After several years of underachieving under Ivan Henjak and Anthony Griffin, the Brisbane Broncos have re-emerged as a premiership contender under super coach Wayne Bennett.
It was this time twelve months ago that the Broncos made the huge call to sack Griffin while at the same time announcing that Wayne Bennett would return to the club, following three years each at the St George Illawarra Dragons (2009-11) and Newcastle Knights (2012-14).
Bennett had delivered the Dragons their first premiership since 1979, while he endured a rocky time at the Knights, his tenure there being disrupted due to the neck injury suffered by Alex McKinnon last year.
His return to Red Hill was a timely one for the Broncos, who are currently enduring their longest premiership drought, having not won the premiership since 2006 when they defeated an illegally-assembled Melbourne Storm side in the grand final.
Only five players remain from that side – namely Justin Hodges, Darius Boyd, David Stagg, Corey Parker and Sam Thaiday. Boyd later won a second premiership ring when he featured with Bennett in the 2010 St George Illawarra side.
In the intervention, club legends Shane Webcke, Darren Lockyer and Petero Civoniceva all retired from the game, while the club would miss out two finals series, in 2010 and 2013 – the only years since 1991 when the club missed September action.
However, it was missing the finals in the latter year, which went down as being the worst season in the club’s history, that proved to be the one of the main factors in Anthony Griffin being shown the door last July in favour of Wayne Bennett.
One of the big calls the super coach made upon his return to the Broncos, whom he coached to all six of their premierships including the aforementioned 2006 flag, was to tell Ben Barba that he was not required for this season.
Despite playing all 25 games in 2014, Barba appeared a shadow of the man whose Dally M Medal-winning form in 2012 propelled the Bulldogs to the grand final.
Others such as Martin Kennedy, Ben Hannant, Jake Granville, David Hala and Josh Hoffman were among those also let go by the Broncos at the end of the 2014 season which concluded for the Broncos with a second elimination final loss to the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville in three years.
Bennett also brought Darius Boyd back to the club, and signed Anthony Milford and Adam Blair from the Canberra Raiders and Wests Tigers respectively. It was made clear from the get-go that the Broncos were seriously intent on ending their longest premiership drought in history, which is currently eight years and counting.
Bennett’s return to the club was going to be an interesting talking point entering season 2015. Despite all the hype leading up to his first match back as Broncos coach since 2008 on the opening night of the season, the club copped a humiliating 36-6 defeat to reigning premiers South Sydney on March 5.
That result saw the club finish Round 1 on the bottom of the ladder and it was then thought that there was still a lot of work for Bennett to do if the Broncos were to return to the glory days that saw them win six titles between 1992 and 2006.
However, the Broncos would hit back hard, losing just two more games (against the Dragons and Cowboys in Rounds 7 and 10 respectively) to currently be sitting on top of the ladder with seven rounds to go in the regular season.
After suffering an Achilles injury that at worst could have sidelined him for the entire season, Darius Boyd has slotted back into the side very well and was instrumental in Queensland regaining the State of Origin shield this year.
With 32 competition points, a 14-3 win-loss record and one and three-game buffers on the North Queensland Cowboys and Sydney Roosters respectively, the Broncos remain in the box seat to secure their first minor premiership since 2000.
Following their 42-16 thrashing of last-placed Wests Tigers last Sunday afternoon, coach Wayne Bennett complimented halves Anthony Milford and Ben Hunt for their game and declared them as the club’s best halves combination since the days of Kevin Walters and Allan Langer in the 1990s.
An instability in the playmaking department was primarily one reason why the club could only win one premiership since the turn of the century, in 2006. That year, Darren Lockyer and Shane Perry were the club’s halves combination.
Lockyer might have been the world’s best five-eighth during his playing days, but struggled to regularly find a regular partner to share playmaking duties with until Perry was plucked from the Queensland Cup prior to the start of the 2006 season.
Perry, who also previously played for the Western Suburbs Magpies and the Bulldogs, became the Broncos’ number one halfback after Brett Seymour was sacked for disciplinary reasons.
