Yeah.... I lost interest.

I will admit I lost interest in the blog. It was not working very well with updates and not a single comment in response means that I just said "fuck it". I am contemplating spending part of the weekend working on re-watching every single game and making a new analysis template.

We'll see what I'll do. I might also just... delete the blog.

Panthers and Broncos post game analysis to be posted tomorrow.

Some of you might have noticed that Blogger was down yesterday, as such I could not get the post game or pre game analysis up. So I skipped the pre game one and I will be putting the post game up tomorrow.

Why not tonight? Because I cannot be bothered, I am busy with other things.

Kangaroos with 4 Broncs in their side take a kick to the Kiwis

Five Broncos boys in the Australian side tonight, and dare I say, they all pulled their weight well. Hodges, Hannant, Thaiday, Yow Yeh and our beloved skipper Darren Lockyer all shone in their own ways. Well, Thaiday was mr butterfingers, but that's besides the point.

Thaiday, was a little bit of a butterfingered boy a few times, but he did good.

Hodges was pure magic. That man should be encased in gold.

Hannant is a workhorse. He is amazing at what he does, and what he does is get the ball forward, meter by meter through think defense.

Yow Yeh did what I knew he would do. He shone. That is really good work from a really good player. And that "shrugging off" Benji Marshal that made the man fly? Oh I laughed so hard. Gold.

Darren Lockyer. Oh man... he is great, he is remarkable, and he looks SO good in those shorts. Oh, right... he plays brilliantly. He is brilliant. And he should have a different halfback next to him.

Now... I wasn't all that impressed by some of the team members and the general feel. I might be biased but there were two blokes who I'm not even sure should have been there.

Thurston and Inglis. Yeah, I said it... you wanna fight?

Thurston and Inglis both seem to be a little oblivious to the fact that they play in a TEAM sometimes. Which is not okay.

Honorable mention goes to Cooper Cronk. I loved his jump start when he finally got out there. Firecracker going off.
All in all it wasn't as impressive of a game as I thought it would be, dropped balls and no big tension. But, we won. Which is the main thing, I guess.

Back to normal, but better, soon.

Took a bit of a vacation...

...so to speak, from the blog with the Broncos vs Bulldogs game. I know... shame on me.

I loved Lockyer in that game though, so much. I shake my head at the thought of him retiring.

Which got me to thinking. Who did I like first? Darren or the Broncos. The answer was Darren. Am I going to stick with Broncos after Locky retires? The answer to that question is yes. I am a Bronco fan, you can't change that now. Yow Yeh, Parker, Hodges, Reed, Thaiday... so many brilliant players and such good style.

Tomorrow is going to be belated again. I can't watch the game until it comes on the internet... and now I can't even get it via the T-box, because, let's face it. Telstra are morons. This is our third and last T-box. They expect this, they say. Which is why after your third one you don't get any more.

Oh, would you look at that. Silly rants. *laughs*

Time to end this one and make one for the test game.

Broncos bruise the Tigers

Broncos keep on winning.

Final Score:

Broncos 31 - 18 Tigers

Tries/Goals:

Try no 1: Yow Yeh for the Broncos in the 19th minute. Converted

Try no 2: Glenn for thw Broncos in the 23rd minute. Converted

Try no 3: Thaiday for the Broncos in the 28th minute. Converted.

Try no 4: Wallace for the Broncos in the 37th minute. Converted

Field Goal: Lockyer for the Broncos in the 40th minute.

Try no 5: Lui for the Tigers in the 48th minute. Converted

Try no 7: Multzen for the Tigers in the 52nd minute. Converted

Try no 8: Lockyer for the Broncos in the 68th minute. Converted

Darren Watch: Great work with the play the ball, good direction, great speed. One try and one field goal. Brilliance.

Least Impressive Broncos Player:

Andrew McCullough, if I have to chose one.

Most Impressive Broncos Player:

Wallace and Thaiday.

Best Broncos Moment:

Lockyers field goal and try.

Most Improved:

No one needed to improve.

Moment That Made Us A Bit Too Excited:

Not too much. We had a headache.

Moments That Made Us Yell With Fury:

Referee decisions. Referee decisions and some more referee decisions.

Biggest Mistake:

Nothing, really.

Conclusion:

Great game, Benji Marshall was dishappointing for the Tigers, Darren was impressive for the Broncos. In some places it got a little annoying, with all the penalties. But in general I just think that the boys did well.

Most Valuable Player:

Jack Reed, Beale, Copley, Yow Yeh, Locky... all of them.

Why Are They There?

TThe penalty happy referee?.

My Man Of The Match:

Thaiday.

Most Embarrassing Moment For The BBSblog:

Almost forgetting I was supposed to write the tries down.

Message From The BBSblogs Husband:
Nothing, he had more "interesting" things to do.

6 out of 7 now!

Broncos running hot!

