NRL 2K17 - Boncos star on drug charges

[Candy Arse]

Broncos fly to Melbourne now to continue their easy draw.

I feel bad for them - a road game with only a full week's rest.

I hope Slater has a good season, guy is a QLD legend and doesn't deserve to have his career ended via injury.

[Candy Arse]

Matt Scott out for the season, not good.

[Madmya]

Big losses for QLD.

[Candy Arse]

Nothing's going to change because money, but there are too many games these players play each season.

[Peppermint Lounge]

Billy Slater named to play against Brisbane this Thursday.

[Madmya]

Should be a good match. We've actually won our last few games in Melbourne but I feel those Storm teams were weaker than this one, so it doesn't fill me with great confidence.

To be honest I'm just glad we're not getting these games diluted by origin.

[Candy Arse]

If it was on any day other than Thursday I'd have gone to the game. Fucking retarded Thursday football.

[mxlegend99]

Should be a good match. We've actually won our last few games in Melbourne but I feel those Storm teams were weaker than this one, so it doesn't fill me with great confidence.

To be honest I'm just glad we're not getting these games diluted by origin.

Outside of Origin, Storm arent going to be easier to beat than this. The Storm team is essentially a trial squad.

Billy Slater has barely played a game in 2 years. In the past year he hasnt played a trial or even lower grade match.

Cam Munster playing his first game at 5/8th.

Then theres the injuries to the forwards giving them one of the weakest packs Storm have had in years.

Honestly... this is about as beatable as the Storm will get outside of the Origin period. Facing a fullback with no matcg fitness, a better fullback moving to a new position to accomodate him and a pretty average looking pack. Broncos should be able to put a big win in here. Bellamy is crazy not making Slater play a couple of reserve grade games first.

[Madmya]

Dude, it's Slater. If he's fit you put him straight back into your 17.

1. Slater (not match fit)
6. Munster
7. Cronk
9. Smith

is better than:

1. Munster
6. Jacks
7. Cronk
9. Smith.

This is the team they've been preparing all pre-season.

[mxlegend99]

How many fullbacks in recent years have managed to miss the best part of a season or two and come back at their best?

Jarryd Hayne. Has been a dud buy for Titans. Wasn't even injured, just got conditioned for a different sport.
Anthony Minichello. Was never the same after his back injury. Was still a solid fullback, but went from the Australian fullback to hopefully we don't need him in Origin
Will Hopoate. 2 years for a mormon mission... has barely been reserve grade standard since return
Brett Stewart. Not really as easy to point his injury... it has been ongoing. But that ongoing injury seriously killed his involvement rate when he was passed fit to play
Greg Inglis. Hasn't really looked anywhere near his best for more then a few weeks here and there since leaving Storm
Brett Morris. He was the best winger in the game. Because a pretty handy fullback. Got injured and the games I have seen him play so far this year have been terrible. He has no confidence and at one point let simple uncontested kick bounce, which resulted in a try against Doggies.
Michael Gordon. Like Morris he was an awesome winger who became a gun fullback. But after a huge time on the sidelines he returned and had lost a bit of his pace and strength, which removed what made him a fun fullback. Now he's just a solid player at best.

Probably the only player I can think of who came back from injury and was great on return was Lachlan Coote. But he was a lot younger than Billy Slater and played 3 QLD Cup games before returning to first grade.

Now even if Billy Slater did pick up where he left off.... Cameron Munster is better then Billy Slater was at that point in his career. Billy Slater at his best is probably better than any fullback currently playing. But his best is about 4 or 5 years ago now. He was still extremely good after that, but had been steadily declining before his injury. He was not the best fullback in the game at the time of his injury, and the best part of 2 years on the sidelines is not going to help his cause.

I'm not saying Billy Slater can't be an asset to the Storm this year. But it would take a miracle of epic proportions for him to come back and be at his best without even having played a trial or reserve grade game. His biggest asset was the perfect timing he had with Cronk and Smith.... if he is even just a tiny bit off on that those plays that tore teams to shreds will result in handovers or him getting smashed.

[Madmya]

So what you're saying is you'd prefer the other line up.

[mxlegend99]

Definitely. Atleast until Slater proves he can play 80 minutes at a lower level first.

As they say you dont weaken one position to strengthen another. Munster is the best fullback Storm have. He isnt really proven at 5/8th either. Arguably you're weakening 2 positions to fit in a former great. That's why I believe its essentially a trial team... thats when you experiment with these things. Not with 2 points on the line

Slater might not even be able to make it through the game without injury. I hope he has a solid debut. Be nice to see him go out on his own terms. But I think he is more likely to tarnish his legacy by being human and not able to ever reach his best again.

[Madmya]

It's just a shoulder injury and not some double knee reconstruction, so he'd have been running for a long time. You might be right, I just wouldn't do the same.

[Candy Arse]

I trust Bellamy to know that if he's putting Slater in there at fullback straight away he must be ready to roll.

[Madmya]

It does raise concern that it's week 3 that he's making his comeback and not week 1. So only 7 days ago he wasn't right to play...

[mxlegend99]

"There is no guarantees he is going to get through 80 minutes," Bellamy said.

"He has been out of the game a long time but there are few better trainers than Bill, he's very competitive on the field but also at training so he's had that attitude to push himself as hard as he can and that hasn't changed over 15 years he has played NRL.

"So we can't guarantee how long he plays for but I expect he will go a fair proportion of the journey."

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Bellamy doesnt expect he will play 80 minutes. Seems ridiculous to take such a gamble in an NRL match.

Having missed all the trials you would think they would play it safe and give him a reserve grade game and evaluate where he is from there.

Or wait till they faced a shit team to give him an easy confidence boost.

[mxlegend99]

It does raise concern that it's week 3 that he's making his comeback and not week 1. So only 7 days ago he wasn't right to play...

Wasnt he supposed to be a chance at the grand final?

Yet he played no trials. No games at any level in Rounds 1 and 2. Then Round 3 he's just straight back into his fullback spot with the coach admitting he probably wont play the whole game.

[pilonv1]

Let's go Melbourne

[mxlegend99]

Slater played about 12 minutes of the first half. Not terrible. But nothing good yet either. He had a chance for a try assist but his pass was awful.

Looked better with Jacks on the field. But Slater might warm into it the second half. More than a year off.

[mxlegend99]

Slater looking worse this half. Timing on kick chase is off. His passing is shit. Hes trying too hard and its not happening.

Jacks needs to be on. But they cant waste another interchange on a fullback.

[Candy Arse]

Boncos drop the ball to lose the game

[mxlegend99]

Storm lucky to get a win. Slater got worse as the game went on. Trying harder and harder but just couldnt get it right.

Should have been an easy win for Storm. But Broncos did well to hold them out for most the game.

Scrappy game all around really.

[mxlegend99]

Boncos drop the ball to lose the game

Hunt had a try assist to Storm winning the game.

[pilonv1]

Boncos drop the ball to lose the game

Was a Sims too, must feel like deja vu

[Candy Arse]

The no-try call against Chambers was flat out wrong.