trial vs broncos
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Super Cronk
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if there was it wasnt anything major. it hasnt been mentioned anywhere. and the report on nrl site doesnt mention any injuries.sallymay wrote: what bout injurys were there any at all????
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MELBOURNE STORM 20 BRISBANE BRONCOS 6
BRISBANE captain Darren Lockyer looked rusty in his eagerly-awaited return in the Broncos trial loss to Melbourne at Stockland Park on the Sunshine Coast.
While flashy Storm fullback Billy Slater picked up where he left off last year as the game's number one attacking player, Lockyer's lack of trial time was evident.
Lockyer was keen to play against the Storm to blow out the cobwebs before Brisbane's NRL season opener against North Queensland in a fortnight. It was a wise decision because his 40 minutes on the field was riddled with rust.
He failed to find touch with a penalty kick, kicked out on the full on the last tackle and threw an intercept pass all in the first 20 minutes.
The good news for Brisbane, though, is he is likely to be a lot sharper against the Cowboys after scrapping plans to miss Brisbane's three pre-season trials and go in cold against North Queensland.
Both sides were busy with the football early. But they paid the price for forcing passes in the steamy conditions in a scrappy opening 40 minutes.
Slater was at his slippery best in the opening half, testing Brisbane's defence to the limit several times. Broncos comeback centre Mick DeVere - playing his first game since 2006 - revived memories of his former days at the club when he stopped a try-bound Slater in the first half.
Last year's golden boot winner was clearly Melbourne's best, his speed defusing the impressive kicking games of both hooker Aaron Gorrell and halfback Peter Wallace.
The only points in the first half came from a slick backline rush started by Storm five-eighth Greg Inglis and involving halfback Cooper Cronk and Slater, who delivered the final pass for bright young centre prospect Willie Isa to dive over in the right corner.
Melbourne winger Joe Tomane scored the Storm's second try in the 53rd minute and when Slater was rewarded with a try in the 61st minute the Storm led 16-0. Brisbane lock Corey Park got the big crowd of 8,178 on their feet with a converted try in the 65th minute.
Fulltime
MELBOURNE 20 (W Isa J Tomane B Slater W Chambers tries G Inglis 2 goals) bt BRISBANE 6 (C Parker try C Parker goal) at Stockland Park, Kawana. Referees: M Cecchin M Sutton. Crowd: 8,178.
sounds like billy killed it, and the battle between isa and tomane seems to still be up in the air.
BRISBANE captain Darren Lockyer looked rusty in his eagerly-awaited return in the Broncos trial loss to Melbourne at Stockland Park on the Sunshine Coast.
While flashy Storm fullback Billy Slater picked up where he left off last year as the game's number one attacking player, Lockyer's lack of trial time was evident.
Lockyer was keen to play against the Storm to blow out the cobwebs before Brisbane's NRL season opener against North Queensland in a fortnight. It was a wise decision because his 40 minutes on the field was riddled with rust.
He failed to find touch with a penalty kick, kicked out on the full on the last tackle and threw an intercept pass all in the first 20 minutes.
The good news for Brisbane, though, is he is likely to be a lot sharper against the Cowboys after scrapping plans to miss Brisbane's three pre-season trials and go in cold against North Queensland.
Both sides were busy with the football early. But they paid the price for forcing passes in the steamy conditions in a scrappy opening 40 minutes.
Slater was at his slippery best in the opening half, testing Brisbane's defence to the limit several times. Broncos comeback centre Mick DeVere - playing his first game since 2006 - revived memories of his former days at the club when he stopped a try-bound Slater in the first half.
Last year's golden boot winner was clearly Melbourne's best, his speed defusing the impressive kicking games of both hooker Aaron Gorrell and halfback Peter Wallace.
The only points in the first half came from a slick backline rush started by Storm five-eighth Greg Inglis and involving halfback Cooper Cronk and Slater, who delivered the final pass for bright young centre prospect Willie Isa to dive over in the right corner.
Melbourne winger Joe Tomane scored the Storm's second try in the 53rd minute and when Slater was rewarded with a try in the 61st minute the Storm led 16-0. Brisbane lock Corey Park got the big crowd of 8,178 on their feet with a converted try in the 65th minute.