Very short pre-game post Broncos vs Tigers

Excitement:

Back to live!

Caution needed:

Benji Marshall. We need to work that defense.

Players To Watch:

All of them

Players In Need Of Improvement:

None. .

Estimated Outcome:

Broncos to win.

Other:

We'll be focusing on the post game analysis tonight. Mainly because we're drinking, and having a good time watching Dylan Moran at the moment.

Go The Broncos!

Todd Carney and the alcohol issue.

The headlines I was just waiting for is here. I had a nagging suspicion that it would happen sooner or later, but I have to admit my jaw dropped with how soon it did happen.

He shouldn't be on a team, he really shouldn't. Not because he brings more and more scandal to the game, not because he should be punished, but because he needs help.

Todd Carney is out of control, he isn't emotionally stable to deal with his illness and be the man everyone hangs their hope on. Sure, he might be able to win the Roosters a premiership, but what is going to happen when the NRL, the courts and the fans run out of second chances to give? Because there is no way anyone can tell me they honestly think giving him a second chance again is the way to go. He's shown he can't utilize it. When an addict say that you can trust him, that he will not do it again, you can't trust them. It doesn't matter how many times he bows his head in shame, some day he's going to be out in the real world. The real world where you get fired, for good, if you mess up to the extent he has. The real world where you don't get two or even three "last chances" from the courts. The real world where actions have nasty consequences aside from stepping down to second grade for a year.

I don't think you can deal with these issues AND have all that pressure on you at the same time. The question is if his team is going to step in and help him before it's too late, in the right way. Which means take him off the field for a year, or longer. Get him professional help. Put him on Antabuse... anything it takes to help him get his head wrapped around everything.

He's an alcoholic. Stress, sadness, happiness, pressure, frustration and confusion are all reasons to drink, and with the stress, pressure, frustration, sadness and happiness this game brings, how can you really think he'll be able to deal with all of that and at the same time cope with a physical and psychological addiction?

He needs time off, time spent in learning how to deal without turning to the bottle, time off learning how not to drink, getting used to not drink. That's my take on it.

Reason I am bringing this up? Because it's something that reflects on the attitude of a lot of clubs. Win, even if it hurts your players, even if it hurts the game. Blokes are tough, they can take it.

These are not machines, these are human beings. These are not pawns in a game, they're people like everyone else. No human is an island, and yes, everybody needs some help sometimes. We're not built to deal with our issue by ourselves.

The culture we've created around these individuals seems to breed issues, because we won't help them with it. We'll laugh at them, we'll admonish them, we'll criticize them and then cheer them on, inflate their egos the next week, as long as they're winning us games. And when they mess up again? Well, we'll toss them aside, unless they win us games, of coarse. Then we'll shake our finger at them and try to ignore the issue.

Maybe I am wrong. Maybe these players do have psychological help, therapists available, help supplied if they need it. But it doesn't seem that way... I guess it can be a case of "you can lead a horse to the water but you can't make him drink". BUT, if he doesn't drink the water but heads for the bar, maybe you shouldn't race him.

These boys are role-models for our children, for our husbands... what happens in the footy culture happens in the rest of our culture. What happens to these boys happens to other boys. Now... here's the real question. What do we want to portray to our sons? That these things are okay? That you deal with it on your own?

I don't know... it seems very odd to me.

I hope someone wise up. Rumor has it Todd hasn't been feeling "well" for quite some time, and what do they do? Out of sight, out of mind? Give him a few days off to do whatever? Let him sit there, bored, psychologically unsound and just wait for someone to give him an excuse?

Wise up! Act! Take care of the boy!

ETA:

So, he has been suspended indefensibly, and they are wanting to see the level of professional help being stepped up. Good. Hope it sticks that way now.

Broncos has Roosters for dinner in the rain.

Broncos keep on winning.

Final Score:

Broncos 24 - 6 Roosters

Tries/Goals:

Penalty Goal: Corey Parker for the Broncos in the 3rd minute

Try no 1: Jharal Yow Yeh for the Broncos in the 32nd minute. Converted

Try no 2: Dale Copley for the Broncos in the 39th minute. No Conversion.

Try no 3: Dale Copley for the Broncos in the 53rd minute. Converted.

Try no 4: Ben Hannant for the Broncos in the 61st minute. Converted

Try no 5: Leiluah for the Roosters in the 67th minute. Converted

*new feature* Darren Watch: Great kicking game, a hand in most things, he's never far away in defense, he's surveying everything and was pretty good in running the ball. A minor mishap in the first half, but who could notice with such a kicking game? Brilliant.

Least Impressive Broncos Player:

Oh... I don't know. Norman, maybe? That kick on the 2nd tackle at the end of the second half? Could maybe have been another try there. All in all I do not want to nitpick, and that's what I have to do to find an issue with their game on a rainy night like it was.

