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Message: [QUOTE="Morkel, post: 2555495, member: 8215"] [b]Re: Broncos circa 2004 - 2013[/b] Okay, I guess everyone has had their say on that finals game. I guess I'll just add some notes about the season: * To start with, even though the Broncos are supposed to challenge for the premiership every year, 2008 was definitely looking like a difficult year. More shards of the '06 GF team had departed. Berrigan, big Brad Thorn, both gone. But the biggest loss of all, and one that no one had really come to terms with, was the loss of Petero to the Panthers. In a bizarre swap, Joel Clinton, their 2003 premiership-winning prop came on board, as well as highly-regarded yet young and raw Ashton Sims. Their other major recruit, Peter Wallace, who had broken the Broncos' hearts the year before with a decisive drop goal, was seen as the team's Great Hope to fill the halfback spot, but that itself was offset by Lockyer's unknown return date from a career-threatening knee injury. * The season started off as well as any fan could hope. Facing Petero, who had been instated as the Panthers' captain, in round 1 was the perfect start. The 48-12 victory was a Broncos' try-fest, making easy meat of the Panther's defence, with Corey Parker scoring 24 points himself, with a perfect 10 out of 10 conversions, and a try. * Round 2 was very interesting for me, as with any new season you want to watch the new guys. Up against the Roosters, featuring Bulldogs defectors O'Meley & Mason, it was the perfect test for the new forwards. What stood out to me was Ashton Sims' brutality, especially in defence. While everyone loved watching Tunza tear the opposition in half with his textbook low/mid tackles, Sims was belting the Roosters' forwards chest to chest. While he was a bit loose in technique, as the game wore on it was telling - the much-fancied Roosters pack was noticeably wilting. This would be a common theme throughout the season, and despite it landing him in some trouble with penalties, I truly believe that we would not have gone as far if we didn't have his aggression. * Round 12 vs the Eels showed that we still had a long way to come in terms of defence, with the Eels shredding us late in the game when we should have locked them out. But it also highlighted why the commentators put forward the suggestion that Darren Lockyer may well be The Football God. * Fast forward to round 20, and I was really pumped for this game. The Sharks were having an awesome season, and were well in the mix for the premiership, built on the roughhousing of Bruise Brothers Bird & Gallen, and suffocating defence. It was a grinding, tense 80 minutes, but with the Broncos winning, it proved to me that they were in fact the real deal. * The only thing I'll add to the comments on the final against the Storm is just how grubby they were. Thaiday was simultaneously chicken-winged and grappled by both Smiths in the one tackle, which should have had them both sent off for the rest of the game. In fact the only reason the Storm did end up losing a player (for 10 only though) was that they kept infringing, even after numerous warnings. Credit to them for holding out the Broncos in that 10 minutes (which was the most frustrating 10 minutes of the season TBH). [/QUOTE]

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