Fulltime
MELBOURNE 20 (W Isa J Tomane B Slater W Chambers tries G Inglis 2 goals) bt BRISBANE 6 (C Parker try C Parker goal) at Stockland Park, Kawana. Referees: M Cecchin M Sutton. Crowd: 8,178.
sounds like billy killed it, and the battle between isa and tomane seems to still be up in the air.
Slicker Storm roll Broncos
Chris Barrett | February 28, 2009 - 9:55PM
The departure of Israel Folau would leave a gaping hold in most rugby league teams but on this evidence the Melbourne Storm will do just fine without him.
Craig Bellamy’s side were irrepressible in attack as they faced off against Folau, now a Brisbane Bronco, for the first time during the two clubs’ final pre-season trial at Stockland Park on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
The presence of the Test centre on the opposite side of the paddock had little effect on the Storm’s dazzling backline, with Billy Slater, Willie Isa and Will Chambers all grabbing tries in a 20-6 victory.
The anticipation surrounding Folau’s reunion with his former Storm teammates, coupled with the return from injury of the Australia captain Darren Lockyer, had given the lead-up to this mere trial a near-premiership feel.
Lockyer was appearing for the first time since tearing a cartilage in his knee during last year’s World Cup, an injury which had forced to him undergo arthroscopic surgery in December and disrupted the 31-year-old’s pre season.
The match also offered a first view for Queensland rugby league fans of Lockyer’s opposite number: the new, beefed-up Greg Inglis.
Much has been made of the protein shake-inhaling Melbourne and Test speedster’s updated physique – he has piled on 7kg in the off-season and at 107kg he loomed as a frightening proposition for the Broncos defence.
Despite the almost full-strength nature of the Broncos and Storm line-ups a barrage of early fumbles and turnovers reinforced that this in fact was a scratch match, not the real deal.
That perception was enhanced by Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy’s and his staff’s enforced climb up four flights of stairs in a wobbly temporary viewing tower that resembled a construction site to the makeshift coach’s box.
The tyro Broncos coach Ivan Henjak, handed the formidable task of filling the shoes of the departed Wayne Bennett, chose a closer - and probably safer - position at ground level to scrutinise proceedings.
From there he would have been content to see Lockyer escape unscathed from a first half in which he was only fleetingly involved but showed a glimpse of the potential right-side fireworks that he and Folau could ignite when his combination with the three-quarter has some time under its belt.
It was the Storm’s outside backs – Isa and Slater most prominently - who were showcasing their dangerous arsenal in the opening stanza, though, albeit on the opposite flank to Folau.
While Inglis looked uncharacteristically out of touch, Melbourne peppered the Brisbane line continually and only a desperate diving tackle from the Broncos winger Antonio Winterstein prevented his Melbourne counterpart Joe Tomane crossing in the corner after 20 minutes.
The Australia fullback Slater was, true to form, a handful every time he touched the ball, coming closest when he delivered a rare chink to the defensive armour of Michael De Vere.
Slater stood up the veteran Brisbane centre effortlessly to race clear but his pass to Tomare went to ground with the tryline beckoning.
Having contained a Storm onslaught the Broncos would not be so fortunate when De Vere – returning to the club after a four-season absence marked by a stint in England - was beaten again by another flyer many years his junior.
Isa was eight years old when De Vere first pulled on a Broncos jumper in 1997 but the recruit from Penrith showed little respect when he danced into open space to score just before the break.
It took only 10 minutes of the second half for Storm’s slick play to pay off again, Slater displaying exquisite quick hands to send Tomane over in the corner via the 20-year-old backrower Kevin Proctor.
Slater was again front and centre soon after, latching on to a delightful short pop from the Melbourne halfback Cooper Cronk to stroll over under the sticks.
It was left to a forward – the lock Corey Parker - to register the only points for Brisbane late on, before the Storm restored supremacy with a try to Chambers late on.
Chris Barrett | February 28, 2009 - 9:55PM
The departure of Israel Folau would leave a gaping hold in most rugby league teams but on this evidence the Melbourne Storm will do just fine without him.
Craig Bellamy’s side were irrepressible in attack as they faced off against Folau, now a Brisbane Bronco, for the first time during the two clubs’ final pre-season trial at Stockland Park on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
The presence of the Test centre on the opposite side of the paddock had little effect on the Storm’s dazzling backline, with Billy Slater, Willie Isa and Will Chambers all grabbing tries in a 20-6 victory.
The anticipation surrounding Folau’s reunion with his former Storm teammates, coupled with the return from injury of the Australia captain Darren Lockyer, had given the lead-up to this mere trial a near-premiership feel.