Most Impressive Broncos Player:

Jack Reed - Not one mistake. Not one. Player on his first year and he is brilliant

Beale - Great at fullback.

Dale Copley - Great job, two tries, what else can you ask for?

Ben Hannant - Hard working, hard tackling and try scoring man. Beautiful.

Best Broncos Moment:

Most of the game.

Most Improved:

All, none. They were all really good. Well-oiled machine!

Moment That Made Us A Bit Too Excited:

Some tackles, the fact that it was like a rugby version of a wet t-shirt contest out there. I drooled... and didn't know what to focus on for a while.

Moments That Made Us Yell With Fury:

Not yell with fury, but wonder. Both in the first and the second half the Roosters no 13 did *something* to Darren after he had kicked the ball. Now, I'm not sure if it was a snuggle or him holding our skipper back, but whatever it was, isn't it a little... cheeky? And is that legal?

Biggest Mistake:

Norman kicking on tackle 2. Never kick on tackle 2. If you can't take the tackle, don't play the game.

Conclusion:

Brilliant game, wished I'd been able to watch it live. I am impressed by most of our boys. It was smooth and brilliant for a game played in constant rain. Bravo, boys! Bravo!

Most Valuable Player:

Jack Reed, Beale, Copley, Yow Yeh, Locky... all of them.

Why Are They There?

Because they are rule.

My Man Of The Match:

*See new feature* Jack Reed and Dale Copley. New boys, who fit right in.

Most Embarrassing Moment For The BBSblog:

Nothing.

Message From The BBSblogs Husband:
"Yeah, I'mwatching." (and no, he didn't)

INFORMATION:

*new feature information* Instead of naming Darren as man of the match most days I will now put in a Darren watch. Even when he has a bad game, we all know he's generally the best player out there, so let's roll with that and have a Darren Watch instead. As such we won't be man of the match or most important player, because he always is anyway.

We're 5 out of 6 now.

Broncos running hot!

Pre-Game Post Broncos vs Roosters

Team List Not Included.

Excitement:

In general seeing how we'll go against the Roosters, and IF Todd Carney might show up despite what the Roosters have stated.

Caution needed:

Keep the defense on the right side TIGHT.

Players To Watch:

Jack Reed playing in the center for this game. Will be interesting to see how he does there.

Players In Need Of Improvement:

Parkers conversion, but otherwise fine.

Estimated Outcome:

I am going to have to say, Broncos to win. Because if the defense holds up the way it has previously, and with Todd Carney supposedly out, I don't think Roosters stand a chance. Their right hand defense is bad, and our boys will be able to take advantage of that, again and again and again.

Other:

Players out on injury at the moment are:

Jordan Kahu - ACL, not coming back this season

Josh Hoffman - Corked shin, due back round seven

Scott Anderson, due back round seven.

Ben Hunt - Knee, due back round seven

Ben T'eo - Fractured arm, due back round nine?

The post game blog entry will be late since we have to wait for the game to be shown as video on bigpond sports or on the bigpond NRL station, estimated up in two days. We apologize for the delay.

GO THE BRONCOS!

Hook to keep coaching Broncos.

So, the cat was let out of the bag this week. Anthony "Hook" Griffin will continue as the head coach of the Brisbane Broncos through 2012.

Wayne Bennett, who many thought would go to Brisbane chose a very lucrative deal with the Newcastle Nights.

I know a lot of people are upset that Wayne Bennett isn't set to come back quite yet, but I can't bring myself to be that. I think that the quality of the Brisbane defense and the result speaks for itself. Broncos aren't in need of anyone else to jump in next year, if things keep going this well. They need some calm. Changing captain and coach for the 2012 season would have caused more problems than it would have created solutions.

Hook seems to be a good coach, he gets results and he seems to have a good relationship with the players. It's about time he gets a proper shot at the NRL grade, and so far I am really liking what I am seeing.

Being a humble realist is a good thing in a coach. And I think this season will be one to remember.

A few, small goodies.

o, I promised a few goodies as a "forgive me" for the fact that I cannot be as "on the ball" with the games that are not live on free-to-air. So... I have a few screen captures for you... Lets start with a pinch of them from the first minutes of the Broncos vs Knights game:

Jack Reed high-fiving Ben Hannant after the first try of the game try.

First try of the game, Jack Reed.

First tackle of the game.

The team configuration.

------------------------------------

The reason this is all fairly, well, low tech and not that well put together is that we have been busy cleaning today. But there is more to come. I promise.

But, if there's any of you who read this who want to give some input, please do. I'd love it! Comments are welcome.

What would you want to see? I have a few ideas, one that will be a secret, and a few I thought you could all have a say in.

Would you like to see a player of the week profile? And a more extensive analysis of that players job in the game? I might have to do a double one some weeks, but I'd be fine with that.

Screen caps like these? Do you like them?

Any comments on the pre and post game entries? Want more news and gossip?

I hope you are all well, it's time for me to get back to the dishes.

