Lacey Aiming to Shorten Them Up
by Trad McLean
Thursday April 05, 2007
EVERY time Ian Lacey goes on the football field he knows he will be the shortest player out there.
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But that hasn't stopped the pocket rocket from Rockhampton showing size does not have to matter in the NRL.
While opponents guess his 165cm frame could be an easy option to run at, Lacey soon convinces them of another reality.
After 10 NRL games in 2006, Lacey made a return to the big league last week against Penrith, showcasing his demon tackling style.
He aims to do the same tomorrow night against the Roosters at Aussie Stadium.
"Defence is something I have to be good at," said Lacey today.
"Being a small player, they all target you.
"If I am not going to be good in defence, then I am not going to make it.
"Ever since I was small it has kind of come naturally to me.
"I always went around the legs, but the last couple of years I have found as the players get stronger, they push through you if you do that.
"So I have tried to put as much impact as I can on them."
Like legendary defender Trevor Gillmeister, Lacey uses what people see as a disadvantage to his own advantage.
"I don't have to bend down as much," he said.
"I just go in there as hard as I can and do my best.
"I try and let them know if they run at me they are going to get tackled."
A hooker by design, Lacey is certain to find himself in the back row against the Roosters at some stage.
Shaun Berrigan has the number nine jersey and specialist rake Michael Ennis is also on the bench.
"I am not quite sure what is going to happen there – I played a bit in the forwards last week," he said.
"If the coach puts me there that's what I have to do.
"Last week I was in the second row with Sam Thaiday and he had a bit of a laugh when he got to the scrum.
"But it is all fun."
The Roosters game is special for Lacey after he made his NRL debut against them last year.
And he feels a lot more comfortable in the NRL now.
"This was my debut last year, so I have been looking forward to getting on the field against the Roosters – it is a special thing for me," he said.
"It was very nerve-wracking last year.
"I got on with 20 minutes to go and it was very close.
"Last year was a big learning curve for me. This year I feel a bit freer to do the things I do naturally."
Hot Hodges in Purple Patch
by Trad McLean
Saturday April 07, 2007
If he was in career-best form last year as the Ergon Energy Broncos won the NRL trophy, just what kind of a form patch is Justin Hodges in right now?
For the second week in a row Hodges (pictured) was supremely dominant as the Broncos finally opened their 2007 premiership account with a 32-10 dispatch of the Roosters at Aussie Stadium.
Last week he equalled a club record when he scored four tries against the Panthers.
Last night he was at it again, but this time it was his teammates who benefited.
One try to Shaun Berrigan was set up by Hodges as he displayed every set of skills a centre could hope to have.
Taking the ball with nothing on, 40 metres out from the try line, Hodges split the defence with a giant sidestep.
As he stepped he transferred the ball to his other hand to allow him to execute a brick wall-like fend that dropped another Roosters tackler.
Accelerating downfield, Hodges lined up support outside as former Test fullback Anthony Minichiello covered him.
But Hodges had other ideas, dummying inside Minichiello, and then when more Roosters' cover came, he looped an overhead hook pass inside to an unmarked Berrigan.
Soon after Hodges called a short side play on the sixth tackle and found Steve Michaels unmarked outside him for another try.
That try set up a 16-6 halftime lead for the Broncos, and three tries in the second half were more than enough to ensure victory against a Roosters side that tried hard but were outgunned.
The victory stopped a horror run of outs for the Broncos who can now concentrate on catching the top teams in a tight early premiership race.
"If we had done what we did tonight previously we would have won a few more games," said Broncos' coach Wayne Bennett.
"We haven't been far off the track.
"Pressure wasn't going to help the team and they all know what they have been going through."
Hodges is now a certainty to retain his centres Test jersey for the April 20 Trans-Tasman Test against ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />New Zealand even though he played the first two matches of 2007 at fullback.
"To play for your country you would play anywhere but I am pretty comfortable in the centres," said Hodges.
Michaels finished with two tries, while Darren Lockyer, who just shaded Hodges for man of the match honours, got one of his own when he ran on to a smart grubber from Shane Perry.
Perry had noticed Minichiello flying wide to cover an anticipated Broncos raid, so he changed tack and grubbered inside to an empty void that Lockyer filled.
Greg Eastwood and Karmichael Hunt also scored tries for the Broncos, who now get ready for a south-east Queensland grudge match against the Gold Coast Titans on Friday.
Eastwood Shooting for Test Status
by Trad McLean
Wednesday April 11, 2007
GREG Eastwood has been handed a golden chance to make up for a lost opportunity when he runs out against the Gold Coast Titans on Friday.
The Kiwi-born lock, pictured right, was chosen for New Zealand last year only to have his black-and-white dream squashed by a hamstring injury.
However Eastwood's good form against the Roosters last weekend has convinced Ergon Energy Broncos' coach Wayne Bennett to leave him in the starting side against the Titans.
