Every week I wait for Brisbane to break out of their funk and still they don’t. Their decline is extraordinary and while they still have the tools they seem to have lost all idea of how to use them.
What has happened to the Broncos who made last year’s grand final and were so good in the early part of this season? And what can master coach Wayne Bennett do about it?
They look to have lost all confidence. They seem lethargic. Key players aren’t giving the team anything like what they were providing in the early rounds. They don’t appear to have that belief in their own ability that has always been a trademark of great Brisbane sides.
Bennett can point out all the things they are doing wrong and try to fix that at training, but that is mechanical. What he needs to do most is make the players think like winners again.
Brisbane did have a win last week, but it was against South Sydney. The Rabbitohs haven’t won for a while and are not even a shadow of the team that took out the premiership in 2014.
In the other three of their four most recent games they have lost 40-14 away to Canterbury, 48-6 at home to Melbourne and, on Friday night, 31-12 at home to Penrith.
I tipped the Broncos to win the premiership before the competition began, but I want to get off now.
I think they’ve dropped so far off the pace and have so many players well off their best form that whatever improvements they might be able to make between now and the end of the season won’t be enough.
Some of the Brisbane players appeared to stop after Penrith’s Waqa Blake got the ball off a Broncos bomb just off his own line. It was almost like they were resigned to things going wrong for them.
Before enough of the Brisbane players could regroup, Blake had managed to run into a gap. He went all the way to score a try.
That was not late in the game, with the result in Penrith’s favour already assured. It was the first try of the match.
The top three sides on the ladder – Cronulla, Melbourne and North Queensland – have this competition between them now.
The Sharks and Storm are runaways in first and second place respectively on the ladder. The Cowboys are third, one point ahead of fourth-placed Canberra, two ahead of fifth-placed Canterbury and four ahead of sixth-placed Brisbane.
Just a couple of times this season, North Queensland have looked like a fraction of their normal intensity has been missing, like they might have the tiniest of hangovers from having won last year’s premiership.
But when they are at their brilliant best, like they were in smashing the Bulldogs 36-0 at home on Thursday night, they look every bit capable of making it back-to-back titles.
Cronulla’s 36-4 canter over hapless Newcastle on Sunday was their 15th win in a row. History beckons for a club that is trying to win its first premiership in its 50th year in the competition.
Melbourne are machine-like in their efficiency and the Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk show was a nine out of 10 against Sydney Roosters on Saturday night. The Roosters kept trying, but once the Storm had established command there was only one direction in which this game was heading.
Brisbane have lost five of their last seven games and in only one of those losses did they have to play in the round immediately before a State of Origin game, without their representative stars.
Sure, the Origin period has still been difficult for them, but it has been for a few other teams as well and they seem to have handled it better.
Bennett and his players are under enormous pressure to get the Broncos back on track, but they are so far off course at the moment they need a map.
Sharkattack
Guest
Storm have played the sharks this year AND LOST TO THEM. Pete, this Sharks team is better than 99 and better than 2008. WAY better.
Carlos
Guest
I fondly recall back in 2010 (ish) Bruno Cullen spluttering with outrage at the suggestion that the star studded Broncos team couldn't be under the cap. How could they be topping up Hodges and Thaiday's contracts and still retain a future immortal in Lockyer? His furious retort was that Lockyer was a true blue club man who played for love and only 250K a year.... Fast forward a couple of years from the same mouth. When the Broncos planning for the legend's retirement they where offering huge money to inglis (which the Rabbits where somehow and mysteriously able to beat). Same question is asked how can you possibly fit that under the cap? Cullen's response ... Lockyer's retirement was freeing up 1,000,000 + from the cap... There is no way any other team in the comp could do what the Broncos do year in year out. Keeping their stars while recruiting new ones and holding on to all of their talented juniors... Look at Parramatta they're being destroyed because they where 600k over the cap the bulk of which was one injured player (Whatmough) and the fall out from 2 years ago when Idiot Stewart sacked players with active contracts. I think the Broncos should be able to field whatever team they want. My problem is not with the Broncos but with the cap. It creates this shadowy imbalance in the game that actually increases the power and advantage of the wealthy and politically connected clubs like the Broncos / Roosters.
Gaz
Roar Rookie
So during Bennett’s previous stint as Broncos coach and his team fell flat as per current he sacked all his assistants including Walters, Lazarus and Belcher. This to me is an indicator to his reliance on these people. Coincidentally or not fact is this team has not performed since Walters left to coach Origin. Last season they were traveling great with Bennett head coach and Walters and Kearney, who also coached New Zealand, his assistants. Today, Bennett head coach plus England coach, Walters Origin coach and Kearney still NZ coach. Regardless of what Bennett perceives his capabilities to be he can’t have his mind fully on the job at hand. Both Bennett and Kearney would not only have the four nations at the year to consider but also the World Cup. I promise none of the good sides this year have their head coach and his assistant coaching different teams internationally or otherwise. Is it any wonder this side is running around like headless chooks. With the impending World Cup it is only going to get worse for the Broncs next year I’m afraid. Jarrod Wallace had the right idea when he bailed.
djcooper
Roar Guru
My biggest gripe with the Broncos form slump is that Bennett said that he saw this coming and was expecting it. If you see something coming and expect it to come shouldn't you do something to prevent it or even minimize it from having a lasting effect!? The Broncos forwards are all similar in body shape and although it seemed to work last year (when we had big centres) it isn't doing the job this year. Surely, there are some bigger bodies running around in the QLD cup.
