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Opinion

Have the Brisbane Broncos been a victim of their own NRLW success?

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Expert
5th April, 2022
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For the first time in the history of NRL Women’s, this weekend a premier other than the Brisbane Broncos will be crowned.

The St George Illawarra Dragons booked their place in the grand final with a 24-18 win over the Gold Coast Titans.

Then, in one of the upsets of the season, the Sydney Roosters beat the reigning premiers 22-16.

This was only the Broncos’ third loss in their history and will mean that, for the first time, the premiers will be from NSW.

It was an incredible performance by the Roosters, particularly given how few people gave them a hope. After finding themselves behind on the scoreboard by 16 points in the 13th minute (with Olivia Higgins in the sin bin), the Chooks scored 22 unanswered points.

Brisbane had no answer to the attacking prowess of Isabelle Kelly and Jess Sergis, and their forward pack could not match it with the likes of Sarah Togatuki and Hannah Southwell. The speed and strength of Queensland Origin fullback Tamika Upton was restricted as the Broncos made uncharacteristic errors.

At the end of the game, the Broncos were devastated.

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Millie Boyle of the Broncos.

Millie Boyle of the Broncos kicks the ball. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

And, surprisingly, so was I.

My next comments are not meant to detract from the Tricolours’ efforts – after a slow start to the season, they did enough to make the semi-finals, beat the team that was in front of them, and absolutely deserve their place.

But part of me felt sympathy for the defeated team.

The Broncos have been the most dominant team in the competition since its inception, winning the minor premiership four years in row. But what benefit have they got from finishing at the top of the table? Very little.

This team has only had the chance to play one home game in four seasons. They also had to travel more than any other team to participate, since the New Zealand Warriors made the decision to no longer field a team.

I understand that there are financial and also pandemic-related reasons as to why so much of the competition has been played in Sydney, but it has been to the detriment of the inter-state teams. This makes what Brisbane have achieved even more impressive.

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The fact they did not make the decider also raises questions about their perceived dominance for this season.

When the expansion announcement was made midway through last year, a conversation ensued about how to distribute the talent.

The proposal to help spread out the talent was to offer central contracts to the top-24 players, with four players to go to each of the six clubs. Some players agreed to shift for ‘the good of the game’ while others – notably several Broncos players – decided not to.

There was a lot of criticism levelled at these players at the time. People questioned their motives and called them selfish. Others were concerned about how dominant the Broncos had been and thought that the only way to change that would be to disband the team.

That seems silly now.

Even with a core group of consistent players, Brisbane have been beaten twice this year, by the Titans and the Roosters. There is talent in each of the teams, particularly at the Dragons like Rachael Pearson and Jamie Chapman.

The inclusion of professional athletes like Emma Tonegato and Evania Pelite has also been thrilling to see.

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The fact Ali Brigginshaw and her team have missed the grand final is positive overall. It means that the other teams are pushing to be better, that new talent is emerging, and that we are not in a situation where the same team wins every year.

Ali Brigginshaw of the Broncos is congratulated by teammates

Ali Brigginshaw (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

But then there’s the challenge of where the big dance is being held.

I suspect the NRL scheduled the venue as being Redcliffe with a hunch that at least one Queensland team would be playing. Had that team been the Broncos, it would have been a home coming of sorts and an opportunity for fans to celebrate three premierships.

Brisbane will not have that opportunity now.

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And unfortunately for fans of the Sydney teams competing, the chance to watch their team in the flesh just got harder.

It’s likely too late to move the game, but in a season where it was automatically assumed that the Broncos would win again, I’m surprised that I’m feeling sad they won’t feature next weekend.

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