In a shock move, Bennett named international lock Tonie Carroll to return from suspension in his former position of centre.
It gives Eastwood one final chance to try and convince Kiwi selectors he is ready for Test football.
The 20-year-old has been solid this season, and was good against the Roosters, setting up one try and scoring one of his own.
The Titans clash also has a special meaning for Eastwood, who spent his teenage years on the Gold Coast.
Born in Auckland, Eastwood and his family moved to Queensland several years ago, where he attended Keebra Park High School.
Friday night's match will be a new beginning for an old south-east Queensland rivalry.
Brisbane and the Coast were admitted together in 1988 but have not clashed since 1998, the year of the Gold Coast Chargers' axing from the NRL.
But after the Titans recorded their second win of the season with a victory over Penrith last week, Broncos' fullback Karmichael Hunt said his team was wary of the competition new boys, especially his opposite Preston Campbell.
"They are going great guns," said Hunt.
"I watched a bit of their game at the weekend and they played really well.
"Preston is playing really well – he's pretty hot at the moment."
The Broncos are simply aiming to improve on their first victory of the year, 32-10 over the Roosters, and Carroll's inclusion – even in the unusual position of centre – will help.
"It was our first win of the season, which was a little different to previous years, but we took a lot of confidence from that," said Hunt.
"Defensively and in attack, Tonie is a damaging player. Whether he is out wide or in the ruck he is a class act."
In other team news, David Stagg was named in jumper number 18 on an extended five-man bench.
Stagg has not played since last year's grand final victory after undergoing an off-season shoulder reconstruction.
He will do some heavy contact work at the team's final training session tomorrow morning in an effort to prove his fitness.
Brent Tate was moved to the wing to accommodate Carroll, while Darius Boyd was the unlucky one, relegated to the Queensland Cup.
Bennett Waits on Berrigan
by Trad McLean
Thursday April 12, 2007
THE Ergon Energy Broncos will give Test hooker Shaun Berrigan until tomorrow morning to prove his fitness for the local derby clash against the Gold Coast Titans.
Berrigan (pictured) could not train ahead of tomorrow night's Suncorp Stadium match between the South-east Queensland rivals, with Broncos' coach Wayne Bennett prepared to give him another day to rest.
Bennett will not decide on his final 17 until Berrigan sees how his back injury feels in the morning.
"He has got a bit of a strain in his lower back, but he will play," guessed the Brisbane coach.
"We are just being more precautionary with him than anything else."
One player who will definitely don his football boots is David Stagg.
Because of off-season shoulder surgery, Stagg has not played since the Broncos' 2006 grand final triumph.
However some contact work this week has convinced medical staff he is ready to go, and he will take up a spot in the second row.
Tonie Carroll will slot back to the past by playing in the centres, and Greg Eastwood retains his lock position.
"Stagg is playing," said Bennett.
"I only have a lot of faith in him because of how he plays.
"So that's why he is in the team – because he is good at what he does."
While the match is at the Broncos' home ground, it is actually a Titans home fixture.
The competition rookies switched the match to Brisbane to capitalise on an expected 40,000-plus crowd.
After two home losses and a win away last week, Bennett made light of the fact his team will run out from the away dressing rooms.
"I am happy we are playing away from home – we haven't had a lot of luck at home this year," he quipped.
"The Titans have a lot of players with lots of talent.
"You have to be aware they can hurt you just as much if they are wearing a Tigers jersey or a Titans jersey."
One the Broncos will have to watch closely if Titans co-captain Scott Prince, who spent three injury-riddled years at the Broncos.
"His three years here were a tragedy for him and a tragedy for us," said Bennett.
"I still remember the day he broke his leg – we went backwards after that.
"We missed him enormously and couldn't get him back on the field for two-and-a-half years.
"He has gone on from there, won a premiership, played State of Origin, played for his country.
"I am more than happy for him."
The Australia Test side for next week's Trans-Tasman clash with New Zealand will be named on Sunday, with as many as six Broncos expected to be selected for the Kangaroos.
Broncos Can't Find the Winning Formula
by Trad McLean
Saturday April 14, 2007
He has had to watch it from the sidelines and now he has been part of it.
David Stagg (pictured) says the Ergon Energy Broncos have not forgotten how to win, but they just can't seem to quite get the 'formula' right.
Last night was Stagg's first game back since the 2006 grand final win after off-season shoulder surgery, but it was more of the same for the Broncos.
They went down in the first chapter of a new local rivalry with the debutant franchise from the Gold Coast, the Titans enthusing their way to a 28-16 win at a packed Suncorp Stadium.
Another fumbling display leaves the Broncos with a poor start to the season, having chalked up just one win from their first five matches.
But Stagg said winning matches was a skill the Broncos had, if they could just get things right.
"You never like to lose but you have to remain upbeat about it," said Stagg this morning.
"We know what we have to do and we know the formula.
"We just have to execute things a bit better."
