Derbies are often rated on intensity rather than quality, and that was very much to the fore at Suncorp for the third Battle of Brisbane.
The Broncos eventually ran over the top of the Dolphins 28-14 to maintain their perfect record against their little brothers, but both sides conspired to produce 33 errors across a game that featured plenty of committed defence but little in the way of attacking flair.
Selwyn Cobbo came out with the most credit, scoring twice, while Reece Walsh made a solid return from injury and managed to stretch his legs for a length of the field try.
“It’s only his sixth game in the centres, but there was plenty to like about Selwyn tonight,” said Kevin Walters.
“He’s a big body, he can run, he can tackle, he’s strong. It’s exciting where Selwyn can get to this year as a centre threequarter for sure.
“It wasn’t the greatest of games but it was important for us that we won tonight, I so go home happy.”
Redcliffe were shorn of their best attacking weapon, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, thanks to an early hamstring tear but had took the lead following a mountain of pressure. His replacement at fullback, Kodi Nikorima, also limped off late.
Bennett said Nikorima would likely be fine for next week’s trip to Darwin to face Parramatta, but that the Hammer was likely to miss several weeks.
The Broncos contributed massively to that with a raft of errors, but were repreived in the second half when Redcliffe decided to drop the ball even more, including three that led directly to Brisbane tries.
Only in the last five minutes, when the Dolphins raised a late rally, and early in the second half, when Ezra Mam picked out Corey Oates with a superb pass, did a game of football threaten to break out.
Wayne Bennett’s men did enough to give themselves a chance in the first half, but couldn’t take it as the Broncos muscled up in defence. That kept Brisbane in long enough so that, when their chances came, there were able to secure the points.
“We just lost our way there for a small period of time,” said the Dolphins coach.
“We only completed about four in that space of time and that doesn’t work for us. It cost us three tries.
“(I was happy with) the way we fought back. They were getting easy tries and we were working pretty hard and getting nothing. We could have thrown the hands in the air and ended up with 50 on us. We didn’t do that.”
This was far from vintage Brisbane, but there’s too much strike in this team to be kept quiet for long.
Most of their issues were self-inflicted, not least four errors in the first half alone from Oates and three from Walsh, who at least made his while trying to make something happen.
There’s a fine line between continuing to play your way when things aren’t going your way – which, in the Broncos’ case, means high risk footy – and chasing the game unnecessarily.
In the first half, it did seem a lot more like the latter than the former, as if Brisbane couldn’t believe that they kept dropping the ball.
The thing about playing high risk is that you have to defend your effors, and Brisbane, for all their poor handling, certainly came willing to do that. The organisation was there and, when it wasn’t, the scramble was.
Even when things got better after the break, it wasn’t really that the Broncos’ performance improved that much.
Cobbo got two from errors, Walsh got one and Xavier Willison crashed over from a standing start a yard out. All were tries that you’d have to chalk down more to the Dolphins’ poor play than their own scintillating skill.
The Roar League Podcast is on YouTube! Click here and subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode
That’s what you do have to do though sometimes, not least in derbies. You stay in the fight when things aren’t going your way and then try to strike when they are.
Redcliffe had plenty of chances in the first half when Brisbane made errors, but capitalised just once. The Broncos made the Dolphins pay every time.
The thing about derbies, the logic goes, is that form doesn’t matter. Injuries don’t matter much either and neither do reputations.
Tabaui-Fidow left 25 minutes in with a hamstring injury, compounding an injury list that already includes Herbie Farnworth, Tom Flegler, Felise Kaufusi, Tom Gilbert and Connolly Lemuelu, all of whom you would have expected to start tonight.
Yet the Phins kept doing what they do, which might not always be pretty but is enormously effective.
They played half an hour almost completely in the Broncos’ end, forcing repeat effort on repeat effort, but were only able to make it count with one try, itself a bit of a fluke in that it took a bad error from Corey Oates and Jarrod Wallace coming from the clouds to score it.
The Bronx were able to parry most of what Redcliffe threw without a great deal of issue.
One line break from 18 sets and 42 tackles inside the opposition half was indicative of the issue at the Dolphins, which has often been about scoring points.
Once Hamiso had left, Anthony Milford came into the halves and Kodi Nikorima went to the back, which further limited creative capacity.
In many ways it is a tribute to Redcliffe that their team are so well drilled that a raft of injuries doesn’t alter their offering that much at all: they come in and do what they do, largely without any drop in consistency. Their floor is very high.
Against a side like the Broncos, however, it was more likely be about their ceiling. To win, they would have had to do all the boring stuff and then look to the Hammer, Herbie or one of their elite players to make it happen. With so many not on deck, it’s probably not that surprising that it never came.
