APRIL 30 2020 | Mike Colman

APRIL 30 2020 | Mike Colman

30/04/2020

Are the Broncos Poised for Success?


I reckon the Broncos luck is about to change. Things haven’t gone too well for the club in the injury and suspension stakes over the past few years but the current disruption caused by Covid-19 might just prove to be a blessing in disguise.

If the competition had gone along as planned the Broncos pack would have been missing Matt Lodge for around 10 rounds and boom forward David Fifita for up to 16 weeks as they recovered from knee surgeries and captain Alex Glenn for another two or three games with a hamstring strain.

In the backs Corey Oates was looking at a possible three weeks on the sidelines with a rib injury and, maybe most crucial of all, halfback Brodie Croft’s immediate playing future would have been under a cloud after the shoulder injury he sustained in round two.

Now, with the competition suspended for 10 weeks and possibly a month away from restarting, all five players are a good chance to be fit, well and raring to go. And given that we are looking at a shortened 20 round competition that will be vitally important.

Roosters boss Nick Politis was 100 per cent right to be concerned about the fact that the back-to-back premiers lost their first two matches.

In a 25-game plus one bye comp, giving the opposition a four point start isn’t the end of the world. With only 20 games and no bye it could well prove to be just that.

With a two from two winning record the Broncos are well placed. They might not have knocked over any of the top three heavyweights – Roosters, Raiders and Storm – but the scalps of the Cowboys and Rabbitohs – who they hadn’t beaten since Anthony Seibold took over the reins – were both very handy scalps to have got out of the way, especially with Tevita Pangai Jnr serving a six game suspension.

In a normal season it is expected that 28 points will earn a team eighth spot in the finals. For the proposed 20-round competition the cut off could be as low as 20 with 13 wins enough to guarantee a top-four berth. Either way, the Broncos have made the perfect start and the injury cards look to be falling their way.

I reckon we could be in for a very exciting few months.

What do YOU reckon?