- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold has defended his under-pressure halves following Friday’s 36-4 hammering by Sydney Roosters.
The much-maligned pairing of Anthony Milford and Kodi Nikorima were savaged by NRL greats Andrew Johns and Johnathan Thurston during the seven-tries-to-one bloodbath at the SCG, described as disorganised and lacking direction.
Although the Roosters forwards did blow their opponents off the park – running for 1796m metres to the Broncos’ 1204 – Seibold’s side weren’t without their chances.
They enjoyed only four fewer (26-22) play the balls inside their opposition red zone but failed to convert it on the scoreboard.
“They look very disorganised, it looks like they’ve got no structure, they don’t know where they’re going,” Thurston said on the Nine Network broadcast.
“The halves need to take control and get them to a spot where they can attack from.”
Johns added: “It looks like the players have no idea what’s going on out there, that’s the job of your halves.”
But Seibold said Milford and Nikorima were playing off the back-foot but simply weren’t given a chance to put their stamp on the game.
“Your halves are your quarterbacks so they’re going to come under scrutiny,” Seibold said.
“Essentially, the Roosters ran harder than us and they defended more aggressively than us.
“I thought the Roosters forward pack, missing (Jared Waerea-Hargreaves), did the job on our forward pack.
“When we’re not building pressure and we’re going backwards, then your halves aren’t going to be in a position to capitalise or score points.”
The Broncos fell to 1-3 and scrutiny on Seibold and his young side will ramp up heading into next week’s clash with the Wests Tigers.
Considered title contenders before the season kick-off and touted as possessing the best young pack in the competition, they were thoroughly outclassed by the premiers.
Seibold said they couldn’t use their youth and inexperience as an excuse and they needed to step up regardless of age.
“Of course not mate, no way in the world, it doesn’t matter how many young blokes you have in the team,” Seibold said
“If you’re picked in the NRL, you’ve got to do your job.
“Tonight we were outplayed, there’s no doubt about it. It doesn’t matter how many young blokes you have.
“I could sit here and say we’ve got five players 21-or-younger and they’re learning and whatever else.
“At the end of the day they didn’t get their jobs done.”
Seibold confirmed Payne Haas would return against the Tigers after serving a four-game suspension.
© AAP
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.