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After crashing to yet another embarrassing finals loss, questions will need to be asked of the Brisbane Broncos and the direction they are heading in.
The Broncos’ premiership hopes were extinguished for another year after they were humiliated 48-18 by the St George Illawarra Dragons on their own home turf, the result ensuring that their longest premiership drought extended into a twelfth completed year.
Wayne Bennett’s men had entered the clash against the Red V as hot favourites after thrashing the Sea Eagles by 48-16 in their final regular season fixture, the margin enough to see them finish sixth, but not enough to move ahead of the fifth-placed Penrith Panthers.
It had emerged during the week that Bennett allegedly radioed messages to his players via the trainer to stop scoring when they were 32 points up, believing his side had a better chance of beating the Dragons than the Warriors, who they would’ve faced had they managed to score an extra point.
On the other hand, the Dragons limped into September with their form having deteriorated since the start of July, losing six of their last nine matches to drop from the top of the ladder to seventh place.
Additionally, they hadn’t won at Suncorp Stadium since Round 4, 2009, suffering ten straight losses in the intervention, including two crushing finals losses on either side of their 2010 premiership win.
Tariq Sims of the Dragons. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
But the form guide completely went out the window as the Dragons produced easily their best performance since Round 3, coming from 10-2 down in the first half to completely take control of the match and register their biggest ever score, and win, over the Broncos.
Back in Brisbane as a Dragon for the first time since leaving the Broncos at the end of last season, Ben Hunt rediscovered his pre-Origin form to torture his old side for the second time this year, and answer his critics after what had been a tough past few weeks for him and his new side.
He had made headlines during the week after coming public with his battle against mental health issues, which many attributed to his individual form slump which came in the wake of Queensland’s State of Origin series defeat in June.
Hunt aside, Tariq Sims was also impressive as he scored a hat-trick of tries in the first half, and also engaged in a long-running battle with his brother, Korbin, who will join him in the Red V next season.
Making the Dragons’ win all the more impressive was the fact that they finished the match with only one fit man on the bench after Gareth Widdop, Jack de Belin and James Graham all failed to see it out due to varying injuries.
It was also their first win in a finals match since they took out the 2010 premiership.
As for the Broncos, the heavy defeat brought to an end another inconsistent season which had started for them with a similarly dismal loss to the Dragons, having gone down by 34-12 at Kogarah Oval in Round 1.
It was clear that, while they did manage to reach the finals for the 25th time in the past 27 years, they were left to play catch-up for the rest of the season, eventually finishing sixth.
The 500 points they conceded during the regular season was the most of any of the eight finalists, and the most they’d conceded in a season since 2010.
It was also a sad way for veteran Sam Thaiday to bow out of rugby league, the 33-year-old having announced his retirement in a creative way when he turned up to a retirement house dressed as an old man back in July.
Coincidentally, his debut match, back in 2003, was also one he’d rather forget as the Broncos copped a 40-4 hiding at the hands of a Bulldogs side featuring a very young Johnathan Thurston in the halves.
His retirement leaves current captain Darius Boyd as the only player still remaining from the club’s 2006 premiership, and given the current state of affairs at the club, it appears unlikely the 2010 Clive Churchill Medallist (from his time at the Dragons) will win a second premiership ring with the Broncos.
As mentioned above, Korbin Sims has also played his last game for the Broncos and will link up with brother Tariq at the Dragons, while centre Tom Opacic will head north to join the Cowboys.
The club’s finals capitulation will lead to numerous questions being asked as to where the Broncos are at going forward, and what can be done to snap what is currently the longest premiership drought in club history.
One will surround the future of coach Wayne Bennett, who is contracted to the end of next season, while another will centre on the club’s biggest recruit, Jack Bird, who could only manage eight games in his first season at Red Hill after struggling with a sternum injury.
There is every chance Bennett, who will turn 69 on New Years Day, may not start next season, and that the club are already seeking out potential replacements, with current Rabbitohs coach Anthony Seibold top of their hit list.
Coach Wayne Bennett (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Seibold has impressed in his first season at Redfern, overseeing the NRL’s best attack and a return to the finals for the club after a period of regression following their 2014 premiership win.
It is therefore no wonder the Broncos want to lure him back home.
After arriving in Brisbane with high expectations, Bird could only muster eight games, but it appears he will stay at Red Hill for now despite reports that he was unhappy and was seeking a return home to Cronulla, where he was part of their 2016 premiership win.
Re-signings aside, the Broncos haven’t been able to land a big name for 2019, but that could change in the coming months as we reach the business end of the season.
And if this year has shown anything, it’s that there is clearly a lot of work to do at the club if they are to end its longest premiership drought and mount the dais again in 2019.
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