The EYE-BALL Opinion
Roar Pro
Now that is just dips??t crazy ... have any proof ... deflecting disappointment and failure at that that most irritates us is just so wrong ...
Josh
Guest
Carlos could you please explain how the Sharks can have such an abundance of rep players and fit under the salary cap? Actually can anybody explain that? The team is loaded with rep and former rep players. I am not saying Broncos do not have TPAs. Could you tell me who does not with all of your inside info.
Rellum
Roar Guru
"I confess I have no idea what’s going on. Brisbane regularly conceded the most metres up the middle last year as well, but somehow managed to make that work." Last year we were using a lot of the Jets defensive strategy which was all about getting the ball back as quickly as possible. So that meant letting teams make some easy meters up the middle as that gives a false sense of momentum and encourages them to just quickly ruck it up and kick it back to you in 6 easy tackles.
Rellum
Roar Guru
I would say there are several reasons. I think there is a clear issue in the playing group. The "rat" issue earlier in the year is proof of that. Injuries expose the lack of depth, especially out wide. Loosing Kevie may be a big issue as well as our attack is nothing compared to what it was last year. The off loads, the length of the field team tries as a distant memory. Hunt's form has been off all year so maybe not having Kevie around is hurting him as well. Or maybe he is spending too much time finding rats in the team.
William Dalton Davis
Roar Rookie
Rather McGuire and Thaidays grubbiness over a serial ankle kicker. Having said that though I'd rather the ankle kicker over the recent attitude a few of the Souths players have taken.
Carlos
Guest
Broncos operate outside the cap and field whatever team they want every season without the cap mayhem everyone else has to deal with. Penrith will be punished any success they have on the field or in development and as a result will probably implode in a season or two..unless of course they cheat the cap...
Emcie
Roar Guru
Doust hired Bennett to get them a premiership in three years, he got them two minor premierships and won them a GF. You can't blame the guy for doing his job. As for the players they lost when he left, most of them wouldn't have been there in the first place if it wasn't for Bennett. And come on, you can't really be solely blaming him for the state of the Knights, he wasn't at fault for the team not getting paid for half a season, or for their fullback checking himself into rehab for most of the year, or for McKinnon becoming a paraplegic, or for the owner of the club going bankrupt, or for Joey retiring four years before, ect ect
Casper
Guest
So Penrith paying around $1m for Merrin, signing Tamou for around the same, plus being able to hang onto the likes of Moylan, Dalene-zelesniak (international) and all those up and comers is ok but can't have the Broncos retain players they developed over 10 years? Hunt Milford & McCullough only get rep mentions because of where they are, I'd prefer the Broncs had less players mentioned. Reed, Blair & Glenn are in the twilight of rep footy, if at all now. Hope all those 20 year olds at Penrith start looking for upgrades through their greedy managers, that will be karma.
Casper
Guest
Clearly a dearth of outside backs, particularly that left side where they had a good run during the finals (except for 10 minutes against the roosters and 20 seconds against the Cowboys), they haven't got like for like with Roberts replacing Hodges & that shows up under pressure. They also seem to have lost that little bit of defensive sting in the middle, maybe the experienced guys a year older & young guys not yet there.definitely look off the pace when Maranta is a certain starter most weeks. Wallace hasn't gone forward this year, so that loss can be countered but no premiership without getting Inglis next season as their left centre, Reed to the UK? If not, get Kallum Watkins from Superleague. Also might help if someone taught Hunt how to place a long kick away from the catcher, that's a key weakness at the moment. As I see it, they're definitely off the pace and drifting, needing more than Kahu & Reed back in top shape which is unlikely. They've got 3 or 4 young forwards getting minutes under pressure at the moment that will help them late season but more likely next season, which is some comfort. Penrith just copied the Storm plan and it paid off, big mobile forwards running at Milford put the likes of Glenn & Oates under pressure after good kicking set them up, give credit where it's due, panthers have a lot of outs as well.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Probably because Penrith were belting the hell out of them in the forwards until they eased off in the last 20 or so minutes...
Remo Shankar
Roar Pro
I thought it was strange that the Broncos looked at their best in the last 15 minutes of the game, when they had a sniff and started playing some really nice expansive footy. Why didn't they play this way from the start?
S T Ruggling
Roar Pro
I suggest that whilst wayne bennet is a good coach, he is not even close to the coach he is perceived to be. Im sure that Dragons and knights supporters are looking at their state of their teams and wondering if he was worth it. I would not want bennett anywhere near my footy team.
PArraf
Guest
I think Milford's form also coincided with the less dominant forward displays. I know everyone was falling head over heals with Milford earlier this year, but playing as a half behind a beaten pack is a very different equation and neither Hunt nor Milford have been able to do so effectively.
Carlos
Guest
Looks like even with all the money and no cap restrictions you still can't buy the comp... It could be that their rep and star heavy team is part of the problem. With all the advantages and privileges they've ended up being a team of flat track bullies that fall apart the first moment things get difficult.
Emcie
Roar Guru
Fair enough, but my point still stands. If there was anyone left to fill in the back line don't you think they would have been picked? Alex Glen is a second rower
Emcie
Roar Guru
Why didn't anyone tell me it was meaningless stats day? Or are you seriously suggesting that Bennetts success at the Dragons was due to Nathan Brown? And what has any of this got to do with Griffin?