By Alan Nicolea -
June 30th 2009 @ 12:33am
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Brisbane Broncos early season stampede halted
Wayne Bennett’s departure from the Brisbane Broncos at the end of the 2008 NRL season seemed to do little to mend the successful aura of the club from Red Hill, judging from their performances in the early rounds this year.
Making do with new coach Ivan Henjak, the Broncos at the start of 2009 looked to have embraced change with open arms, winning five out of their opening six games to kick-start their post-Bennett era in style.
On the back of terrific performances from a multimillion dollar backline, featuring Justin Hodges, Israel Folau, Karmichael Hunt and Antonio Winterstein, the Broncos set the first premiership benchmark following victories over premiership fancies, the Storm, the Warriors and the Cowboys.
Ivan Henjak’s men were on top of the NRL ladder and once again looked to be on course to repeating the norm that constantly sees a Broncos side in the finals.
Fast forward to the halfway point of the season, however, and a Broncos spot for September is now under severe threat.
The Brisbane stampede started slowing in round 13, where a depleted Broncos outfit were brushed aside 48-4 by the Melbourne Storm at Olympic Park.
Although they made do without the services of Darren Lockyer on that occasion, the Brisbane captain made a comeback in the next round, only to see his side ambushed 44-22 at home against a Bulldogs team that oozes premiership favouritism.
It only got worse against the Sharks the following week, as the cellar dwellers from Cronulla posted a 46-12 victory over a depleted Broncos side with most of its key players on Origin duty.
Brisbane’s losing run has now extended to four consecutive defeats, courtesy of Sunday afternoon’s 21-14 loss to the Parramatta Eels.
That loss now sees the side just outside the top eight in ninth position, with a points differential of minus forty seven.
The Origin period has always been a constant menace for the Broncos over the years, but it is a factor which has always been handled well by both the players and the coaching staff.
This season, however, sees the club’s player roster stretched to the limit, with injuries to Hodges, Folau, Lockyer, Wallace and Nick Kenny all playing a part in Brisbane’s current landslide.
Fullback Karmichael Hunt is also being plagued with injury, after he had scans on his ankle after Sunday’s loss against the Eels.
33 year old former Origin and Test forward Tonie Carroll has answered an SOS call from coach Henjak to come out of retirement and make his comeback against the Rabbitohs in two weeks time.
Such is the poor state of the side, Henjak will be looking for Carroll to spark a revival in a Broncos team that is having its character severely challenged.
Off field incidents which range from Joel Clinton’s $50,000 fine, David Taylor’s lack of game time, and Karmichael Hunt’s future, are all eating at the fabric of the NRL’s most successful club.
Throw in halfback Peter Wallace’s lack of form and confidence, and its easy to see why it will take a lot more than Carroll’s tackling prowess to help Brisbane avoid a mad Monday that could come sooner than expected for the first time in many moons.
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Terry Kidd said | June 30th 2009 @ 9:36am | Report comment
Yes they have had some injuries, and players absent on Origin duty, but probably no more than other clubs … the Cowboys come to mind. I believe that early in the season they were still riding on the lingering smell of Bennetts influence but that has now waned and Henjak’s shortcomings as a coach are showing clearly.
There is a lack of attitude on field, no one appears to want to die for the man along side him. The heavy handed way Joel Clinton was dealth with can only have exacerbated the situation. The Broncos might sneak into the 8 come September but more likely they will slide out of contention.
Alan Nicolea said | June 30th 2009 @ 10:26am | Report comment
Terry Kidd
They are by no means out of the running for a finals spot that’s for sure. There is still a lot of class in the Broncos ranks but, yeah, this is their first difficult period without acclaimed hard head Wayne Bennett. Only now are we starting to see the lost influence of arguably one of the finest coaches in the game’s history.
Skull said | July 1st 2009 @ 12:21pm | Report comment
I said to a mate during the Manly loss that I think their forwards are soft this year compared to previous years, and I really dont see too much improvement. It seems they mortgaged the house for Izzy much to their detriment in having to release a first grade pack to the Bulldogs, who are really reaping the benefit.
PuntPal said | July 1st 2009 @ 12:22pm | Report comment
The biggest loss for the Broncos was not Bennett, it was Ennis
The Broncos did not adequately plan for life after Ennis and the three that have been given the chance to earn the starting spot keep failing to deliver (PJ, Gorrell and McCullogh)
The Broncos star-studded backline cant do it all. The forward pack for the Broncos has been dissapointing. Clinton is playing good, but not brilliantly. Setu and Sims are play ok, not good. But the problem with the Brisbane forward pack all stems from the lack of a quality dummy half
True Tah said | July 1st 2009 @ 12:31pm | Report comment
Have the Broncos ever failed to make the finals?
Alan Nicolea said | July 1st 2009 @ 6:49pm | Report comment
True Tah
I think so during the early years but they certaintly are on a streak for consecutive finals appearances that’s for sure. They came close to missing the finals in 2003, when they came eighth, losing to Penrith in the first week of the finals. I remember Parramatta had to beat the Panthers by 38 points at CUA stadium to push the Broncos out of the eight.
Punt Pal – Indeed Ennis has been a big loss along with their forward pack. The hardwork of David Stagg in particular is being missed badly aswell. The guy would average forty tackles a match with Brisbane. He is one of those players that you never know what he brings to the table until it is taken away.
TammyS said | July 3rd 2009 @ 8:33am | Report comment
I think 1991 was the last time they missed out on the finals (not 100%sure) which is very impressive. They’ve got Tonie Carroll back but they need to bring back someone like Shaun Berrigan….what is he doing now?
Alan Nicolea said | July 4th 2009 @ 10:25am | Report comment
TammyS
Shaun Berrigan is currently playing in the English Super League. Indeed Berrigan can cover a variety of positions including hooker, half and even centre. He has been missed as well.