If there was one team I thought wasn’t suited by the smaller field in Las Vegas, then it was the Broncos.
I know many people suggested the narrower dimensions didn’t ultimately have an effect on either game, but I saw a few signs of it disrupting Brisbane’s attack. In particular, I thought it really helped the Roosters curtail Reece Walsh.
He loves those block plays out the back where he can skip to the outside of the third man in, but he just didn’t get a lot of those opportunities. You can give a huge amount of credit to the Roosters for that, but also the field size played right into their hands.
The way the Broncos play, they challenge the edge defence regularly. That spells trouble for the Rabbitohs because without Campbell Graham, Jack Wighton and Jai Arrow, I can see them being in for a difficult night.
Brisbane really missed Brendan Piakura when he left the field in Las Vegas. You could see it really hampered Kevin Walters’ plan with his interchange, forcing Pat Carrigan to an edge.
But I can see a big rebound from the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night – and Adam Reynolds has shown he’s always up for a big game against his old club.
Rabbitohs fullback Latrell Mitchell.Credit: Getty
I’m not sure whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing for the Rabbitohs, but they’re going through their run of injuries and suspensions right at the start of the year. Every team has to deal with it at some stage throughout the campaign. Their time is now. They just have to hang tough and jag a few wins in the opening six or seven rounds and then the wheel will turn.
The one positive they can take out of Las Vegas is how fit and focused Latrell Mitchell looked. He made one or two mistakes, which is understandable, but there was only one carry you had to watch to know he’s in for a big season. I’ve never seen someone run over the top of Jake Trbojevic like he did. That was enough for me.
This match should be an all-out attacking game on a fast Suncorp surface, and all the signs point to a big Broncos win. I think they’ll win comfortably.
Joey’s tip: Broncos 13-plus
First try-scorer: Kotoni Staggs
Man of the match: Reece Walsh
Where does Craig Bellamy sit on the list of modern-day coaches? I’ve been pondering this question a bit lately. I reckon this will be his last year coaching in the NRL and we will start examining his legacy.
I can’t go back to Jack Gibson because I was a little too young to remember his sides at their absolute best, but if you were to look from the mid-1980s onwards, Bellamy has to be right up there.
In fact, I’ve got him second only to Warren Ryan. He’s gone past the likes of Wayne Bennett and Tim Sheens in my mind.
Last week was just another demonstration of his genius. To win 22 straight round one matches is an extraordinary achievement. It just goes to show the work ethic he instils in his team, the way he prepares them over summer. There’s just no rust whatsoever. The way they defended against the Panthers was a testament to his coaching methods.
Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy.Credit: Getty
A sign of a great coach is when they have to change the game to keep up with them. While it’s not something I’ve been a massive fan of, the way he really honed in on the ruck and controlled the game through that lever has dictated a lot of how we see the game today. He outsmarted the rules.
Bellamy’s ability to get fringe players, in particular fringe forwards, and turn them into consistent first-graders is unmatched. He’s had troubled souls down there, and always seem to keep them in check.
It would not surprise me one bit to see the Storm farewell the great coach with a premiership.
I remember Peter Sterling telling the story one day of the great Jack Gibson advising him before a match at the SCG to “kick to the seagulls”. Sterlo was bemused at the time, but once he went out on the hallowed turf suddenly realised what Jack was talking about. The seagulls are always in space with few people around them.
What we saw last week with Raiders halfback Jamal Fogarty was a carbon copy of his coach, Ricky Stuart, in the early 1990s. Ricky could control a game with his boot. If his team was at the end of a bad set, he would rescue it with a great kick. Conversely, Warren Ryan used to tell me you could destroy a good set with a bad kick.
I thought Canberra would really struggle this year without Jack Wighton, but already I’m reassessing on the back of Fogarty’s effort in round one against the Knights. He put in a nine-out-of-10 display and behind a really strong forward pack, he can shine this year.
Coupled with their outside backs, they’re always going to compete well and get over the advantage line. They’re going to be a hard team to beat this year.
The one match I’m most looking forward to this weekend is when the Sea Eagles host the Roosters at Brookvale on Sunday. I’m sensing an absolute classic.
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Latrell is firing but Rabbitohs are on the ropes – and Brisbane are about to cash in
6
0
14.03.2024
If there was one team I thought wasn’t suited by the smaller field in Las Vegas, then it was the Broncos.
I know many people suggested the narrower dimensions didn’t ultimately have an effect on either game, but I saw a few signs of it disrupting Brisbane’s attack. In particular, I thought it really helped the Roosters curtail Reece Walsh.
He loves those block plays out the back where he can skip to the outside of the third man in, but he just didn’t get a lot of those opportunities. You can give a huge amount of credit to the Roosters for that, but also the field size played right into their hands.
The way the Broncos play, they challenge the edge defence regularly. That spells trouble for the Rabbitohs because without Campbell Graham, Jack Wighton and Jai Arrow, I can see them being in for a difficult night.
Brisbane really missed Brendan Piakura when he left the field in Las Vegas. You could see it really hampered Kevin Walters’ plan with his interchange, forcing Pat Carrigan to an edge.
But I can see a big rebound from the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night – and Adam Reynolds has shown he’s always up for a big game against his old club.
Rabbitohs fullback Latrell Mitchell.Credit: Getty
I’m not sure whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing........
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