NRL 2020: Brisbane Broncos coach Anthony Seibold facing selection headaches
The Broncos’ trial loss to the Gold Coast Titans has presented more questions than answers for coach Anthony Seibold, with some players under pressure before season 2020 has even kicked off.
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The Broncos surrendered a 16-0 lead to lose 28-22 to the Gold Coast Titans in a disappointing trial at Redcliffe’s Dolphin Stadium on Saturday night.
The performance created some headaches for coach Anthony Seibold ahead of Brisbane’s Round 1 blockbuster against the Cowboys on March 13.
Is Darius Boyd on the verge of being dropped? What’s happened to Jamayne Isaako? And which Broncos playmaker needs to get more involved?
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Here’s how we rated their performance on Saturday night.
1. JACK BIRD
Looked sharp early and sniffed around the ball but only lasted 34 minutes before Titans prop Sam Lisone left him concussed with a high tackle. Will be Brisbane’s fullback in Round 1. RATING: 6
2. COREY OATES
Made his first appearance following a pre-season leg infection which left him in hospital for nine days and it showed as he lacked punch and fitness. Could be a slow start to the year. RATING: 5
3. KOTONI STAGGS
Made some good runs and threw a nice pass for Xavier Coates to score but leaked a try when Kevin Proctor surged past him. RATING: 6
4. DARIUS BOYD
It wasn’t the game the former Broncos captain wanted in his final trial. Made only a few runs, was burned by opposite centre Kallum Watkins and made poor errors. Under pressure before the season has started. RATING: 4
5. XAVIER COATES
Started superbly with a sublime one-handed put down but can be shaky under the high ball and needs to be more involved. RATING: 6
6. ANTHONY MILFORD
Threw a nice ball for Tom Flegler to score but the Broncos didn’t go to him often. Needs to find a way to get his hands on the ball more. RATING: 5
7. BRODIE CROFT
The new Broncos halfback was one of Brisbane’s best, making a number of encouraging runs and had an organised kicking game. Has set himself up well to start the season. RATING: 7
8. TOM FLEGLER
Worked hard in a rare starting appearance. Scored a good try and busted six tackles in the first half to prove he is on the rise. RATING: 7
9. JAKE TURPIN
Caught the Titans napping from a scrum to score a clever first half try and was busy at dummy-half without being spectacular. RATING: 6.5
10. PAYNE HAAS
Arguably the best player on the park with 151m by half time and was a constant menace for the Titans. How is he only 20 years old? RATING: 8
11. DAVID FIFITA
Floated in and out of the game. His good touches were damaging but had some poor defensive lapses. Needs to be more consistent. RATING: 6
12. TEVITA PANGAI JR
Started with intent but was barely sighted for most of the game. Needs to take a leaf out of Haas’ book. RATING: 5
13. PAT CARRIGAN
Impressive performance in his captaincy debut. Topped the stats for the Broncos with 36 tackles and 165m to cement the No. 13 jersey for Round 1. RATING: 8
INTERCHANGE
14. JAMAYNE ISAAKO
Has spectacularly fallen out of favour and his performance matched that. Got a run after Bird was ruled out and made little impact. Expect to see him in the Intrust Super Cup. RATING: 4
15. HERBIE FARNWORTH
Made a couple of poor errors when he came off the bench on to the wing before scoring a late try. RATING: 4
16. JESSE ARTHARS
This kid is classy. Has thrown his hat into the selection mix and wouldn’t let the Broncos down anywhere in the back five. RATING: 7
21. JORDAN RIKI
Did his chances of a Round 1 debut harm with some poor defensive lapses. The teenager will learn a lot from the game but he may not be ready for the NRL. RATING: 4
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22. ANDREW MCCULLOUGH
Did his usual work from dummy-half but didn’t pose any genuine attacking threat. A solid bench option. RATING: 5
23. JOE OFAHENGAUE
Made a stinging tackle off the kick-off to rock Jarrod Wallace and was impressive from the bench but he will miss the opening two games of the year through suspension. RATING: 6
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