Broncos captain Darren Lockyer was left rueing an opening 20 minutes where the Broncos failed to capitalise on several scoring chances.
"We only have ourselves to blame – we should have been leading at halftime," said Lockyer, who will be named captain of the Australian Test side tomorrow night.
It was the Titans who finally opened the scoring in the 27th minute when Mark Minichiello scored, Preston Campbell's goal giving the Titans a 6-0 lead.
Back-to-back tries are coach killers, and that's what the Broncos let in when Brett Delaney scored for the Titans to make it 12-0.
The Broncos finished the first half with something when Karmichael Hunt scored in the 32nd minute, giving the Titans a 12-6 lead at the break.
Again chances from both sides went begging, but when Titans prop Michael Henderson scored after some clever work by the Gold Coast little men, they had the game in a stranglehold.
Henderson would be carried from the field late in the match with a badly-broken leg.
Likely Kiwi Test representative Greg Eastwood laid on a nice try for Hodges in the 62nd minute to give the Broncos a sniff of a recovery at 22-12 down.
But with six minutes left Titans second rower Anthony Laffranchi put the issue to bed when he burrowed over from dummy half, a late Brent Tate try only adding respect to the Broncos' total.
Once again it was simple dropped ball that the Broncos can blame.
"We went back to the same old thing – no ball control," said Stagg.
"That just let the Titans wear us down. They did what we didn't do."
As many as six Broncos could make the Australian Test side for Friday's international against New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium.
Lockyer, Petero Civoniceva, Justin Hodges, Shaun Berrigan and Karmichael Hunt are certainties, while Brent Tate and Sam Thaiday are also big shows.
The Test reps will have to play Friday night and then back up for Sunday's match against Newcastle at EnergyAustralia Stadium, which will be played at the unusual time of 7pm.
GOLD COAST TITANS 28 (B Delaney 2, M Minichiello, M Henderson, A Laffranchi tries; P Campbell 4 goals) defeated BRISBANE BRONCOS 16 (K Hunt, J Hodges, B Tate tries; D Lockyer 2 goals) at Suncorp Stadium.
Sammy Celebrates 50th with New Contract
by Trad McLean
Monday April 16, 2007
The Ergon Energy Broncos have today secured the services of international forward Sam Thaiday for another two seasons.
Thaiday (pictured), who made his Test debut last year, has agreed to stay a Bronco until the end of 2009.
The news of the contract is timely for Thaiday, who will play his 50th top-grade game for the club this Sunday against Newcastle.
The deal means the 21-year-old becomes the first major signing of the Broncos for 2007.
"We have been working closely with Sam and his management and the discussions have been very fruitful," said Broncos' chief executive Bruno Cullen today.
"It is very pleasing to keep someone of Sam's calibre and potential for another two years, and we are confident that he is going to step up to another level in that time."
Thaiday, who came from Townsville and made his NRL debut for the Broncos in 2003, said he had been very keen to ink another deal with the club.
"I have really enjoyed my time at the Broncos so far, and have been lucky enough to have a fair amount of success playing here," said Thaiday, who also made his Origin debut and was part of the Broncos' premiership victory last year.
"Now that I have settled my immediate future I can focus on trying to help the team improve its on-field performance."
Meanwhile, the Broncos will have to ignore the emotion surrounding Andrew Johns this week as they try to breathe life into their NRL campaign.
The Broncos head to Newcastle on Sunday with the poor record of just one win from four matches this year, and with the real prospect of playing the game without some of their stars.
Seven Broncos will play in the Trans-Tasman Test at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night, needing to come through unscathed to play a game for their club just 48 hours later.
To make matters worse, Sunday's game will be the Knights' official farewell to their champion halfback, Johns (pictured).
Johns will participate in a celebratory lap of honour before the game, with Energy Australia Stadium certain to be packed.
The Broncos desperately need a win to get their season back on track, and will have to forget about the Knights willingness to 'do it for Joey Johns'.
"It is going to be a big day for them but we won't be focussing on their team," said Broncos bench player Ian Lacey today.
"We are going to have to deal with a big crowd, but that is okay.
"We really need to focus on what we are doing. It hasn't been happening for us."
What Lacey is referring to is the Broncos' critical mistake rate that brought them undone again last weekend in their 28-16 loss to the Gold Coast Titans.
The tough little hooker does not believe this is some kind of delayed reaction from last year's grand final win.
"I wouldn't say there is complacency there and I couldn't say there was a hangover from the premiership," said Lacey.
"There are just small things going wrong on the field.
"We can't seem to put our fingers on it. We address it every week but it just keeps happening."
The Broncos will be hoping their bevy of internationals come through the Test match uninjured.
Darren Lockyer retained his captaincy, while Karmichael Hunt, Brent Tate, Justin Hodges and Petero Civoniceva all held their starting berths for Australia.
Bronco utility Shaun Berrigan will come of the bench for the green and gold, while 20-year-old Greg Eastwood will make his Test debut for his native New Zealand.