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The Brisbane Broncos have notched up the biggest win of the NRL season to date, recording a thumping 53-0 victory over the Newcastle Knights.
It looked like a one-sided game on paper, and proved to be exactly that, with the Broncos dominant from the outset, although the Knights had no favours with an injury to Jarrod Mullen after just 20 minutes of play, compounded in the second half with Nathan Ross and Tyler Randall going down as well.
First points were posted in the 9th minute after a signature backline move was finished with a perfect pass from Jack Reed putting his winger Corey Oates over in the corner.
Oates finished the first half with a double, as did star five-eighth Anthony Milford, who continued his hot run of form in the opening 40, with the Broncos racing out to a 22-0 lead.
The second half was a carbon copy of the first, with a further six tries added to the scoreline, as well as a Milford field goal for good measure.
Milford and Oates finished the game with hat-tricks, the latter pushing his Origin claims with another strong display.
A staggering stat from the game saw ten Brisbane players finish with 100 metres or more, compared to just one from the Knights. Josh McGuire, another player with his eyes on a Maroons jersey, led the way with an incredible 194 metres gained.
Milford forced Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga to take notice tonight, with another sublime performance.
Brisbane retains their spot at the top of the ladder following the win, before they host South Sydney next Friday night. Newcastle remains in 15th, and will need to find a fit squad of 17 players to field against Manly on ANZAC Day.
Final score
Broncos 53
Knights 0
The Brisbane Broncos look to keep their hot form rolling against a visiting Newcastle Knights team buoyed by their first win of the season. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage of the match from 7:30pm (AEST).
You’d be forgiven for thinking the bookies have mistaken the Broncos for the great Black Caviar this week, with the home side coming up as incredibly short favourites.
There’s good reason for that though, as Brisbane have been in scintillating form of late, winning five of their six games to open the season, including a last start demolition job of a lowly St George Illawarra side.
Some sections of social media say they play a boring brand of football under coach Wayne Bennett, but what can’t be debated is the results they put on the board, and the high overall level of consistency they’ve been able to produce over the last year.
They come up against a Newcastle side that scored a narrow victory over the Wests Tigers, although the help of a second ball on the field was needed to help them seal the win.
You only have to compare the quality of output by both sides to realise which way this game is going to end up. Brisbane comes into this game with the second best defensive unit in the competition, conceding just over 12 points a game. Newcastle on the other hand has not been able to shut the gate, leaking a touch under 30 points a game, the worst in the league.
Their problems don’t end there though. Their attack has misfired so far in 2016, scoring 15 points per game, second-lowest only to the Dragons.
It’s hard to make any sort of a case for Newcastle to come away with victory on Saturday night, other than the Broncos having an absolute shocker. Jeremy Smith and the Sims brothers are more than capable of holding their own in the forward battle, but whether they get enough help from those around them is a whole other matter.
You know exactly what you’re going to get from Brisbane every time they step out onto the ground. They’ll look to wear the Newcastle forwards down through McGuire, Blair and company, before having their flashy halves take advantage of a tiring Knights side. It might be close for the first 40 minutes, but expect Brisbane to pull away with a comfortable win in the back end of the second half.
Prediction
Brisbane is simply far too classy for Newcastle in this one. Look for them to rack up a score late in the game.
Brisbane by 24
Be sure to join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match from 7:30pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add your own comments in the section below.
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