Broncos beat Knights.

Broncos 4 out of 5 by beating Knights.

Final Score:

Broncos 17 - 6 Knights

Tries/Goals:

Try no 1: Jack Reed for Broncos in the 2nd minute. No conversion

Try no 2: Pattison for Knights in the 7th minute. Conversion

Try no 3: Matt Gillette for Broncos in the 16th minute. No conversion

Try no 4: Gerard Beale for the Broncos in the 53rd minute. No conversion.

Field Goal: Darren Lockyer for the Broncos in the 77th minute

Try no 5: Jack Reed for the Broncos in the 78th minute.

Least Impressive Broncos Player:

I, personally, couldn't tell this time.A lot of good work all around.

Most Impressive Broncos Player:

Jack Reed - Two tries, good defense. Great player.

Darren Lockyer - Good pace, good general work... too bad with that try. And that field goal! Brilliant!

Beale - All around great player in defense.

Peter Wallace - Good kicking game, good defense, good passes, good receiving passes.

Best Broncos Moment:

The Darren field goal.

Jack Reed's first try.

Most Improved:

Peter Wallace. If he keeps this up... wow. REALLY GOOD WORK!

Moment That Made Us A Bit Too Excited:

The Darren try that was denied. Oh, I was sooo excited. But alas... a player in the wrong place.

Moments That Made Us Yell With Fury:

That cheeky push in Parker's face. I know, I know... might not have been all that much in it, but still. That's the closest I got.

Biggest Mistake:

The team defense after Pattison steamrolled Darren. Why be in FRONT of the man who's doing the tackle? But they did well from there on.

Conclusion:

Good game, despite the rain. And one I would have preferred to see live. Nice defense, nice job from all the players... I'm a comfortable Broncos fan at the moment. Which also means, five games worth of keeping the opposing team scoreless in the second half, right? Feels good.

Most Valuable Player:

Jack Reed, Beale, Wallace, Locky... all of them.

Why Are They There?

None of them. They all were needed and did their job.

My Man Of The Match:

Shared spot, Jack Reed and Peter Wallace.

Most Embarrassing Moment For The BBSblog:

Lewd comments about comparing wet shorts because of rain to wet t-shirt contests. Brilliance.

Message From The BBSblogs Husband:
"Both teams played well, pleasure to watch"

Great game, good defense, good offense. The team keeps improving. I'm happy with it. I expected more sloppy play because of the wet conditions.

INFORMATION:

Stay tuned for the upcoming goodies. Starting tomorrow.

Stay cool, and stay hooked!

Pre-Game Post Broncos vs Knights

Team Lineup:

Coach: Anthony Griffin

Fullback: No 1. Gerard Beale

Wing: No 2. Dave Copley

Centre: No 3. Jack Reed

Centre: No 4. Justin Hodges

Wing: No 5. Jharal Yow Yeh

Five-Eight: No 6. Darren Lockyer (Captain)

Fullback: No 7. Peter Wallace

Prop: No 8. Ben Hannant

Hooker: No 9. Andrew McCullough

Prop: No 10. Sam Thaiday

Second Row: No 11. Alex Glenn

Second Row: No 12. Matt Gillett

Lock: No 13. Corey Parker

Interchange: No 14. Michell Dodds

Interchange: No 15. Ben Te'o

Interchange: No 16. Josh McGuire

Interchange: No 17. Shane Tronc

Extended Bench: No 18. Dane Carlaw

Extended Bench: No 19. Nick Kenny

Extended Bench: No 20. Corey Norman

Excitement:

Heritage jerseys from '92, will be cool to see

Caution needed:

The high balls.

Players To Watch:

Darren Lockyer sure to want to play well this game because of the slight blunder in the first half last week. He's a perfectionist after all.

Players In Need Of Improvement:

Same as last week. Also, Parker needs to be a little better at the conversions. .

Estimated Outcome:

Broncos to win.

Other:

Players out on injury at the moment are:

Jordan Kahu - ACL, not coming back this season

Josh Hoffman - Corked shin, due back round five

Scott Anderson, due back round six.

Ben Hunt - Knee, due back round seven

The post game blog entry will be late since we have to wait for the game to be shown as video on bigpond sports or on the bigpond NRL station, whichever occurs firs. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope that the planned upcoming posts will make up for it. Be prepared for some goodies.

Go The Broncos!

Broncos show front hoof

Broncos managed to keep a hoof hold over desperate Panthers

Final Score:

Broncos 18 - 10 Panthers

Tries/Goals:

Try no 1: Alex Glenn for the Broncos in the 3rd minute. Converted

Try no 2: Gordon for Panthers in the 11th minute. No conversion

Try no 3: Kingston for Panthers in the 34th minute. Converted

Try no 4: Gerard Beale for the Broncos in the 49th minute. No conversion.

