Three years ago NRL broncos Brisbane were collective turntiles in defence but now they’re brick walls under Walters. And they showed it again in the 58-0 finals thrashing of Melbourne.
Club legend Gorden Tallis isn’t impressed by Ezra Mam’s hat-trick in the NRL grand final. He also questions the Broncos’ tactics.
Origin Series
The most anticipated event of the rugby league calendar, whether you’re a Queensland or NSW supporter, is a State of Origin decider. Whether it’s a nail-biter that goes down to the wire or a record-breaking demolition job, every gain, every mistake and every inch of effort is amplified on arguably the biggest stage in the game.
In 2015, the Broncos were a team on the rise, coming within a whisker of breaking through to the final four after finishing 3rd in the regular season. Despite the loss of star players like Darius Boyd (Cowboys), James Te’o (Roosters) and Jharal Yow Yeh (Dragons), Brisbane were able to build one of the strongest rosters in the competition, with a perfect blend of experience and youth.
This resulted in the club making their maiden finals appearance, beating Manly in a dominant Week 1 Semi-Final and St George Illawarra in a close Preliminary Final. However, the season would end with a painful blow, as they suffered from a dreaded post-Origin slump that saw them finish the year in 8th. During this period, the club lost key players like winger Herbie Farnworth and fullback Craig Lewis to retirement, as well as coach Wayne Bennett.
Test Matches
The Brisbane Broncos compete in the Australian Rugby League (NRL) premier competition. The club is based in Brisbane and plays home matches at the Suncorp Stadium. The club’s traditional colours are maroon and gold, symbolizing Queensland.
The NRL’s youngest team have a chance to end the city’s 14-year hoodoo when they face off against the Melbourne Storm in Friday’s qualifying final. Both sides have made significant changes as they prepare to go deep into the finals.
Reynolds led the way for the Broncos, with sublime kicking and deft defence. He kicked a 51m dropout in the driving rain to regain possession for Brisbane after a Melbourne error and his one-on-one tackling was next level.
Flegler’s stats weren’t flashy but he was effective and made a real impact on the game. He was the key contributor in the middle with some excellent runs and finished the game with a try assist. He also missed only four tackles and was dangerous with the ball in attack.
Semi-Finals
After a nightmare start to the season, when Brisbane lost 40+ points in three straight games, including a 56-0 thrashing by the Raiders, the Broncos managed to rebound and sneak into the top four. They then stunned the 3rd placed Titans in a qualifying final before finishing with five straight wins to clinch an impressive 6th position.
Brisbane started their semi final by bashing the clunky and clumsy Storm, led by an industrious forward pack, with Payne Haas, Thomas Flegler and Pat Carrigan imposing themselves all over the field. Winger Selwyn Cobbo scored a brace of tries and Stephen Crichton kicked the conversions as the Broncos dominated in the first half.
The second half was all one-way traffic as the Broncos ran i,n a further six tries. Ezra Mam put on a show to score his second try with some fancy footwork before a Jordan Riki try from a blatant pass by Brad Walsh and another from a fumble by Jarome Luai had the game all but wrapped up.
The final week of the regular season sees two qualifying final winners play host to the other two semi-final victors in a Preliminary Final on Friday night. The winner of each gets a rest in Week 3 while the loser will face elimination.
