Sports – The Game of the Year - so far


Ken Gargett

Recommended Posts

FOH – Sports – The Game of the Year

 

How good is it to have the footy back!

Now, the plan is definitely not a weekly review of the games, and indeed, this is being cobbled together well before most of them have kicked off in round 2, but last night saw what might just be the best game of the year, in only the second round, of any code.

I had intended to look at just how extraordinary sport can be – how a team can transform itself in the space of a week. Or, of course, regress. We’ll get there. just felt this game was worth recapping.

The story so far – the beloved Brisbane Broncos, incredibly popular north of the border (and south of North Queensland), and arguably the most successful team in the NRL since that first game back in 1988 when the King, Wally Lewis, led them out at Lang Park. If memory serves, they knocked off the first six games before coming back to the pack, but they have won half a dozen premierships during their existence. The Melbourne Storm, admitted to the competition in 1998, have picked up three, making these two non-NSW sides the most successful in the comp!

It has been over a decade since the last Broncos flag, won in 2006 against the more favoured Storm, and Broncs fans are not a tolerant lot. They came within a whisker in ’15 against the Cowboys (yet more non-NSW success) but are overdue. Few think that this will be the year. Recruiting was minimal and some crucial talent was lost, not least Ben Hunt who joined the Dragons on more than a million a year, an amount beyond the Broncs. There are questions over the coaching, despite the return of ‘super-coach’ Bennett who has held the reins for most of the Broncs’ existence, including as their first coach. An interim, ending around four years ago, is the period many see as the time Brisbane went off the rails. We have certainly done a lot better since Bennett’s return, but a lot better is not good enough.

It all came home to roost with a dismal performance in week one, thumped by the Dragons and showing no organisation, no kicking game and no forward go-forward. And precious little enthusiasm. As I said last week, I’ve seen bigger scores against them and worse losses, but never a game with so many boneheaded plays and stupid errors. Local papers said Bennett tore half Nikorima a new one. Interestingly, southern papers described the same incident and said Bennett tore Milford a new one. But the forwards were the real culprits.

Granted we always seem to do better at home, but week 2 would be up against the Cowboys, grand finalists last year and premiership favourites with the return of players like Aussie front row, Matt Scott, and the player who can be rightly regarded as the best in the game, and the second best to ever take the field, JT (yes, I know that some see him as the greatest of all time but they pretty much tend to be those too young to have seen the King, or southerners appalled at having to face the fact that the two greatest of all time come from the glorious state of Queensland – mind you, there is only a whisker between them).

It did not look good for our heroes. Many were saying that an improved performance would be enough, after last week. No one was tipping a win.

The Broncos Cowboys clashes have become instant classics. It is truly extraordinary (and that is an understatement) how close these games have been in recent years, and even more importantly, the standard of them. A Cowboys Broncos clash now rivals Origin in intensity, skill, toughness and excitement. The last 11 games – 10 of them have been decided by 6 points or less with at least three or four of them decided by a single point. 3 or 4 of them have also gone into Golden Point (extra time). And there have been miracle finishes, stuff you could not dream up! Little did we know that the script would be followed to the letter and that the finish of this game would be one of the most bizarre of all, perhaps of all time.

But ten minutes in, it certainly looked like more of the same. The Broncs were dire. They’d given away three offside penalties (enough for three weeks), the captain had split the pill on first tackle, they had around 12% of possession and were down 8-0, granted a lucky try but they were near dead and buried. Surely no coming back this season. Coach Bennett might just be for the chop. Rob believes he’ll be gone before season’s end. He may not be here next year if we miss the 8, but no way will they cut him mid-season. He means too much to too many fans and players.

Extraordinary thing about sport – one tiny moment, one play, can turn things around. The Broncs tried a risky play, a short kick from yet another goal-line dropout. If it failed, the Cowboys would be on attack right on the Broncs’ line. That would surely be game over.

One of the young guns, Isaccko, in only his 3rd? game, flew high, pulled down a screamer, and the game turned. There would be many more turns but this was crucial. Young emerging superstar, Tevita Pangai Jnr (both Rob and I have been huge fans of this kid since day one), had an absolute blinder and limited the Cowpokes’ star, Taumalolo, more than anyone has in a long time. Half Milford, he of the glittering feet and pin-ball running, also starred, putting pressure on the defence every time he touched the ball, but what impressed me even more was his defence. Often criticised, last night he was superb, regularly bringing down the massive Cowboy forwards (his partner in crime, Kodi Nikorima, had a better game as well but also had a horror miss in defence near the line towards the end of the game which let the Cowboys back in it).

How can a side perform such a turn-around? It was not an influx of new players. Could it be coaching? Is it just a few tiny things on the field giving a side confidence? Any thoughts? Whatever your thoughts, kudos to Bennett for what they achieved.

The Broncs stormed back into it with three tries and could have had three more. But, as they always do, the Cowboys hung in. Thank one man – JT.

At 35, I think he is the oldest bloke in the comp. Luke Lewis? Grubby Gallen? He is coming off an injury that would have finished the career of kids half his age. And yet no one in the game gives more. It does not matter how far behind a Cowboys side is, and how badly they are being beaten, if JT is on the paddock, they are still a chance.

Last night (I was surprised how little the commentators mentioned this), the Broncs targeted him in both attack and defence. They buried him every chance they got, the big guys running full tilt into him, time and again. And when he had the ball, they smashed him. Every time, he got back up for more. But he is the bloke who never stops. He’ll be first up in the line for a tackle and if the ball goes on, he is the one bloke who’ll chase it down to be the last line in defence. Always has been. He’ll take the first pass in attack and then be the guy backing up for the final one. When it gets down the wire with the game in the balance, he is the bloke who steps up, time and time again, to win it for the Cowboys. And so it should have proved last night.