Lockyer was appearing for the first time since tearing a cartilage in his knee during last year’s World Cup, an injury which had forced to him undergo arthroscopic surgery in December and disrupted the 31-year-old’s pre season.
The match also offered a first view for Queensland rugby league fans of Lockyer’s opposite number: the new, beefed-up Greg Inglis.
Much has been made of the protein shake-inhaling Melbourne and Test speedster’s updated physique – he has piled on 7kg in the off-season and at 107kg he loomed as a frightening proposition for the Broncos defence.
Despite the almost full-strength nature of the Broncos and Storm line-ups a barrage of early fumbles and turnovers reinforced that this in fact was a scratch match, not the real deal.
That perception was enhanced by Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy’s and his staff’s enforced climb up four flights of stairs in a wobbly temporary viewing tower that resembled a construction site to the makeshift coach’s box.
The tyro Broncos coach Ivan Henjak, handed the formidable task of filling the shoes of the departed Wayne Bennett, chose a closer - and probably safer - position at ground level to scrutinise proceedings.
From there he would have been content to see Lockyer escape unscathed from a first half in which he was only fleetingly involved but showed a glimpse of the potential right-side fireworks that he and Folau could ignite when his combination with the three-quarter has some time under its belt.
It was the Storm’s outside backs – Isa and Slater most prominently - who were showcasing their dangerous arsenal in the opening stanza, though, albeit on the opposite flank to Folau.
While Inglis looked uncharacteristically out of touch, Melbourne peppered the Brisbane line continually and only a desperate diving tackle from the Broncos winger Antonio Winterstein prevented his Melbourne counterpart Joe Tomane crossing in the corner after 20 minutes.
The Australia fullback Slater was, true to form, a handful every time he touched the ball, coming closest when he delivered a rare chink to the defensive armour of Michael De Vere.
Slater stood up the veteran Brisbane centre effortlessly to race clear but his pass to Tomare went to ground with the tryline beckoning.
Having contained a Storm onslaught the Broncos would not be so fortunate when De Vere – returning to the club after a four-season absence marked by a stint in England - was beaten again by another flyer many years his junior.
Isa was eight years old when De Vere first pulled on a Broncos jumper in 1997 but the recruit from Penrith showed little respect when he danced into open space to score just before the break.
It took only 10 minutes of the second half for Storm’s slick play to pay off again, Slater displaying exquisite quick hands to send Tomane over in the corner via the 20-year-old backrower Kevin Proctor.
Slater was again front and centre soon after, latching on to a delightful short pop from the Melbourne halfback Cooper Cronk to stroll over under the sticks.
It was left to a forward – the lock Corey Parker - to register the only points for Brisbane late on, before the Storm restored supremacy with a try to Chambers late on.
Last edited by 1999 on Sat Feb 28, 2009 11:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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singlemalt
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As an interesting aside and in anticipation of the round clash with the Dragons;
AAP
The Bennett bubble has burst with South Sydney claiming a 18-6 Charity Shield NRL trial victory over St George Illawarra at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.
With two impressive trial wins under their belt since master coach Wayne Bennett took charge, the Dragons finally fell with a limp three tries to one loss in a worrying sign ahead of the NRL season start in two weeks.
AAP
The Bennett bubble has burst with South Sydney claiming a 18-6 Charity Shield NRL trial victory over St George Illawarra at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.
With two impressive trial wins under their belt since master coach Wayne Bennett took charge, the Dragons finally fell with a limp three tries to one loss in a worrying sign ahead of the NRL season start in two weeks.
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Insomniac
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Not a bad trial match at all - in terms of game quality, it was definitely one of the better trial games that I have been to... and our "outer standing" tickets, although probably not worth the $25 each, weren't as bad as I feared...
From my "vantage point" behind the posts at the southern end of the field, the Storm certainly looked to be in control for most of the game.
It was a pretty good defensive effort by both teams in the first half, with plenty of errors being forced by enthusiastic defensive lines. Penalties came thick and fast in the opening 40 minutes, with the Storm racking up the first four in a row in the space of about 10 minutes (two for "unnecessary" contact with the head, one for hands in the ruck, and another for holding down), but the Broncos weren't able to capitilise with one kick not finding touch and two others going out on the full in the same 10 minute period.