Try no 5: Jharal Yow Yeh for the Broncos in the 54th minute. No conversion.

Penalty Goal: Corey Parker for the Brisbane Broncos in the 67th minute

Penalty Goal: Corey Parker for the Brisbane Broncos in the 74th minute

Least Impressive Broncos Player:

Oh... Wallace, if I have to point fingers. I don't want to. I like him a lot when he does good things, but that goal line defense and his ball handling sometimes just doesn't meet the standard he should be at.

Most Impressive Broncos Player:

Jharal Yow Yeh. Wonderful job!

Darren Lockyer, was a bit of both. But mainly impressive in his dedication.

Jack Reed is a comfort to have, he's consistent and good.

Dale Copley did a good job despite all the pressure that was put on him.

Justin Hodges is a joy to have back, Sam Thaiday is always good and Ben Hannant is a joy defensively.

Best Broncos Moment:

The Darren kick to set up the Jharal Yow Yeh try. So brilliant. Such great skill from both players.

Most Improved:

None, since the only one who really needed improvement was Wallace in relation to bad decisions, and he did some of them. I didn't see any improvement from last week, except that he didn't get called a goose by a ref.

Moment That Made Us A Bit Too Excited:

The Jharal try.

Moments That Made Us Yell With Fury:

Nothing stands out, aside from that stupid tackle on Parker towards the end of the game.

Biggest Mistake:

That fumbled try by Darren in the first half, which he made up for. And the silly interference by Wallace in the late second half.

Conclusion:

It was fairly close, as I predicted. I'm never comfortable with games where the fumbling is as prevalent as it has been later, especially when EVERYBODY fumbles the ball. All in all, good game because we won.

Most Valuable Player:

Jharal Yow Yeh, Ben Hannant, Jack Reed and Justin Hodges.. and Darren. Always Darren.

Why Are They There?

I don't know what Tronc does when he's on the field. I never do. I noticed him take one tackle, and he was slow as a mule, but that's just me.

My Man Of The Match:

Oh... tough pick. Jharal Yow Yeh and Darren Lockyer will have to share it this week. Brilliant team work, and Jharal was overall good.

Most Embarrassing Moment For The BBSblog:

Lewd comments about the shortness of certain players shorts, and Darren's butt. Glorious behind on that man.

Message From The BBSblogs Husband:
"They should change the name of the Rugby League to the Fumble League"

And various choice words about the player who decided to try and instigate a fight with Parker.

I don't know. It was an uneasy game, score wise, for a long while. But it wasn't *exciting*. I wasn't jumping up and down, I wasn't overly excited anywhere and I didn't shout as loud as I usually do.

I did enjoy some of the try scores, and that try attempt by Reed was a beauty. So close. He'll be a player to try to hold onto. Brilliant skills, good and calm head on that boys shoulders. We managed to keep the Panthers scoreless in the second half, which is a good sign. 4 out of 4 games we've done that. And we've won 3 out of 4 games, so that's a good sign as well.

I do wonder if the shorts aren't cut a bit differently this year though? They look a little tighter and shorter. More... scrumptious.

INFORMATION:

Unfortunately the BBS blog will not be able to be as on-the-ball as we usually are in round 5 and 6. Because of broadcasting issues we will not be able to report live on the games that are not live on free-to-air TV. We apologize for this and hope to remedy this as soon as possible.

Goodnight all! Time to resume beer drinking and deep thinking.

Half Time Broncos vs Panthers

The score is 6-10 in favor of the Panthers.

Alex Glenn try scorer for Broncos. Gordon and Kingston try scorers for Panthers.

Broncos need to fire in the second half. Lots of fumbles from both sides and Dale Copley's been under a lot of pressure on the left side.

Pre-Game Post Broncos vs Panthers

Team Lineup:

Coach: Anthony Griffin

Fullback: No 1. Gerard Beale

Wing: No 2. Dave Copley

Centre: No 3. Jack Reed

Centre: No 4. Justin Hodges

Wing: No 5. Jharal Yow Yeh

Five-Eight: No 6. Darren Lockyer (Captain)

Fullback: No 7. Peter Wallace

Prop: No 8. Ben Hannant

Hooker: No 9. Andrew McCullough

Prop: No 10. Sam Thaiday

Second Row: No 11. Alex Glenn

Second Row: No 12. Matt Gillett

Lock: No 13. Corey Parker

Interchange: No 14. Ben Hunt

Interchange: No 15. Ben Te'o

Interchange: No 16. Josh McGuire

Interchange: No 17. Shane Tronc

Excitement:

Since Darren Lockyer announced he will be retiring at the end of the season all eyes is on him, and how well the rest of the team can preform for their skipper.

Caution needed:

Panthers can come out firing on all cylinders. They have something to prove. Also there needs to be caution in focusing too much on Darren Lockyer. I know we can't have this season go on like all others, but that would be the ideal, put his retirement in the back of your heads and just play good footy.

