Taumalolo gives a masterclass that battling Broncos should learn from
The NRL Nines was a disappointment for the much-hyped Broncos’ forwards but they don’t have far to look to see how it’s done, writes MIKE COLMAN.
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The Brisbane Broncos forwards should spend the next few days locked in the video room, poring through tapes of the NRL Nines.
Not reviewing their own performances, but learning from the way Jason Taumalolo went about his work.
Much was expected from the Broncos pack over the weekend but just like so often last season, they failed to deliver.
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The two big guns, Payne Haas and David Fifita, were tipped to tear the opposition apart in the wide open spaces of the Nines but they were effectively tackled out of the tournament.
Time and again they were smothered and pulled down before they had a chance to get going and the more frustrated they became, the more ineffective they were.
Meanwhile, looking trim, fit and excited to be playing footy again, Taumalolo was putting on a masterclass.
You get the feeling that the Cowboys’ “other JT” doesn’t care too much about what is said or written about him, but he wouldn’t be human if he didn’t register the amount of hype that has been generated about the Broncos’ youngsters over the last season or two.
To hear some people tell it the likes of Haas, Fifita, Tevita Pangai Jr, Matthew Lodge and Joe Ofahengaue are a fast-maturing juggernaut just waiting to roll over all in their path.
At the ripe old age of 26, and after the Cowboys last two underwhelming seasons, you could be forgiven for thinking Taumalolo was yesterday’s news.
Until you watched him in action on the weekend, that is.
“But it was only the Nines,” some might say, and they would be right – but it was only the Nines for Haas and Fifita too, and to compare their tournament to Taumalolo’s is chalk and cheese.
He looked like there was nowhere else in the world that he would prefer to be. At times it looked like they would rather be anywhere but Perth.
If there is a positive to come from the Broncos disappointing display on the weekend it is this: they play the Cowboys in the first match of the season on March 13.
Given that it was a truncated version of rugby league Seibold and his players will gain very little from watching replays of the Cowboys’ tournament-winning performances in terms of tactics or field placement.
What the forwards will get, if they are smart enough to absorb the lesson, is an appreciation of the level of skill, commitment and enthusiasm that is required to reach the pinnacle of the game.
It was all there in Taumalolo’s semi-final display against the Gold Coast Titans.
Right from the kick-off the Cowboys’ captain took control and inspired his team, making a big break and off-loading, then later kicking ahead to keep the Titans under pressure deep in their own half.
Most impressive was when he turned and beat Gold Coast speedster AJ Brimson to a loose ball, preventing a certain try.
“He’s a superhero,” enthused Fox commentator Warren Smith. “If he ever leaves the Cowboys he’ll be signed by Marvel.”
Later, with the game still up for grabs, he burst his way through four attempted tackles, brushing defenders off, as Smith said, “like witches hats at training” before sending Shane Wright over the line with a right-hand flick pass.”
There was plenty of well-earned press after the tournament for the Cowboys’ young speed machine Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow but he still has a long way to go to prove he is more than a one-weekend sensation.
Jason Taumalolo doesn’t have to prove a thing – but he did on the weekend – every time he ran onto the field.
Originally published as Taumalolo gives a masterclass that battling Broncos should learn from