So its Penrith at home hosting the Brisbane Broncos. The Broncos are one of the hottest teams in the NRL, sure they have played ugly at times, but they have also played the most outstanding football in the 2009 season as well.
So to start the game Penrith look dangerous. They get a penalty 5 meters from the Broncos line. They are on a roll, they can get a good start to the game, they should go for the try.
But no….the brains trust on the bench runs the word out…..take the two points.
To beat Brisbane Penrith had to basically come out breathing fire and take every opportunity handed to them. Taking the penalty goal rather than going for a try showed a complete lack of understanding of the game.
Another stupid decision that can only be down to the tactics the coach put in place was the way Penrith threw the ball around.
Every team that has had success this year against Brisbane has gone right up the middle of the park. The Broncos pack is suspect, that’s where you have to beat them.
But no, Penriths plan was to spread the ball wide early and often, challenging the Broncos amazing back line full of internationals and Origin stars. It was never going to work.
Penrith boasts a decent enough pack of forwards, and they basically took their strength out of the game to run into the defensive strength of the Broncos.
You can only put so much down to the players on the field. If it happens a few times again, its players getting panicked. When it happens in every single set from the second tackle onwards, its a coaches plan….a plan that was a failure.
People will point to the fact Penrith were still in the game for a while, but that over looks so many things.
One try was a fluke off a bomb, the other was a moment of brilliance by Michael Jennings.
All the while, Brisbane played terrible, dumb football. They never got out of the starters blocks….and they still won by 20 points!
Matthew Elliott needs to go.
NOW!
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