Among the other halfbacks Lockyer partnered with during his time at five-eighth included, among others, Casey McGuire, Seymour, Peter Wallace and Ben Hunt. Only the latter remains at the club today.
If the pair of Milford and Hunt continue on their merry way for the remainder of the season, then Broncos fans will have reason to believe that they can win their first premiership since 2006 this season.
Should the rest of the season unfold without any major surprises, then the Broncos could find themselves facing off against the Cowboys in the NRL’s first ever all-Queensland grand final and first not to feature a NSW side since 2006.
Already reeling from their state losing the Origin shield after just twelve months (leading to the birth of the hashtag #oneinarow on the Twitterverse), the last thing New South Wales fans would want is to have to endure an all-Queensland decider at ANZ Stadium on Sunday, October 4.
While the fans south of the border will very likely turn away in their droves if it does eventuate, those north of it won’t mind, but it will be a shame that the match isn’t played at Suncorp Stadium where a sell-out would have been a possibility.
It would, however, shape as the perfect conclusion to an NRL season which saw the Maroons regain the State of Origin shield in such dominant fashion, thrashing the Blues by a record 52-6 in the decider in Brisbane.
It’s now up to the Broncos and Cowboys to make it happen, and if the former club does mount the premiership dais on that first Sunday in October this year, then their decision twelve months ago to sack Anthony Griffin and bring Wayne Bennett back home will be well and truly vindicated.
Don
Roar Rookie
Hahaha yes.
Wayne Lovell
Roar Guru
Renegade, I lived in Sydney for almost 1/6th of my life, lovely place. Please don't tell me what I do or don't understand, everywhere has traditions, just because some other competition you guys used to watch had a tradition that doesn't mean it should be imposed on the new competition. People who say Suncorp isn't worthy must not have ever been there- just ask Gus Gould! Suncorp is good enough for the Kangaroos, Wallabies and Origin, its good enough for the Grand final, the tickets might cost a little more but it will still sell out. The benefit is pride in a truly National competition, that's the bit that YOU GUYS don't seem to understand. SVB, we don't fail to see why its in Sydney, we just don't think that a NSWRL tradition is relevant in the National competition, which reduces your argument to- "don't take away my lolly!". Now what you will find is that most of us have also been screaming that there are way too many Sydney teams in the competition too, you guys don't even support them, there is always 2 or 3 on the verge of collapse and attendance in generally woeful. The crushers folded the same as Norths, and putting them in the same place as an established team was a dumb idea anyway. I cant wait to have more side up here, maybe moving the GF will improve those chances. The only reason you say origin doesn't have the same bite is because you have gotten used to losing it. Moving the GF is not a personal attack on Sydney people nor an attempt to steal your lollies, its a genuine move to further Nationalise a sport that suffers from being detrimentally Sydney centric.
SVB
Guest
Jara W It's about Queensland being parochial because they fail to see why the grand final is in Sydney. They just look inward with the usual chip on the shoulder. "Why can't we have one too?". I am not being parochial. I have no problem with it being moved if there is a shift in the ratio of NSW to QLD teams. But tell me this. Why is Brisbane only able to support one NRL team? Why did the Sth Qld Crushers fold? Why is Gold Coast so terrible? If QLD is such a home of rugby league then prove it by supporting more teams. From my end it comes across as a thing people from QLD have against people from Sydney. As if you have something to prove. That's why you follow SOO so blindly, whereas in Sydney it doesn't have the same bite. That is what you call parochialism.
Renegade
Roar Guru
Wayne, I was giving you the credit of putting up a logical argument for this... But you haven't really been able to put one up and that last sentence is ridiculous. Let's forget the tradition side, you're not from sydney so you won't understand that one.... Tell me how in any way will moving the GF to suncorp make sense commercially... yes, that's a rhetorical question - Because there isnt a single factor in favour of a move.