The penalties seemed to even up late in the half, but errors by the Storm and good defense by the Broncos shut down any attacking opportunities, until Willie Isa was able to touch down after a brilliant slicing run just before half time. Steve Turner's conversion attempt from out wide sailed well wide of the target, making the score 4-0 to the Storm at half time.
I expected Bellamy to shake things up a bit in the second half and try some alternative combinations in sacrifice of the scoreboard and a possible win. The combinations were changed up a bit, with Ryan Hinchcliffe playing long stints at dummy half, and players like Aiden Tolman, Kevin Proctor, and Scott Anderson spending a decent amount of time out on the field, but much to my surprise, we actually looked sharper in attack, particularly in the 20 minutes after half time.
With Cronk, Slater, and Inglis running off some decent dummy half running by Hinchcliffe, the Broncos seemed to suddenly struggle with our attacking options, and two quick tries to Tomane and Slater (both converted easily by Inglis, one of which from the sideline) took the lead out to 16-0. Unfortunately, a dropped ball from the very next set gave the Broncos excellent field position which they converted into points through a try to Corey Parker, who also converted from the sideline.
Great defensive reads by Chambers, Slater, and Inglis shut down further scoring opportunities for the Broncos, and a late try to Chambers (conversion out wide by Inglis unsuccessful) made the final score a comfortable 20-6.
Slater was clearly the dominant player out there, getting involved in just about everything. Inglis, although not heavily involved, looked big and strong and a handful to bring down as always, and at least one of his towering bombs were fumbled by the Broncos which led to the field position that produced the Tomane try. Speaking of which, Tomane and Isa really impressed as well, Tolman was strong with plenty of hit-ups (and copped plenty of punishment in the process, but it didn't seem to phase him), Proctor did well and played a major role in the try of the match to Tomane...
Overall it was a very solid performance by all, despite the handling errors. I must admit that I'm not sure whether Smith was playing 5/8 when Hinchcliffe was at dummy half, or whether he just had a spell on the bench, but either way, I am certainly a little more encouraged by our options after seeing this trial.
I didn't notice any obvious injury concerns (other than the scratching of Quinn before the game - obviously related to what I observed during the training session on Friday), and everyone looked good during the post-game lap around the field. Tomane stopped to chat while the other guys caught up to him, and he seemed like a really nice guy. He even asked if I had anything that I wanted him to sign.
And one final note on merchandising - I managed to secure a sponsor for my tipping comp this week, and it just happens to be the same merchandising store that secured the rights to have a stall at this trial. I spoke with the guys throughout the day, and they told me that much to their surprise, the Storm merchandise far out-sold the Broncos gear on the day. So another win for the Storm away from home!
Bring on Round 1!
From my "vantage point" behind the posts at the southern end of the field, the Storm certainly looked to be in control for most of the game.
It was a pretty good defensive effort by both teams in the first half, with plenty of errors being forced by enthusiastic defensive lines. Penalties came thick and fast in the opening 40 minutes, with the Storm racking up the first four in a row in the space of about 10 minutes (two for "unnecessary" contact with the head, one for hands in the ruck, and another for holding down), but the Broncos weren't able to capitilise with one kick not finding touch and two others going out on the full in the same 10 minute period.
The penalties seemed to even up late in the half, but errors by the Storm and good defense by the Broncos shut down any attacking opportunities, until Willie Isa was able to touch down after a brilliant slicing run just before half time. Steve Turner's conversion attempt from out wide sailed well wide of the target, making the score 4-0 to the Storm at half time.
I expected Bellamy to shake things up a bit in the second half and try some alternative combinations in sacrifice of the scoreboard and a possible win. The combinations were changed up a bit, with Ryan Hinchcliffe playing long stints at dummy half, and players like Aiden Tolman, Kevin Proctor, and Scott Anderson spending a decent amount of time out on the field, but much to my surprise, we actually looked sharper in attack, particularly in the 20 minutes after half time.
With Cronk, Slater, and Inglis running off some decent dummy half running by Hinchcliffe, the Broncos seemed to suddenly struggle with our attacking options, and two quick tries to Tomane and Slater (both converted easily by Inglis, one of which from the sideline) took the lead out to 16-0. Unfortunately, a dropped ball from the very next set gave the Broncos excellent field position which they converted into points through a try to Corey Parker, who also converted from the sideline.
Great defensive reads by Chambers, Slater, and Inglis shut down further scoring opportunities for the Broncos, and a late try to Chambers (conversion out wide by Inglis unsuccessful) made the final score a comfortable 20-6.
