RD 26: Broncos vs Warriors

[Queenslander]

BRISBANE BRONCOS v NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
Sunday September 3rd at Suncorp Stadium, 2.30pm

Referee: Sean Hampstead

Team Notes:

Broncos

Wayne Bennett today named the same imposing Ergon Energy Broncos line-up which clinically disposed of the electrying Parramatta Eels for Sunday?s defining home clash against the in-form New Zealand Warriors.

In what could be retiring champion Shane Webcke?s final Suncorp Stadium outing, a Broncos win will seal the club a top four spot and a prized home final when the NRL playoffs begin next week.

Brent Tate will run out for his 100th NRL game with the Broncos on Sunday, a milestone few expected him to achieve after an ongoing battle with a serious neck injury.

It is also Buck the Horse's last game for the Broncos....Farewell Buck!

Warriors

BRONCOS:

Justin Hodges,
Steve Michaels,
Brent Tate,
David Stagg,
Karmichael Hunt,
Darren Lockyer (capt),
Shane Perry,
Shane Webcke,
Shaun Berrigan,
Petero Civoniceva,
Sam Thaiday,
Brad Thorn,
Tonie Carroll.

Interchange:

Corey Parker,
Dane Carlaw,
Ben Hannant,
Casey McGuire,
Darius Boyd (one to be omitted).

WARRIORS:

Brent Webb,
Patrick Ah Van,
Lance Hohaia,
Simon Mannering,
Manu Vatuvei,
Jerome Ropati,
Grant Rovelli,
Ruben Wiki,
George Gatis,
Steve Price (capt),
Awen Guttenbeil,
Micheal Luck,
Louis Anderson.

Interchange:

Nathan Fien,
Evarn Tuimavave,
Epalahame Lauaki,
Sam Rapira.

***Please use this thread for game day spoilers***

[Poida]

broncos to win at home as they hit great form and should win by about 15 plus.

[Meh]

Another game similar to melbourne's, most would think not but its very possible for a warriors win here. 1-6 difference either way but im leaning to a warriors win to wrap up a much improved season.

[DIEHARD]

I'm definitely going to this match. Broncos should run all over the Warriors but Im looking forward to seeing Ropati play.

[BRONCOS FAN]

Yeah i reckon the broncos will win. But it will be a tuff game for them and i hope no inuryes come about..

[Hoppy2007Dragons]

Yeah Broncos by 6 or more.

[Steelers]

Warriors by less than 6

[Steve Dangerous]

Broncos to win in a close (and exciting) game.

[Darren Lockyer]

broncos to steam roll them about 24-0

[Queenslander]

What a difference a win makes
August 30, 2006 12:00am

LOOK out Warriors, Wayne Bennett's cracked a smile.



Just three weeks ago, the Broncos coach was like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

His team was in the middle of an all-too-familiar late-season form slump and there were plenty of people, including some of his former players, calling for his head.

But at a training session yesterday, as the Broncos prepared for what is also being billed as the Shane Webcke "farewell" match against the Warriors at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, Bennett was all smiles as he joined the players.

They have qualified for the finals for the 15th consecutive year and will earn a home final if they beat the Warriors.

The Courier Mail

************************************************** ***************************************



Broncos' Tate hits century at last
Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 8:54 PM

Brent Tate will run out for his 100th NRL game with the Broncos on Sunday, a milestone few expected him to achieve after an ongoing battle with a serious neck injury.

Suffering hypermobility of the cervical spine, the centre was looking at an early exit from the game until club officials commissioned a special foam brace for him to wear.

It has allowed him to continuing his rugby league career - and flourish. Tate has reclaimed his Queensland and Australian jumpers and is well on target to earn selection for the Kangaroos in the end-of-season Tri Nation series against New Zealand and Great Britain.

"I knew it was coming up shortly and it just happens to be the last game of the minor premiership season at home so I couldn't ask for much more, except a win" said the 24 year-old former Redcliffe junior of his 100th.

"It's taken a while to get there but I guess when you look back it all goes so quick," said Tate.

"I just want to get the 100 game up now and get on with it."

Tate said the Warriors always "got up" to play Brisbane and warned the game would be another physical test for the Broncos who in the past two weeks have kept the Bulldogs (30-0) and Parramatta (23-0) scoreless.

