NRL Grand Final Discussion - Penrith vs Broncos

No I'm not. That was a quick overview of his year. The point I made has been consistent since CNK was announced to be returning and Walsh leaving for the Broncos. His mistakes were too costly for us and CNK being more dependable would suit us better. He also looked like he was worked out by the opposition.

I've also brought up in the past how in big games especially I like fullbacks that run the ball back directly to get more metres. When we replaced Tomkins with RTS we got someone that did that. Walsh is similar to Tomkins a smaller body that dumps it off to his winger as often as possible.

He has definitely gone better at the Broncos.

The point I made at the end was that he took a risk to win the game which wasn't on and he should have taken the tackle. There wasn't time to brush it off like the commentators said during the week as there was about 1 minute to go. My thoughts at the time was similar to the famous cricket sledge that he dropped the World Cup. Walsh pretty much dropped/threw away the game.

Slater pointing out he missed his assignment would be inexperience for some instances, laziness or gassed in others.

I also said before our preliminary final we should be moving our kicking from the corner in field to target Walsh as he is suspect under the high ball.

I have in the past been critical of his defence as it is just get his body close as team mates come in.

Not all of those points were needed in the main point I was posting.
Slater was being kind.

Walsh was out of position the entire game, not just once.
 
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What a fantastic game to finish the season on. Whether you like them or loathe them, there is no doubt that these two teams were the best in the competition this year. It was fitting they went at it in the title decider, and it was great to see two teams with distinctly different styles of attacking play and points of difference. Prior to the game I thought the Panthers would probably be fairly comfortable winners, but by midway through the second half it was definitely the Broncos game to lose.

I think the game was won in the first half as the Panthers were very dominant with possession and field position. At 8-0 and the Broncos making errors I thought the Panthers would go on with it just because of the energy the Broncos had used up. To go in at halftime 8-6 would have been a massive boost for them and that’s what it looked like just after halftime. Broncos came out with energy and the Panthers strangely looked out on their feet at times during that third quarter. For the most part, Penrith did a good job of limiting quality offloads and that second phase ball that Brisbane like to exploit with their speed. Reece Walsh had far fewer opportunities with the ball but still managed to look dangerous and created the final Brisbane try, though it was very unlike the Panthers and Cleary to rush out and get beaten like he did. But fast players can make your decision making harder and it looked a little like a panic play from Cleary. Walsh looked electric at times but just had fewer opportunities to take advantage of, yet still found a way to break the game open for the Broncos. Ezra Mam showed how good a player he is and will continue to be. Three tries in a Grand Final to give your side a 24-8 lead late in the game is an amazing effort. The Broncos have to be one of the most exciting teams to watch with their speed and ability to create opportunities. That last twenty minutes was all the Panthers though. I think the first half effort took its toll on the Broncos and it started to show. Adam Reynolds kicking game wasn’t great and he needed to be that calm head when the Broncos most needed it – possibly a bit harsh, but quite probably a big factor in them losing the game in that last quarter. Luai going off and Jack Cogger coming on straightened up the Panthers attack. Interestingly Yeo was off for an HIA for much of the comeback as well. This may or may not have forced Cleary to take the game on, but that would be the most clutch 20 minutes of play and in the biggest game of the season I have seen. And it was controlled and in the structure that they have used all year. There wasn’t any risky play, chancy offloads or 50/50 kicks. They just backed themselves and their process. Stephen Crichton was huge for them too with some key plays.

Broncos should be very proud of their season and how they have played even though they will be obviously disappointed with the loss. Panthers deserving winners and is there a slight Chicago Bulls type three peat feel about them?

Fantastic season and Congratulations to both teams.



Some final points that I see that relate to the Warriors.

We need to trust in what we know works for us and players need to own their roles. When we have individuals doing their own thing, particularly in defence, is when we struggle.

Our bench is too small. Nothing that hasn’t been mentioned before. Its fine to have Walker and a utility like maybe CHT, but the other two need to have some size to them and be impactful with the ball in hand. We are short one good hard running prop.