Slater was clearly the dominant player out there, getting involved in just about everything. Inglis, although not heavily involved, looked big and strong and a handful to bring down as always, and at least one of his towering bombs were fumbled by the Broncos which led to the field position that produced the Tomane try. Speaking of which, Tomane and Isa really impressed as well, Tolman was strong with plenty of hit-ups (and copped plenty of punishment in the process, but it didn't seem to phase him), Proctor did well and played a major role in the try of the match to Tomane...
Overall it was a very solid performance by all, despite the handling errors. I must admit that I'm not sure whether Smith was playing 5/8 when Hinchcliffe was at dummy half, or whether he just had a spell on the bench, but either way, I am certainly a little more encouraged by our options after seeing this trial.
I didn't notice any obvious injury concerns (other than the scratching of Quinn before the game - obviously related to what I observed during the training session on Friday), and everyone looked good during the post-game lap around the field. Tomane stopped to chat while the other guys caught up to him, and he seemed like a really nice guy. He even asked if I had anything that I wanted him to sign.
And one final note on merchandising - I managed to secure a sponsor for my tipping comp this week, and it just happens to be the same merchandising store that secured the rights to have a stall at this trial. I spoke with the guys throughout the day, and they told me that much to their surprise, the Storm merchandise far out-sold the Broncos gear on the day. So another win for the Storm away from home!
Bring on Round 1!
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Stormwarning[c]
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Nice to read and hear this morning on Sydney media that the most of the focus has been on the fact that Lockyer having his first hit out and not much else.
Hope we can continue to 'not be noticed' by that scum up there...but we know that wont happen.
Thxs Insomniac and Fampa for the updates and reviews.
Hope we can continue to 'not be noticed' by that scum up there...but we know that wont happen.
Thxs Insomniac and Fampa for the updates and reviews.
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[b]Get out of the closet, you know deep down your a Storm supporter.[/b]
[b]You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life....[b]
[b]Get out of the closet, you know deep down your a Storm supporter.[/b]
[b]You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life....[b]
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Michael :P
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Kevin Proctor seems to be really putting his hand up for a bench spot. Was good last week and sounds like he played strong again.
Let them focus on Lockyer rather than the Storm, gives our new guys a chance to fly under the radar for a while.Stormwarning[c] wrote: Nice to read and hear this morning on Sydney media that the most of the focus has been on the fact that Lockyer having his first hit out and not much else.
Hope we can continue to 'not be noticed' by that scum up there...but we know that wont happen.
Thxs Insomniac and Fampa for the updates and reviews.
A lot in NSW are writing us off coz of our loss of players, yet once again our recruiting and excellent coaching staff look to have come up with the goods judging on what we saw last week and Insomniac's great review.
Hehehe, bring on the Dragqueen's, Bennett won't know what hit them Friday week!
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storm_rhinos
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How did Izzy play for the Broncos? Did they try to get the ball to him all the time like Henjak said he wanted?
How did we deal with him against us?
How did we deal with him against us?
"Don't mistake lack of talent for genius"
"Fortune favours the brave, stand tall Storm your time is now. Go hard, go Storm!! "
"Fortune favours the brave, stand tall Storm your time is now. Go hard, go Storm!! "
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Super Cronk
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i just read a broncos suppoerters report on another site and he said we contained him pretty well. which is expected i guess.
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Insomniac
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Every time Izzy got the ball, or even when the ball looked like it was heading out to his side of the field, the crowd cheered, but I think that actually worked against the Broncos as it alerted our guys and they gave him absolutely nothing. He was well contained all night.storm_rhinos wrote: How did Izzy play for the Broncos? Did they try to get the ball to him all the time like Henjak said he wanted?
How did we deal with him against us?
And when they tried the ol' "when all else fails, kick it to Folau" trick, Slater was phenomenal under the high ball, and he was given great cover by our young guys in the backline. The only time the Broncos actually recovered a bomb they were promptly penalised for pushing.
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Michael :P
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Didnt they see the last 2/3 of our season last year. High kicks to Issy dont work no-more.Insomniac wrote: [
And when they tried the ol' "when all else fails, kick it to Folau" trick, Slater was phenomenal under the high ball, and he was given great cover by our young guys in the backline. The only time the Broncos actually recovered a bomb they were promptly penalised for pushing.