ANALYSIS: Ref tackles, Magic Mam, Herbie goes bananas - and the Broncos all but secure a top two spot

Sometimes you have to find control among the chaos. Brisbane managed to do that en route to all but securing a top two spot in 2023, overcoming a tough Roosters outfit and a series of bizarre events to win out 32-10 at The Gabba.

Top of the list of strangeness was an incident in which Tyson Smoothy was denied a try by referee Grant Atkins after the official inadvertently got in the way of the Broncos utility as he charged for the line. Had they not won, it would have been a massive talking point.

They had plenty of cause to pick fault with the officials. Brisbane won no less than three Captain’s Challenges and had another try taken off Kotoni Staggs for the most borderline of offside decisions. 

The Roosters may also have pointed to an early score for James Tedesco that was brought back on an obstruction call that Adam Reynolds bought from the ref.

The players may yet boycott the Dally M Awards, but the veteran half is still a hope for the Oscars based on that performance.

Beyond the weirdness, however, this was a showing of supreme control from Kevin Walters’ charges. They defended almost perfectly, allowing just one line break and two tries from kicks, while making the most of their attacking moments. 

Herbie Farnworth opened the scoring with a try that left five Roosters grasping for air, while Ezra Mam got two spectacular efforts, one ably assisted by the excellent Reece Walsh.

Even Pat Carrigan, shifted to an edge, crossed the stripe for his first NRL try – coming after 78 games. 

“It’s a really good win,” said Walters. “That first half – I don’t think I’ve seen us play as physical and controlled as that for a long time.

“The second half got a bit sloppy and messy, with a bit of ill discipline, so that’s something for us to work on. 

“We need to maintain that and drive it every week consistently with our defence. Tonight they got two tries, both from kicks, and I was impressed with our left edge. 

“Herbie did a great job on Joseph Manu. Herbie’s known for his attacking prowess, but if you look tonight he was great in defence as well.”

Daniel Tupou did manage to cross for the Chooks, taking sole ownership of the club try-scoring record in the process, but beyond Tedesco, the attack faltered again.

“We gave them the first opportunity and they took it,” said Trent Robinson. “They had two good ball sets and two tries. When we had our opportunities, we didn’t look threatening. 

“They defended well and we didn’t look like we were going to score for a long period of time. We were well beaten tonight. 

“The effort is high, but in these games against the top four teams, we haven’t been threatening, we haven’t been able to score points and we’ve been well beaten in the end. It shows where we’re at in those games.”

The Roosters never stood a chance

One swallow does not make a summer, and one win over the Titans does not reignite a season.

The Roosters did look a lot better in swatting aside the Gold Coast last week, but this was an entirely different level of competition. 

From the very early stages here, it looked like the Broncos were on, and when that has happened in 2023, very few teams have been able to go with them.

The attack wasn’t actually that great to begin with – Walsh threw two into touch early on – but there individual moments that were made to count: Farnworth left five defenders in his wake to open the scoring, while Walsh later got a bounce from heaven for Mam to score.

It was the defence, however, that made the difference. The Chooks had chances to attack, but were shut down ruthlessly. 

Even last year, when the points deserted them against the best teams, Brisbane were able to defend and keep themselves going. For 75% of the year, that was their calling card.

This year, they have added that extra bit of attack through Walsh, plus an extra year into Mam, Cobbo, and Farnworth. They still have Reynolds, currently the leading kick try assister in the NRL.

Souths learned last week that they had to take their chances, because they would be punished when Brisbane got theirs. The Roosters, who have struggled to create chances, struggled again. They never stood a chance.

Tedesco stands tall

It’s been a tough year for James Tedesco. He’s been kicked from pillar to post in the media – sometimes deserved, sometimes over the top – and been forced to ensure a long series of losses that would make him feel like he was back at the Wests Tigers.

Tonight provided a chance to face his future, with the heir apparent for his Kangaroos jersey suiting up at the other end in the form of Walsh. 

It was, in general, another bad night for the Roosters, but not for Tedesco. Little went right for him, but that wasn’t through lack of skill or effort on the part of the fullback.

As early as the fourth minute, he scythed down Kurt Capewell to stop a certain try with a copybook tackle around the ankle. Unfortunately for him, nobody else on his side got the memo and Farnworth danced through everyone to score on the next play.

Then he scored himself, a classic Tedesco run that was too much for Walsh, but found it pulled back for an obstruction that was, to the letter of the law, correct, but in spirit, very much not. 

In the second half he finally copped a break. It was Teddy’s tackle that stopped Walsh scoring – another superb effort – and referee Grant Atkins did the rest, producing a trysaver of his own by inadvertently blocking Tyson Smoothy.

And, for all the attacking issues that the Roosters have had, it was Tedesco who created their only line break.

On the other side, Walsh was exactly as good as he’s been all year. Teddy might not be done quite yet, but when he decides to give up rep duties, there’s only one choice to take over.