Broncos’ Descent into Mediocrity: The Unthinkable Collapse of a Premiership Contender
If someone said to me at the start of the year the Broncos would be fighting to get away from 15th spot, I would have said you need your head read.
Like many, I tipped Brisbane to win the premiership this season. Surely the fire would be burning brighter than ever after having almost two hands on last year’s trophy?
But here we are. How the mighty have fallen.
So, where’s it all gone wrong for the Broncos? To me, it’s all in the mind.
I have no doubt they got plenty of pats on the back for coming so close to dethroning the Panthers last year, and they carried that into this season. It’s what happens when you’re the biggest names in a rugby league city. But nothing is automatic in this sport and just because they were so close last year didn’t give them the right to be on that stage again.
I watched them really closely against the Bulldogs last week in a game where their season was basically on the line. They were awful. I don’t want to take anything away from Canterbury, who were superb, but the Broncos were horrible.
They’re not willing to pay the price and do the hard work required to be a consistent NRL team at the moment. That’s just the truth. They’re looking to trick-shot their way to victory and it’s costing them enormously. They’re not winning the effort areas and that’s the most damning assessment you can make of professional NRL players.
I feel sorry for two players: Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan. They’re trying their backsides off, but they’re not getting a lot of help.
Unfortunately for the Broncos, there’s a team building under Des Hasler and I think the Gold Coast can beat Brisbane to end their finals hopes.
Who would have thought they would be in this predicament?