We are a couple of steps behind both of these teams. They make you work hard all game and are always looking for opportunities with and without the ball. Broncos trying for one-on-one strips, Panthers forcing up on Reece Walsh when he was running across his goal line - we probably hold our line and slide there rather than spot the opportunity. We are probably a season or two behind in that regard, where it becomes instinctual as a team.

Goal kicking in big games is crucial. No missed goal kicks by either team in the grand final when a miss could have been the deciding factor.

The more I think about it the more I think RTS is going to make a massive difference for us if he adapts quickly. I like Berry and Pompey, but mainly because I think they are good hard workers. RTS is going to add that explosiveness, speed and X-factor that provides us with that extra threat and point of attack we need to go up a level.

This off season is going to be huge for us. We aren’t starting from scratch. We have a year of Webolution under our belts. Will be interesting to see which players can take it to that next level and which ones have reached their peak.

With some notable players leaving these two top teams I think this coming season is our best chance to close the gap and challenge for the title. 2024 will be our best opportunity for a while so hopefully we get a good run injury free and a fairly favourable draw – we are 5-0 against the top 4 sides this season…. And not a good record against the Roosters and Bunnies either – funnily enough sides that have a bit of size about them in their forward packs.

On to next season! Looking forward to it and whatever it may bring.
 
Might sound petty but the broncos as a club annoyed the shit out of me last week when the crowd started the hey baby-hoo haa chant late in the game after it did the rounds in our home grounds. Thought it was nothing more than mockery. People don’t like the panthers as winners but the broncos are going to be far harder to stomach when they win one I reckon.
The Mam histrionics / Walsh doing the pukana wound me up in the prelim.

Bit in fairness the Warriors crowd singing "Na Na Na Naaa Goodbye" against Newcastle was pretty disrespectful.

It's the NZ based Broncos fans that had me all in on Panthers - they're the worst local fanbase here by a long shot.
 
The Mam histrionics / Walsh doing the pukana wound me up in the prelim.

Bit in fairness the Warriors crowd singing "Na Na Na Naaa Goodbye" against Newcastle was pretty disrespectful.

It's the NZ based Broncos fans that had me all in on Panthers - they're the worst local fanbase here by a long shot.

Yeah I wasn't a fan of the hey hey goodbye song in the context of that game, I've always associated it with bad guy wrestlers/managers that are ejected from ringside in dramatic fashion by WWF/WWE refs after some dastardly cheating, so didn't seem right against the Knights.

Would've been better for a despised team like Storm or Broncs in which case I'd be perfectly fine with it 😅


And the Heeeeeey Baby (Hoo Ha) song is generic stadium singalong #3 so I wouldn't read too much into the crowd using it as a jab against us, I must've heard it a thousand times at various events in the last 20 odd years 😅
 
Adam Reynolds kicking game wasn’t great and he needed to be that calm head when the Broncos most needed it – possibly a bit harsh, but quite probably a big factor in them losing the game in that last quarter.
Cause of all the saltiness that peeps want to put on on Reece Walsh (which i get) this seems to be massively overlooked.

Imo the 2 most costly plays (or lack of them) came from their experienced play maker who was supposed to provide the cool head.

The set leading up to Clearys try Bronco's were down the Panthers end and strangely he elected a nothing pass to take the tackle on the last to meekly hand over possesion which Panthers then rolled up the field from.......didnt even need a kick to try and catch them in the in goal but at least put it deep in a corner to try and pin them down their end shouldve been the play.

Then following that after Penrith had rolled up the park and engineered a kick restart. The drop out he went for shouldve of been either short to try and regain possession, or long to soak up some tackles. Looked like he was trying to go for the sideline which ended up being a nothing in between kick which Panthers got back to the Broncos line after 2 tackles.......Cleary scores next.

Tbh these were the 2 most costly match defining plays imo.
 