Players To Watch:

Dale Copley - Getting a starting jersey after having been brought in after already having played the NYC game in the game against Canberra. It will be interesting what this youngster can produce when ready and prepared to play a NRL game.

Players In Need Of Improvement:

Wallace needs to become more consistent. He was a little too sloppy, and mouthing off at the ref when your team has the penalty is never a good idea. Goose indeed, so lets see some less goosy behavior this week.

Estimated Outcome:

Broncos win. Either by not much at all, or a nice, comfortable high score.

Other:

Players out on injury at the moment are:

Jordan Kahu - ACL, not coming back this season

Josh Hoffman - Corked shin, due back round five

Scott Anderson, due back round six.

We're going to be enjoying every second of this game, and enjoying every second of Darren in his last season.

Go The Broncos!

The End Of An Era

Today one of the best players ever blindsided Australia by announcing that he will retire after the 2011 season. Darren Lockyer has decided this season will be his last as a rugby league player.

See the announcement here:
http://www.broncos.com.au/default.aspx?s=article-display&id=34868&title=darrren-lockyer-to-retire

The reaction amongst the fans is a bit varied, but can mostly be wrapped up into three words "Nooooo", "Ledgend!" and "Shattered".

No doubt this will have an effect on the Brisbane Broncos, a team which has had it's ups and downs the last year or so, but with the decision coming this early in the season, they will have plenty of time to prepare.

BBS blog is happy that we've had the change to experience the end of an era, but we're sad to see him go. We hope he'll go out with a bang, though. With a premiership.

Articles found here:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/darren-lockyer-announces-retirement-at-end-of-nrl-season/story-e6frfgbo-1226029373898

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/darren-lockyer-to-call-it-quits-20110328-1ccsr.html?from=smh_sb

http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/03/28/darren-lockyer-to-retire-at-the-end-of-the-season/

Broncos keep hungry Titans starving

Broncos managed to keep the hungry Titans starving in tonights clash.

Final Score:

Broncos 14 - 8 Titans

Tries/Goals:

Try no 1: Michaels for the Titans in the 41st minute. Converted

Try no 2: Alex Glenn for the Broncos in the 52nd minute. Coverted

Penalty Goal: Broncos

Penalty Goal: Titans

Try no 3: Justin Hodges for Broncos in the 68th minute. Converted

Least Impressive Broncos Player:

Plenty of them. I have to say I was oddly disappointed in Darren, for a while.

Most Impressive Broncos Player:

I don't want to say Jack Reed, again... but I have to. Considering how new he is... well. Some of my opinions I will keep to myself.
Justin Hodges was a joy to have back. He was a little rusty in defense, but all in all... good on you, Hodges!

Ben Hannant was one of the few Bulldogs players I even remotely liked last year, but boy, that man is a joy to have on your side, isn't he? Excellent defense for a man coming back from a calf injury, first game of the year with a new team.
Jharal yow Yeh... what a good player. We are big fans of him here.
Josh Hoffman is a bit uneven in games, but the brilliance he brings is comforting.

Best Broncos Moment:

A few of them.A LOT of brilliant defense. Which, by the way, is obviously our strength at the moment. Jack Reed provided plenty of brilliant defense.

Most Improved:

No one.Well... having Justin and Ben out there is an improvement from last week, because I don't know if we could have won without them.

Moment That Made Us A Bit Too Excited:

That last try. Oh the excitement.
The game itself was a big excitement/disappointment roller-coaster...

Moments That Made Us Yell With Fury:

The same ones that made Darren lodge a protest and the same ones that made him furious. And then some more.

Biggest Mistake:

By us. Oh dear. Sloppy play the ball here and there. And Darren... needs to practice the kicking for touch. *shakes head* Many small mistakes can make big rivers

Conclusion:

Odd game. Honestly. I'm surprised I kept on top of the notes this time. It was chaotic... BUT, I see some potential for awesome games ahead. We won, but I'm so confused by referee calls and odd ball handling that I do not know if we deserved to win or not... but with the defense we had, I'll say we got a well-deserved win.

Most Valuable Player:

Ben Hannant, Jack Reed and Justin Hodges. Yeah. You heard me. That's my conclusion for the night, at least so far.

Why Are They There?

*shifts* Okay. I wish I didn't have to, because he did so well last week, but Wallace. He did a few good stuff, but the silly mistakes and the... honestly... being called out so much by the referee?

My Man Of The Match:

Ugh... Okay. If I hadn't given him that place once I would have handed that over to Reed. So I'll have to say... Justin Hodges. Coming off injury, not expected to be that much of key player he made himself... well... a key player. And oh, how I missed him!