He kept them in that game. The Broncs should have been 20 up – in the Locky days, they would have been. But the Cowboys hung in, JT set up the points and then, in the dying moments, he put the Cowboys over for the winning try (a try which would have been thoroughly deserved by him, but one that the Broncs did not deserve). It was only a last ditch massive tackle by Pangai that could stop Bolton as he took the JT pass and went over but, as good as the tackle was, it was not enough. The goalpost made the difference as Bolton smashed into it, full tilt. Down he went, ball lost and the Broncs got home. You couldn’t make it up.

As an aside, is it time to move to the American style goalposts where the bases are not on the try line but behind the dead ball line and the posts are in place from there?

It was yet another game for the ages. I think I said to Rob, after the first game of the year last year, we’d seen the best game of the season already – yes, another Broncos v Cowboys classic.

Well, looks like we’ve had our lot again.

One more point. Well, two.

  1. As a lifelong rugby fanatic (also always loved the League), I despair for its future. Aside, possibly, from the terrific Test series between the Lions and New Zealand last year, there was no game last year which came within cooee of the skill and excitement of last night. The Reds, great to see a couple of wins but they are hardly setting the world on fire, are supposedly the most popular Aussie franchise, yet they have got crowds of only 11,000 for each of their two games at Suncorp so far (and trust me, that is on dodgy counting – they’d have been lucky to get 6 to 7,000 there last week). Yet a club League game, after a horror loss, still draws just short of 50,000. Rugby is bogged down in arcane laws, poor refereeing, a lack of skills (less so in New Zealand), endless resetting of set piece plays which wastes so much time and even worse off the field.

 

  1. A rivalry like the Broncos and Cowboys will often result in the two teams, and fans of the two teams, developing a real hatred of each other (one simple example of so many – as is no secret, I am a Skins fan and I flew through Dallas not so long ago, spending some time in the airport – I would have felt more comfortable in the sands of Syria). None of that here. At the end of the game, the respect and admiration the two sides have for each other was clearly evident. Great to see and if only there was more of it.

Okay, that is enough League for some time!

KBG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was a great game, Ken. And the Broncos did turn things around from week 1 in remarkable fashion and in the face of a formidable opponent. However, can't help but still consider the Cowboys as stuck in 2nd gear. Michael Morgan and Lachlan Coote to come back; The big forwards still to warm into their groove; and but for the very unfortunate placement of an upright, they would have won that game at the death. 

That said, I was super impressed with Pangai Jr... man, he snapped back Taumalolo a couple of times, and was flying into most collisions as if wearing a cape! 

The other thing out of that game was Bennett's press conference bomb "You'll never divide us"... I know old Wayne is no stranger to abrasive press encounters, but this one had me reminiscent of Gus Gould's similar crack after an origin series win (so long ago now) that went something like "You'll never break me"... Despite the pressure and temptation which these scenarios invite, I'm always amazed that coaches take the bait. Actually saying things like "You'll never break me" or "You'll never divide us" means that they actually have in one way or another. And what's more, it's precisely the spectacle that the journos are after.    

Still, all in all, a classic game. And another very entertaining round of footy across the board. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, MoeFOH said:

It was a great game, Ken. And the Broncos did turn things around from week 1 in remarkable fashion and in the face of a formidable opponent. However, can't help but still consider the Cowboys as stuck in 2nd gear. Michael Morgan and Lachlan Coote to come back; The big forwards still to warm into their groove; and but for the very unfortunate placement of an upright, they would have won that game at the death. 

That said, I was super impressed with Pangai Jr... man, he snapped back Taumalolo a couple of times, and was flying into most collisions as if wearing a cape! 

The other thing out of that game was Bennett's press conference bomb "You'll never divide us"... I know old Wayne is no stranger to abrasive press encounters, but this one had me reminiscent of Gus Gould's similar crack after an origin series win (so long ago now) that went something like "You'll never break me"... Despite the pressure and temptation which these scenarios invite, I'm always amazed that coaches take the bait. Actually saying things like "You'll never break me" or "You'll never divide us" means that they actually have in one way or another. And what's more, it's precisely the spectacle that the journos are after.    

Still, all in all, a classic game. And another very entertaining round of footy across the board. 

i'm not sure you can call it an unfortunate placement. all the players know it is there.

but yes, it helped saved the game for the broncs. that said, i do believe that they deserved to win the game (although JT also deserved to be a winner). justice was done. 

morgan and coote, especially morgan, will aid them. hard enough to try and tie down JT but adding morgan really makes it tough. all sides suffer injuries - so often the side that takes the flag has had fewer than almost all the rest. the cowboys had almost none the year they won the flag. they did brilliantly last year without some of their best. 
but the broncos have their own issues. bird yet to take the field. he could have a massive impact. kahu also broke his jaw. when the two of them are back, i can see milf to half, bird to 5/8, kahu back to centre and isaccko stays on the wing. depending on the boyd hamstring, he might even go to fullback. nikorima then to the bench as the backup half/5/8/hooker. interestingly, the broncos official team website lists him as a hooker. actually, they could move a few to 5/8 - boyd, isaccko, kahu, bird. 

they also have already lost savelio for the year. who knows what he could have been. they have some top young forwards to compete for spots (look out sam). haas, fifita, su'a, fai. plus tagataese - not so young. 

couple of young backs as well - nothing special in the halves, which could hurt - but i'm really keen to see if Seve could match the hype. 

long way to go but there is real potential to make the 8. anything less unacceptable. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

Community Software by Invision Power Services, Inc.