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Message: [QUOTE="Super Freak, post: 2707580, member: 8536"] [b]Re: Grand Final - Broncos vs Cowboys[/b] [B] JOHNATHAN Thurston. Darius Boyd. Corey Parker. Matt Scott. [/B] There’s no shortage of star power running onto ANZ Stadium on Sunday to battle it out for the NRL premiership. Some of the biggest names in rugby league will go head to head in the ultimate decider. But, as the saying goes, it’s a team sport. And that means there’s 34 men who will be asked to stand up and perform their role in the last match of the season. We take a look at some of the forgotten pieces of the grand final puzzle, and just how they will slot into the picture on Sunday. [B] BRONCOS [/B] [B]Jack Reed [/B] Reed’s defensive faults were laid bare last week when he let Blake Ferguson walk past him for two tries as the Broncos beat the Roosters at Suncorp Stadium. He averages 1.8 missed tackles every game. Brisbane can’t afford to leak any soft tries in the big dance. Reed will need to be rock solid on his left edge to hold out Kyle Feldt and Justin O’Neill. He also needs to help the less experienced winger Corey Oates hold his nerve on the big stage. [B]Jarrod Wallace [/B] The rookie forward spent the first couple of games of 2015 sitting on the bench for 80 minutes. He now averages more than 37 minutes on the park from his 24 matches. Standing at 189 centimetres and weighing 108 kilograms, he provides some punch in attack and is a rock in defence. Wallace will be a handy addition to the pack while the likes of Sam Thaiday and Adam Blair take a breather. [B]Mitchell Dodds [/B] Dodds plays a similar role to fellow bench forward Wallace, and he will be crucial on Sunday as fill-in for the Broncos’ big men. He averages about 28 minutes a game this year along with 43.6 metres and two line breaks. His role off the pine is vital to an 80-minute performance from the Brisbane team. Sunday will also be Dodds’ last game with the club after signing a deal with Warrington from 2016. [B]Joe Ofahengaue [/B] The 20-year-old has been a revelation this year, even to coach Wayne Bennett. After initially being told he wouldn’t cut first grade in 2015, Ofahengaue has played 13 games off the bench and averages nearly 25 minutes a pop. It’s unclear how much game time he will be afforded on Sunday but he’s sure to go out there and make some sort of impact late in the piece. [B]Kodi Nikorima [/B] The diminutive playmaker showed the rugby league world what he is capable of in the first week of finals. He was injected late in the game against North Queensland and with his first touch of the ball, darted out of dummy half and placed a beautiful ball on Anthony Milford’s chest to set up a try. Look for Nikorima to play the same role on Sunday, coming in late to make a few sharp runs out of hooker and catch the Cowboys napping. The danger is he can float just about anywhere across the field and bob up to create havoc. [B][B]COWBOYS[/B][/B] [B]Kyle Feldt [/B] Feldt struggled to crack Paul Green’s team earlier this year, but must now help the club win its breakthrough premiership. He’s a monster 23-year-old who would look equally comfortable in the forward pack as he does on the wing. His battle with Broncos opposite Corey Oates will be intriguing and just as crucial. Oates has scored 13 tries in 24 games and can be hard to stop when he gets on the end of a Hunt or Milford ball. [B]Ethan Lowe [/B] It’s hard to stick out when you’re playing in between Matt Scott, James Tamou, Gavin Cooper, and Jason Taumalolo. But Lowe’s statistics are quite impressive if you take the time to look at them. He’s typically an 80-minute back rower who averages just shy of 100 metres a game this year, as well as making more than 35 tackles. While his teammates are hogging the limelight, Lowe will be putting in the work to grind down Brisbane’s edge forwards. [B]Rory Kostjasyn [/B] His name won’t be on any of Wayne Bennett’s tip sheets but Kostjasyn plays one of the most important roles for North Queensland. Paul Green insists on resting number one hooker Jake Granville midway through games and Kostjasyn must fill the void left at rake. Granville provides such a spark out of dummy half and is vital in getting Johnathan Thurston and his forwards plenty of good ball. For the 30 or so minutes he is on the park, Kostjasyn can’t afford to let the Broncos get on top. [B]John Asiata [/B] Asiata averages the least minutes of game time of the four Cowboys bench players. He plays second fiddle to the likes of Scott Bolton and Ben Hannant in terms of impact forwards, but his value lies in his ball skills. Asiata will most likely come on to give Taamalolo a rest midway through the game, and Paul Green will be looking for an injection of energy from the young forward. [B]Scott Bolton [/B] Here’s another North Queensland forward who can be forgotten among his high-profile teammates. But Scott Bolton is a workhorse, and you can rely on him to put in 100 per cent whenever Paul Green promotes him off the bench. Averaging less than 37 minutes per game, he somehow averages more than 103 metres from just 10 hit-ups. He’s reliable in defence and can plug a hole wherever needed. [URL]http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-grand-final-2015-the-forgotten-men-who-will-make-all-the-difference-in-cowboys-broncos-decider/story-fn2mcuj6-1227556183779[/URL] [/QUOTE]

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