Most Embarrassing Moment For The BBSblog:

Having, actually, been more critical of Darren Lockyer than my husband. And going oddly bonkers for his reaction after that strip that wasn't called. I think i said "mad as a Viking". Hmmm. (Note, not "Raiders" viking but more like "Alexander-Skarsgård-Eric-Northman" viking. ) *snobbish Swede*

Message From The BBSblogs Husband:
Darren almost made a mistake but thought better of it. Good!

Thought the Broncos played well for not being Dragons and he thinks that *direct quote* "The "My Little Ponies" might make some damage this year". (BBS blog will make him attribute ponies to players.) ((My little ponies my ASS!)

And "Are they having a yard sale down their end of the field?"

In general it's good to have Hannant and Hodges on the field. Their experience is essential for the Broncos at this point. I don't know about Darren though. We heard about him having his speed back up to pre- 2007 levels, but I have yet to see him fire. Actually. compared to last year I am a bit disenchanted. Wallace keeps being inconsistent but Parker is a trooper. His kicking was so-and-so the first game, but he's been flawless since then. Good job!

Jharal Yow Yeh and Hoffman keeps being essential, if a little inconsistent. And we always love Sam, aside from the fact that he seems to cop a too hard knock at least once per game... hmmm...

Looking good though. I did predict it would be a difficult win, and it was. All in all I was on the money. Ben Hannant and Justin Hodges both proved to be players to watch, but rest assured... Wallace is back on my "need of improvement" list for next week.

Good night, all. I hope you enjoyed the game and shouted yourself as Darren Lockyer voice-ish as I did.

Half time Broncos vs Titans

Titans are leading 6 -0.

Right now my top players of the Broncos are:

Jack Reed (A-effin'-mazing)

Justin Hodges (Good positive surprise)

Ben Hannant (Did very well while on)

Jharal YowYeh and

Josh Hoffman

My "not-so-top" players are:

Matt Gillette

Alex Glenn

Shane Tronc and

Peter Wallace

My "not-so-top-but-might-redeem-themselves" are:

Darren Lockyer

Gerard Beale

- which means they have done some serious mistakes, but no more mistakes and one more good thing, they're back in the black.

All in all the team is not overwhelmingly good. But the defense has been impressive...

Darren Lockyer Turns 34

We'd like to wish Darren Lockyer a happy birthday. The superstar five-eight turns 34 today.

He has now spent just about half his life playing rugby league at the highest level, since this is his 17th season.

Happy Birthday Darren!

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http://www.broncos.com.au/default.aspx?s=article-display&id=34743&title=darren-lockyer-turns-34

Pre-Game Post Broncos vs Titans

Team Lineup:

Coach: Anthony Griffin

Fullback: No 1. Josh Hoffman

Wing: No 5. Gerard Beale

Centre: No 3. Jack Reed

Centre: No 4. Justin Hodges

Wing: No 2. Jharal Yow Yeh

Five-Eight: No 6. Darren Lockyer (Captain)

Fullback: No 7. Peter Wallace

Prop: No 8. Sam Thaiday

Hooker: No 9. Andrew McCullough

Prop: No 10. Ben Hannant

Second Row: No 11. Alex Glenn

Second Row: No 12. Matt Gillett

Lock: No 13. Corey Parker

Interchange: No 14. Ben Hunt

Interchange: No 15. Ben Te'o

Interchange: No 16. Josh McGuire

Interchange: No 17. Shane Tronc

Excitement:

First game for the season for both Justin Hodges and Ben Hannant. We are, of coarse, hoping that they have a good first game and that their injuries are behind them.

The team, all in all, looks like an impressive one, and we are under the opinion that it is one that has the ability to conjure up some serious magic!

Caution needed:

Most Broncos fans seems to think this will be an easy win for the Broncos, but having Titans come off two losses isn't going to mean we'll have it easy. Oh no. Never, ever count a team out when the spotlight is burning a hole on them.

Players To Watch:

Ben Hannant - Back from injury it's going to be interesting to see how he goes. We're hoping his calf will hold up well.

Justin Hodges - Also back from injury. Also going to be interesting. We're hoping his hamstring and Achilles tendon is up for it!

Players In Need Of Improvement:

Not sure. There were some overall issues with the ball handling, oddly enough even from Darren Lockyers side, but there isn't any one player that needs improving as such.

Estimated Outcome:

No way of telling. Obviously I am going to say the Broncos will win, but I think it's going to be tough. The Titans are going to be revved up after two losses and wanting to prove themselves. HOWEVER, if the Broncos defense is as good as it was last week, and the ball handling is a little cleaner, and with the addition of Hannant and Hodges, I think Broncos will win. How much by, you may ask? I have no idea.

Other:

Unfortunately Scott Anderson will not be back until round 6, at the earliest. We're hoping his calf will heal quickly.

Go The Broncos!

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Darren Lockyer warns about the Titans: http://www.broncos.com.au/default.aspx?s=article-display&id=34598&title=titans-warning-from-darren-lockyer

Brisbane breaks losing streak in Canberra

Brisbane Broncos shaped up tonight and won 20 - 4 over the Canberra Raiders breaking 5 game losing streak in the nations capital.

