The next fortnight could shape as the most crucial period in the Brisbane Broncos’ history.
Having lost their past two matches, against the lowly Bulldogs and Cowboys, both away from home, the Broncos’ late-season woes could extend further when they face the top two teams, the second-placed Rabbitohs and first-placed Roosters.
Their form has bordered on inconsistent all season, winning all but two of their matches by fewer than ten points, while being heavily beaten in several others.
While they sit in eighth place on the ladder, with a points differential of -10, the club has been on the back foot since they lost their season opener against the St George Illawarra Dragons by 34-12 at Kogarah Oval.
Most surprising of all, they have lost six out of a possible ten matches against bottom-six teams and only scraped past the Cowboys, Bulldogs and Eels earlier in the season.
That said, they did score a 34-0 win over the Titans on the Gold Coast in Round 17 and put a half-century on the Panthers in Round 19 on either side of a 26-6 loss to the Warriors on home soil.
They also beat the Rabbitohs, Roosters, Warriors and Sharks (twice, in Rounds 15 and 20) earlier in the season, but the former two teams were yet to really get going at the time.
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Now Wayne Bennett’s men get both the Bunnies and Chooks at just about the worst possible time, especially with the ninth-placed Wests Tigers lurking, but with a points differential of -34.
The Rabbitohs side the Broncos will face on Thursday night has vastly improved since their Round 8 meeting at ANZ Stadium, which the northeners won 24-20.
After that match, Anthony Seibold’s men were 4-4, but since then they have won 11 of their last 13 matches.
Adding some intrigue to this match is the fact that the Broncos said to be courting the first-year Rabbitohs coach to replace Bennett, possibly by the start of next season, although Seibold has said he is only focused on leading his side to September.
The 43-year-old has done a brilliant job in leading his side into the top four and rediscovering the flair that saw them take out the 2014 premiership.
While their last outing resulted in a narrow 18-14 loss to the Roosters, the result could have been different had Greg Inglis’ thumb injury, suffered in Round 16, healed in time for that match.
Greg Inglis (AAP Image/David Moir)
As for the Broncos, after they face the Rabbitohs, they too face the Roosters, in Round 24.
Despite securing the services of James Tedesco and Cooper Cronk during the off-season, Trent Robinson’s men started the season slowly, but in recent weeks have shown why they were the pre-season title favourites.
They too have lifted since their 28-22 loss to the Broncos in Round 11, losing just one match since (9-8 against the Storm in Round 16) to surge to the top of the ladder.
This means the next two weeks are crucial to the Broncos’ chances of reaching the finals and proving that they won’t be there simply to make up the numbers.
Lose to both clubs and they will risk being overtaken by the Wests Tigers, who will fancy winning their last three, against the Dragons, Sea Eagles and Rabbitohs, all at home.
But given how the Broncos have performed in 2018, the longest premiership drought in the club’s history will almost certainly extend into a 12th season.
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