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Cause of all the saltiness that peeps want to put on on Reece Walsh (which i get) this seems to be massively overlooked.

Imo the 2 most costly plays (or lack of them) came from their experienced play maker who was supposed to provide the cool head.

The set leading up to Clearys try Bronco's were down the Panthers end and strangely he elected a nothing pass to take the tackle on the last to meekly hand over possesion which Panthers then rolled up the field from.......didnt even need a kick to try and catch them in the in goal but at least put it deep in a corner to try and pin them down their end shouldve been the play.

Then following that after Penrith had rolled up the park and engineered a kick restart. The drop out he went for shouldve of been either short to try and regain possession, or long to soak up some tackles. Looked like he was trying to go for the sideline which ended up being a nothing in between kick which Panthers got back to the Broncos line after 2 tackles.......Cleary scores next.

Tbh these were the 2 most match defining plays imo.
As mentioned on here, Cogger coming on made a huge difference and was hugely underrated against us too.
 
Bit in fairness the Warriors crowd singing "Na Na Na Naaa Goodbye" against Newcastle was pretty disrespectful.
I think that's what happens when you have bandwagon fans. They haven't been through the tough times and don't understand to respect the opponent, they just here for a good time and slam the warriors when they do badly.

It's like Mexican wave, I haven't seen one in ages until nearing the finals and of course at the Newcastle game.
 
He played well for sure but the score was still only 12-8 to the Broncos when he came on........it blew out to 24-8 not long after that.

Cleary owning the moments after that the difference for them.......imo.
To be fair those tries came down Cleary’s side with Mam getting between him and a forward each time, the Walsh break was also him flying out of the line. Thought the panthers shape looked much better with Cogger, especially the Crichton try. 100% Cleary owning the moments the difference though, the 40/20, catching the ball for out on the full and the tries were special under the circumstances of where the game was at at that point.
 
Especially if your fullback is walking behind the posts having a drink of water instead of following the ball in case it gets tapped back……
Haha i thought that sort of thing only happened to us.

U would think its short kick restart 101 to have players behind the ball for the tap off......not only Reece wtf was anyone? lol

Also old mate Herbie got up high, 2 hands to it......almost uncontested.....why not just catch the bloody thing?
 
I think that's what happens when you have bandwagon fans. They haven't been through the tough times and don't understand to respect the opponent, they just here for a good time and slam the warriors when they do badly.

It's like Mexican wave, I haven't seen one in ages until nearing the finals and of course at the Newcastle game.

oh please, its not just bandwagon fans that are disrespectful... the problem is society and social media in general... you can call someone a karnt and not get punched in the face ...
 
I think that's what happens when you have bandwagon fans. They haven't been through the tough times and don't understand to respect the opponent, they just here for a good time and slam the warriors when they do badly.

It's like Mexican wave, I haven't seen one in ages until nearing the finals and of course at the Newcastle game.
I remember 10+ years back a similar example at Ericsson. A player was sent off and,”Hit the road jack” was played. The crowd joined in but it was roundly condemned by the print media. Can’t say that I’ve ever heard it played anywhere since?!
 
Yeah I wasn't a fan of the hey hey goodbye song in the context of that game, I've always associated it with bad guy wrestlers/managers that are ejected from ringside in dramatic fashion by WWF/WWE refs after some dastardly cheating, so didn't seem right against the Knights.

Would've been better for a despised team like Storm or Broncs in which case I'd be perfectly fine with it 😅


And the Heeeeeey Baby (Hoo Ha) song is generic stadium singalong #3 so I wouldn't read too much into the crowd using it as a jab against us, I must've heard it a thousand times at various events in the last 20 odd years 😅

Songs like that and the guitar riff from "Kashmir" (much as I like it) need to be told by every Stadium Music Controller/Ground Announcer that they're being benched for the next 5 years at least. Take a hit for the team.

The ultimate insult for me would be opposition fans doing their team's victory chant at you at Half Time...
 
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