Brisbane are on the verge of the worst slide down the ladder in their history ahead of the final-round clash with Melbourne.
The Broncos, who finished second on the NRL table in 2023 and played in the grand final, will finish 12th if they do not beat competition leaders the Storm at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night.
Even if they spring an unlikely upset, the best the Broncos could likely finish is 10th as four of the teams above them play each other in the final round, and two of those teams will pick up points for a win or an extra-time draw.
The club’s worst historical fall down the table was in 2020 when they secured their first wooden spoon and finished 16th.
That was eight positions lower than where they ended the 2019 season.
This season they are on track to fall 10 positions on the table.
The Broncos will not play finals for the fourth time in five years, with three of those misses being under current coach Kevin Walters.
The 40-6 loss to the Dolphins on Saturday night was also the biggest defeat the Broncos had suffered to a Queensland-based club in their history, surpassing the 36-4 loss to North Queensland in 2006.
With their season on the line, the Broncos dished up an error-ridden mish-mash of mediocrity.
It was also a microcosm of their failings in 2024.
Successful Broncos sides have traditionally risen to the big occasion, not fallen in a screaming heap.
Walters said after the loss that dealing with pressure at the Broncos came with the territory. Captain Adam Reynolds said “Kev is spot-on” when asked if representing the club was not just about playing, but also about winning.
Recruitment will come under the spotlight when the Broncos review their season. On Saturday night the most intimidating forward on the field was blockbusting Dolphins prop Tevita Pangai Jnr, a former Bronco. When Pangai Jnr was aiming to return to the NRL this year, he told AAP he wanted it to be at the Broncos. The Broncos had their chance but passed.
Reece Walsh. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett swooped.
The Broncos instead chose former Cowboys forward Jack Gosiewski, an honest toiler but no Pangai Jnr. Mid-season signing Gosiewski, along with 2024 forward recruits Fletcher Baker and Jaiyden Hunt, have had underwhelming years, aside from their injuries.
The Broncos were also out-coached on Saturday night. Bennett switched Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to centre, moved Jake Averillo to five-eighth and brought Trai Fuller in at fullback. The trio had blinders.
Before the match Bennett said: “You can’t keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect the same result.” The Broncos had a “same-old” look about their line-up and the way they played.
The other black mark against the Broncos is their defence, which has a turnstile aspect to it again. They have already conceded 557 points, the fourth worst in their history. If the Storm score 10 points on Thursday night, only the 2020 wooden-spoon year (624 points) and 14th-placed finish (695 points) in 2021 will be worse.
“We have been leaking way too many points. We have faced a bit of adversity, but we should be good enough to defend errors, and at the moment we are not,” Reynolds said.
Crichton claims Fittler Medal
Angus Crichton has gone from NSW Cup to NSW’s best, awarded the Brad Fittler Medal as the Blues’ most valuable player in their State of Origin series win.
Crichton was handed the prestigious honour at a gala dinner at The Star in Sydney on Monday night, capping an incredible turnaround for the Sydney Roosters star.
Dropped to the reserve-grade NSW Cup at the start of the season, Crichton returned to the NRL in round three and has been the best back-rower in the league this year.
He collected the Wally Lewis Medal for best player in the Origin series, before being voted NSW’s best by the players and coaching staff.
“It has been wild, and the way to describe it has been bizarre,” Crichton said.
“A lot of people doubted me and put a line through my name and counted me out.
“I remember not getting picked for round one and it really hurt, because I trained so hard over the off season.
“I just had to back myself and believe in myself.”
After a series in which he menaced rival Daly Cherry-Evans and left his mark on the Maroons, Crichton was also named the fans’ choice player of the year for NSW.
The 28-year-old ran an average of 162 metres per game, made 61 tackles for the series, had 10 offloads and two line-break assists.
Perhaps more impressive than anything has been Crichton’s rebound, after he spent time out of the game last year for personal reasons and detailed his battle with bipolar disorder.
“It’s pleasing for not only myself but also my family and friends,” Crichton said.
“The people who put so much work into me in the last few years. It’s just as much their award as mine.”
Captain Jake Trbojevic was awarded the True Blue Medal after leading NSW to a series victory in his first year as skipper.
Angus Crichton with Jake Trbojevic. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Jaime Chapman was named the NSW women’s Origin player of the year, after the Gold Coast winger starred in the Blues’ series-opening win.
NSW dominated the first game and a half of the series, but were still beaten 2-1 by Queensland.
Newcastle second-rower Yasmin Clydsdale was awarded the women’s Sky Blues Award.
2024 BRAD FITTLER MEDAL MAIN AWARDS
Brad Fittler Medal: Angus Crichton (Sydney Roosters)
True Blue Medal: Jake Trbojevic (Manly)
People’s Choice Awards: Angus Crichton (Sydney Roosters), Jaime Chapman (Gold Coast)
NSW Women’s State of Origin Player of the Year: Jaime Chapman (Gold Coast)
Sky Blues Award: Yasmin Clydsdale (Newcastle)
Men’s Under 19s Origin Player of the Year: Chevy Stewart (Canberra)
Women’s Under 19s Origin Player of the Year: Kasey Reh (Illawarra)
NSW Cup Player of the Year: Adam Cook (Canberra)
NSW Women’s Premiership Player of the Year: Leilani Wilson (Wentworthville)
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Dragons give Soward marching orders
Jamie Soward will weigh up whether to stay on as St George Illawarra’s coach for the rest of the NRLW season after being told he would not keep the job for 2025.
With a mutual option in his contract for next season, Soward has been informed his deal for next year will not be activated after a shaky start to the 2024 season.
One of the NRLW’s highest-profile coaches, Soward took the Dragons to a grand final in his first year in charge in 2021.
He was forced to rebuild the squad the following season with a host of young talent, after several representative players left the club.
The Dragons have since brought through some of the best young talent in the league, but sit eighth after six rounds with two wins and four losses.
Guess it’s not meant to be. All good. Keep it movin
— Jamie Soward (@sowwowofficial6) September 2, 2024????
Soward took to social media on Monday to confirm he would not stay on in the job.
“Guess it’s not meant to be. All good. Keep moving,” he posted on X.
“I won’t be at the club going forward.”
The former NSW State of Origin playmaker has been told the ball is in his court on whether he wants to see out this season, or finish up early with three rounds to play.
Soward has previously put his hand up for the Women’s Origin coaching role, after the Sky Blues slumped to a third series loss in four years this season.
Current coach Kylie Hilder was off contract at the end of this year, and was expected to present to the NSW Rugby League board after the series.
with AAP
The Roarhttps://https://ift.tt/wymY68U News: Broncos set to create unwanted slice of history, Crichton claims Blues honour, Soward shown the door
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