Final Score:

Broncos 20 - 4 Raiders

Tries:

Broncos by Hoffman in the 6th minute. Corey Parker successfully converted the try.

Raiders by Ferguson in the 23rd minute. No conversion.

Broncos by Gilette in the 58th minute. Corey Parker successfully converted the try.

Broncos by Yow Yeh in the 64th minute. Corey Parker successfully converted the try.

One penalty goal for Parker in the 76th(?) minute.

Least Impressive Broncos Player:

Not sure, actually. They all shaped up OK in the end. Maybe Darren Lockyer, as much as it pains to say. The missed kick for touch was a disappointment, as was the loose carry. Although... that's just comparing Darren Lockyer to Darren Lockyer, I don't think that man can be genuinely disappointing.

Most Impressive Broncos Player:

Jack Reed. Wonderful talent, despite being really good last week he improved this week and made no mistakes as far as I can tell. Very promising.

Best Broncos Moment:

All the defense efforts. Being out on the line for so long, and defending wonderfully.

Most Improved:

Wallace and Thaiday both dialed it up tonight. I am impressed.

Moment That Made Us A Bit Too Excited:

Winning, obviously.

Moments That Made Us Yell With Fury:

T'eo's unsportsmanlike behavior. Very unnecessary.

Biggest Mistake:

Some dubious decisions in the carrying the ball every here and there, but nothing stands out that much, aside from the Darren Lockyer kick for touch that curved back inside and T'eo chucking the ball away incurring a penalty.

Conclusion:

Not completely there yet. There is still some sloppiness, and I wish we could have seen some more exciting plays from Darren. All in all a very satisfying game though. I am very impressed by the defense. Hoffman and Yow Yeh were both a little hot and cold. Both scored tries but both made mistakes too. If they keep up the work in training next week will be very exciting indeed!

Most Valuable Player:

Jack Reed, in my opinion. Brilliant job in both attack and defense.

Why Are They There?

They all deserved to be there tonight.

My Man Of The Match:

Jack Reed. Very good for a man playing his second NRL level game. I am extremely impressed, he looked like he belonged there.

Most Embarrassing Moment For The BBSblog:

Nothing too bad. A few comments about the tightness of some of the players shirts.

Message From The BBSblogs Husband:

Did they cover the ball with butter?

We're hoping the players keep up the good work, and that Reed has found himself a permanent place in the team. We're also excited about Hook now. Oh man, are we excited! Yes we are. Anyone who can get Wallace's head screwed on tighter this quickly is a good coach. We're seeing an improvement in psychology from last year... then again, we might just be imagining things.

Also a big applaud for Dale Copley who jumped in on the bench and saw some action despite already having played in the NYC earlier in the day.

We're excited about the win, excited about the season ahead and excited about the new coach. Good night!

(We'd like to wish Te'o a quick recovery from his concussion and Andersson a speedy recovery from the strained calf he incurred during the warm up)

Pre-Game Post Broncos vs Raiders

This feels like an important game to me. This is where the boys need to step up and prove that last week was just a little bit of trying to be too fancy too soon. I'm hoping that is the case. While I wouldn't put any money on them to win if I were a gambling person, I wouldn't put money on the Raiders either.

Broncos have every chance of winning, provided they've corrected some of he problems from last week.

Players to Watch -

Jack Reed - He had a really good debut last week, and I'm hoping to see even more good things from the youngster. All he needs is a little more experience, and he'll fit right in.

Darren Lockyer - Because you never know what he'll do or when he'll surprise. I'm hoping to see some of that fabled speed he's regained. Can't wait.

Jharal Yow Yeh - Hoping to see some magic from this player tonight, he was fairly low key last week.

Josh Hoffman - Such a good player.

Players In Need Of Improvement -

Peter Wallace - He needs to wrap his head around the game. Last week he worked well in the tackling in the center of the field... but he seemed to lose his cool in both attack and defense when play got to close to either try line. Not a good sign.

Sam Thaiday - And he knows it. I love Sam as a player, and I know he'll be working twice as hard this week. He's probably just rusty.

... and pretty much the rest of the team. Unless ball handling is much better today I'm going to have to get used to my husband referring to them as "butterfinger broncos". Please don't let me down, boys!

Estimated Outcome -

To be quite honest... I'm just hoping for a close game and not a complete butt whooping. Raiders are dangerous that way. If we lose, I want it to be by as little as possible, and I'll be okay with that, it's still early in the season.

However... provided that the problems we had last week has been worked on, I think we can win. So I am going to go for a close game, but ultimately a win for the Broncos. Because tonight is essential for Hook if he wants to get off to a good start. He needs a win, and if the team can fix that in this game, with Raiders looking dangerous... that would be awesome.

Go the Broncos! Make the dream work.