"It's always nice and physical up front and their backs are always big and bruising as well," he said.

"They've been playing exceptional footy the last few weeks and we want to keep our roll on heading into the finals.

"They gave the Roosters a touch up last week and they're riding high on confidence and you know they'll turn up to play.

"We've won two games. We don't want to rest on our laurels or pat ourselves on the back so much that we fall asleep."

Teammate Tonie Carroll said Brisbane had restored some pride in recent weeks with its vice-like defence which would be needed against the destructive running Warriors.

"We're not worrying about scoring tries anymore, we're just worried about stopping teams from scoring on us," said Carroll back to his damaging best.

"I've got a few games under my belt and my fitness is back where it should be.

"Webby and Petero (Civoniceva) have been outstanding and Berro (Shaun Berrigan) is on fire and so to is Hodgo (Justin Hodges).

"Now we've got Karmichael (Hunt) back we've got even more fire power to our artillery.

"We've only done it for two weeks and there's still a long way to go and we know the job is not done by any means.

"The last few weeks won't mean anything if we don't back it up again against the Warriors on Sunday."

Source: AAP

[Steelers]

OMG! Wayne looks 20 years younger when he smiles! :rotflmao:

[Hoppy2007Dragons]

Still a scary smile.

[Grimmace]

Webcke will handle his big day: Bennett
Saturday, September 2, 2006 - 1:40 PM

Brisbane man-of-the-moment Shane Webcke faces an extremely emotional 250th premiership game against the Warriors on Sunday with more than 40,000 fans expected to turn up for what could be his final appearance at Suncorp Stadium.

Webcke joins a select group of former Broncos players, including Michael Han**** (297), Allan Langer (288), Andre Gee (279) and Kevin Walters (271), who have played 250 premiership games for the club.

The 31 year-old prop has coped well with a week of massive media tributes and accolades from past and present rugby league luminaries and his lifetime NRL coach Wayne Bennett.

If he leads the Broncos onto the field ahead of skipper Darren Lockyer the massive crowd will go ballistic.

It could stir his emotion levels up early against a physical Warriors determined to gate crash his big fan day and finish the minor premiership in a blaze of glory with their fifth win in a row.

Bennett has no doubts Webcke will handle the emotions of the day with his mum Vicki, wife Alison and children Erin, Hayden and Grace, travelling down from Leyburn on the Darling Downs to share in his special day.

"I'm all Webcke'd out," said Bennett who, in his weekend newspaper column, described his longtime war horse as possibly rugby league's "greatest warrior"

"Shane has been good, really good. He's a very strong person mentally. If anyone can handle the day, he'll handle it."

Asked if he thought Webcke would succumb to the emotion of the day, Bennett said: "no".

"The Warriors don't care about Webcke and they'll be trying to rain on his parade.

"If we get emotional about it, it's not going to help us.

"We can all have the emotion after the game but before the game it won't help us."

Brisbane has kept top sides the Bulldogs and Eels scoreless in successive weeks but Bennett said it would be expecting too much to think his side could do it again tomorrow against a Warriors team which attacks with much flair and unpredictability.

"That's unrealistic," said Bennett.

"Nobody is thinking about keeping the scoreboard to zero tomorrow, that's not our intention.

"Our intention will be the defend as well as we have and if they score, they score as long as we execute well and get the processes right.

"Three weeks ago when we didn't do those things, we were pretty ordinary."

Bennett said the emphasis tomorrow would be on execution, and he agreed the Warriors were the ideal team to keep Brisbane focused so close to the finals.

"We certainly can't afford to be complacent," he said.

"I don't want them (players) going to the playoff series like they have for the last three years struggling with their game.

"A bad performance tomorrow is going to create that environment for us."

Source: AAP

[Meh]

Really looking forward to the forward clash between him and wiki. along with price and civoneceva, should be a ripper up the middle of the field.

[Steve]

Should be a great game, and I think the warriors might get up.

The Broncos will want to send Webcke off with a bang, but I can see the big kiwi forwards firing up for a big battle. Plus, they'll want to show that if they hadn't been penalised, they'd be in the finals, and they'd be giving it a hell of a shake!

Am heading out to Suncorp today for this one, should be good for a game where I support neither team.