Big Mal: Hats off to Anthony Griffin

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BRISBANE coach Anthony Griffin has every reason to feel satisfied by the Broncos' performance on Friday night.

Most importantly, he has every reason to be happy with his own performance, because it was very obvious that Brisbane's preparation was the major difference between them and the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium.

It was also clear from the opening moments that the Broncos were ready for this match, and the Bulldogs looked like they were waiting for something to happen.

Brisbane's Ben Barba waves to the Brisbane fans after the Canterbury Bulldogs and Brisbane Broncos Round 1 rugby league game at ANZ Stadium, Sydney. Pic Brett Costello Source: News Corp Australia

Brisbane were focused, ­energetic and enthusiastic.

In any game of rugby league, or any sport for that matter, that hunger and desire are such key ingredients for success. And as we saw on Friday's night's game, this principle is especially applicable this year because of the new rules and interpretations around the rucks.

The speed of the play-the-balls means that the team with the greater hunger and intensity in the early stages can easily get the jump on an opponent if they are not matched with similar attitudes.

That is what we saw from the Bulldogs. While Brisbane were full of purpose, the Dogs conceded penalties, dropped balls, and their collisions in attack and defence weren't aggressive enough.

Due to that lack of hunger from the Dogs, it resulted in Brisbane being able to dictate terms, dominate field position and possession.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 07: Broncos wing Lachlan Maranta breaks away from Frank Pritchard during the round one NRL match between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Brisbane Broncos at ANZ Stadium. Source: Getty Images

The Dogs were fatigutiring fast and making the job even tougher on themselves.

By the time the Dogs found the aggression and purpose needed in their play and tried to mount a challenge, they found they didn't have the strike power or legs to break Brisbane's line.

They were playing on tired legs and had no X-factor player such as a Ben Barba, in their side who can win a game by individual brilliance.

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It will be interesting to see over the next couple of weeks, as the teams improve their match fitness, whether this trend continues. But certainly the Broncos showed that hunger and enthusiasm from the opening whistle.

They exploited the speed of the ruck and that, allowing them to dominate the Dogs who had to play catch-up.

It sounds like such a simple issue – being switched on and ready to play – but it can often be a tricky one to get right, especially when everyone expects you to win.

Like the Roosters on Thursday night, the Dogs looked like a team that felt comfortable in the knowledge that they just had to turn up on their home ground turf and go through the motions to get the result.

The Rabbitohs and the Broncos looked like they knew they would have to fight for every inch, and were ready to do so.

Anthony Griffin's preparation was spot-on.

The Broncos were hungry and had enough left in the tank to fend off the inevitable late challenge.

Ben Hunt kicks ahead for the Broncos as James Graham defends during the round one NRL match between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Brisbane Broncos at ANZ Stadium. Source: Getty Images

Griffin also pulled the right rein with his use of Ben Barba, who looked sharp and dangerous playing a second five-eighth role that allowed Josh Hoffman to ball-run.

He went for more mobility in his starting pack, which added to Brisbane's ability to tire the Dogs defenders on the back of the ruck speed, but he then got great impact from the likes of Martin Kennedy coming off the bench.

A lot of things went right, but the coach will also know there are a lot of areas to work on that the Bulldogs simplyweren't good enough to exploit.

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Brisbane's kicking game, as an example, was weak improving markedly, particularly against the good teams such as North Queensland next week.

But certainly there were plenty of positives to build on too.

If they can stay hungry, this Brisbane team will win more games than it loses.

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