or so tackles a game which is decent for an outside back) and whatever he lacks in attack he makes up for by giving early ball to our wingers who are more than capable of creating opportunities with ball in hand.

[The Mauritian]

The most impressive thing about our form(apart from dragons hiccup), is keeping it, while having high turnover of injured players. To beat Brisbane away 48-6 without Slater, Chambers, Munster, Glasby, NAS, and losing Mclean & Tohu, is a great achievement.

[Insomniac]

Lies! Only Brisbane were missing players PLUS had to contend with the loss of Oates during the game (according to all of the commentators & media).

On a serious note, don't forget that our win was also on the back of another 5 day turnaround... during the Origin period!

[Mattpoet]

AND we had to travel Insomniac, another little thing that got overlooked.

[steaming stormer]

Don't forget, the only team to score 20 points on us is Wests in that second half hiccup from last week. Our defence this year has been immense!!!