Noel
Roar Rookie
WDD - That Thaiday performance, one for the ages. He wasn't playing prop, he was after JWH, and that was it. Des Morris was watching, looking at McGuire for Origin, Thaiday was still smarting from WB's comments about his efforts in previous weeks, and JWH was trying to show NZ that he should have been selected in the Test squad. Thaiday was silent during the week, then destroyed JWH. He tackled him harder, ran at him harder, and played for more minutes (from memory). After that, Maroons selection was assured, and so follows finishing his career at the Broncs. One of the best individual performances I have seen from a forward.
Noel
Roar Rookie
Yup. Especially considering Thaiday has moved to prop. He's doing a good job, but he's an absolute 2nd row forward.
Noel
Roar Rookie
Jay C - Fines are dumb. But I love Bennett making Hodges buy a new pair of training shorts in the pre-season when he lost his. Similar concept, implemented better. That's why he's the best. I had Broncs in top 8 at the beginning of the season, never thought top 4 was realistic. But, with the game plan built on defence, then letting loose the 2nd best halves pairing in the comp (behind NQ, but not by much), this is a seriously good broncs outfit. It's great, in my opinion, that the two most exciting attacking teams are the 1 & 2 on the ladder (prepared to talk about the Warriors in that regard, but at least in the halves, these are the two best teams to watch).
William Dalton Davis
Roar Rookie
Well that tends to happen when you sing and dance at the casino without any pants on for a living.
Jimmmy
Guest
I dream about a Broncos , Cowboys final. What a game that would be . I don't care where it is , I will go to Macquarie Island to watch it . Cowboys by two . I can see that Thurston goal swing through the uprights from this side of the portal.
Rellum
Roar Guru
I hope that wasn't the game they lost by 60 odd points?
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
If Queensland had a stadium bigger than Suncorp that could hold close to 100,000 people, then there is a case for switching the NRL Grand Final between Queensland and NSW. I have no problem with the Grand Final being played in Queensland but I do think a few more Queensland teams or a few less NSW teams would make it more realistic. Would people in Australia cry if the Wellington Orcas v Auckland Warriors was the NRL Grand Final? That would be fun to see...
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Oh, the argument is quite fair on Langer. It just wasn't being applied fairly to everyone else.
Jackson Henry
Roar Guru
Well played. Loved the Bears. Second team I supported after those gun Raiders sides of the 1990s.
Wayne Lovell
Roar Guru
That a good point Rellum, lets call it a draw! Epi, one of the first games I ever saw was Broncos v Norths at (Brisbane's) ANZ Stadium, and I grew up playing for the Bears in the Ipswich comp. I will always have a soft spot for Norths, they were the only Sydney team i liked.
Jara W
Guest
So you're saying the national competition is Sydney-centric, therefore the Grand Final should invariably be played in Sydney. And any desire to move the Grand Final is driven by parochialism. Based on the context of your argument you might benefit from looking that one up in the dictionary. ....... Now the NRL is only 17 years old. So that can't be the "long standing tradition" you are referring to. Perhaps your concern is moving away from the games long standing spiritual home land, ANZ Stadium. I hear the corridors are haunted by the souls of the slave workers who carved each seat from stone. There are also rumours though that it's just the parramatta fans still trying to get home from the '09 Grand Final.
Gaz
Roar Rookie
Hey Roy, Sorry but no team takes Brisbane lightly at Lang Park. Thaiday made Hargraves look like a Boy Scout.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Jay C, Black hawks are a chance, Souths no chance. We are terrible this year, especially in defence. Wayne, the Raiders and Broncs sides of the early 90's are the best two sides to go around in my time of watching, you can't really split them but the Broncs did go two in a row, something that hasn't been done since(you can't count 97 because we just don't know even though most would assume we would have won a combined comp).
Jay C
Roar Guru
Also. I love how someone can start a conversation with "The Roosters are far superior to any other team, they will win the comp" And then go on to call others cocky.
Jay C
Roar Guru
Reminds me of all the calls before Origin 3. It will be a tough game for sure. Both teams are much better than they were the last time they played. That fish business is hilarious. Made me lol.
William Dalton Davis
Roar Rookie
You'll have to speak up. I'm wearing a towel.