Cam
Roar Rookie
Phins will go from 1st in R5, to out of the 8 in R7. Tough comp.
matth
Roar Guru
Definitely should have got 10. The only possible reason I can think off is that it wasn’t high, but to me that’s still a sin bin offence, especially since he’s been given two weeks for it.
matth
Roar Guru
If I’m being kind, I’d say “mature age”
Glory Bound
Roar Rookie
1. There are times plays have been called back then after a captain's challenge the system may or may not get reversed. At least the bunker looks at it and commentary team raises the question. 2. Reece Walsh left the ground way too early, was nowhere near the ball, had no intention of competing for the ball, only to distract Nikorima. That has been penalised about a dozen times in the NRL's 'latest crackdown' over the first 5 rounds. 3. Sailor's lost ball that was overlooked reeks of NRL Triumvirate favouritism.
langparker
Roar Rookie
1: the ball going forward off the head isn’t a knock on & Cobbo came from behind him. 2: Walsh didn’t interfere with Nikorima. 3: Yes, I wondered how the ref & linesman missed the Sailor fumble.
Glory Bound
Roar Rookie
Strange game. Particularly given the scoreline. The Broncos doubled the Dolphins on the scoreboard with 46% (NRL.com)/45% (FOX Sports) of the ball. They did that behind on the penalty count 8-1 and with a 67% (NRL.com/65.8% (FOX Sports) completion rate committing 17 errors to the Dolphins 16 (both sources) yet interestingly enough lead the set restarts (six agains) 5-1 with the Dolphins getting their solitary set restart after almost 68 mins into the game! For much of the match the Broncos played frenetically verging on chaos. They seemed to try to score off every play instead of building pressure and showing patience. The Dolphins seemed to lose all focus and a fair amount of self-belief once they lost Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to a dead play. Seriously, IMO the NRL has to do more to call these dead plays back. Perhaps a loud horn or bell across the PA system? Oates was also spent after that 80-metre run, and as a direct result was out of position only 60 seconds later for what would have been a certain Broncos Try to the left edge attack. I had some concerns regarding the consistency of the NRL officials, though. Both the referee and bunker had no issue with the ball coming forward off Mam's head for Cobbo to score an 80-metre Try. Although generally speaking it isn't called a knock on when the ball has come off the head, I have seen instances this year and last where if the ball is propelled forward off any part of the body it is called back. But the bunk didn't even look at that or mention that in their analysis of the play. Likewise, the referee and bunker had no issue with Reece Walsh's cynical early challenge to disrupt Nikorima catching the ball, which also resulted in a Try. How many times this year alone have they clamped down on that? Finally, and the worst of the lot, was when Tristan Sailor lost the ball cold in a tackle, and it rolled along the ground and under his legs. Sailor then grabs the ball, gets to his feet and plays the ball. HOW was this allowed? I remember they used to drop referees and touch judges to reserve grade the following week if they made those sorts of errors. Why were the officials not held accountable for their incompetence and their inconsistent calls? Over all, clearly the Broncos were too good last night. Especially missing Adam Reynolds, their performance was praiseworthy, but their ill-discipline at times and lack of patience with the ball would have seen them lose to any genuine top 4 side. Despite a great start to the year, I don't see the Dolphins as a top 4 side. The Broncos though, should be. But only if they can show more respect for the ball and more patience to build field position and pressure.
Cam
Roar Rookie
The next gen players are getting bigger, faster, stronger. Willison is listed as 6'6" and 115kg, but I'd bet he'd be around 120kg now. I know size isn't everything, but just for some perspective, Blocker Roach was a big bloke and in the top couple of props during his era in the 80s-90s. He was 6'1" and 105kg.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
Okay, we'll need to write an article about your upcoming debut. "...matth, the _______ rookie..." What word can fill in the blank?
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
Must make a helluva difference to the Panthers for example, that they have To'o on the wing.
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
Yes, these days a premiership winning team needs a great spine and probably also at least one elite winger.
Lance Boil
Roar Rookie
And a Worker to boot!
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
Yes, if we can keep our playmakers fit we have the forwards depth to go deep into the finals even with more than a fair share of injuries.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
I'm spending my latter years being amazed at the skills shown by wingers. Back in the day, we had great finishers like Ken Irvine, Johnny King, etc, but the skills that guys like Xavier Coates are displaying are at the next level. Wingers doing centering kicks, at pace, to support players, the high marks they're taking then using the ball after that, obviously the put downs, etc are a credit to the new talent coming through.
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
Me too, our best footy was in defence in that opening period (I had a good view down that end). Otherwise the attack looked mid-table.
Tony
Roar Guru
QLD captain? Carrigan first and daylight second.
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
Agree. I’d pay whatever over however long to seal it, and offer the captaincy. . And I tend to notice it more at the game that he’s a very calm presence when the team’s under pressure.
Tony
Roar Guru
Inexplicable. Isn't that part of the useless bunker's job?
Tony
Roar Guru
He's a monster!
Cam
Roar Rookie
I have a mate that coaches pathway footy for the U18s, he has had quite a few players graduate to origin and international footy over the past decade. I recall him telling me around 3 or 4 years ago about Xavier Willison and that he is the best young forward to come through his squads. Willison missed much of the past two seasons with injury, but hopefully we see the best of him this year.
Cam
Roar Rookie
My son asked me who would captain Qld after DCE retires, no hesitation I replied "Pat Carrigan". Last night, 80 minutes in the middle, 23 runs for 210m, 46 tackles 1 miss. If I was heading up the new 18th team, he's my first guy.