Brisbane Broncos hype train brutally derailed in Canberra massacre

The Broncos hype train was well and truly derailed in Canberra, with the underdog Raiders exposing Michael Maguire’s biggest challenge - keeping a lid on Brisbane’s growing expectations.

Red-hot Brisbane came crashing back to earth as Canberra’s Queensland firebrands Corey Horsburgh and Josh Papali’i combined to bash the Broncos 32-22 at GIO Stadium on Saturday night.

The Broncos were hailed as premiership contenders just seven days ago after a 50-14 thrashing of the Roosters in a round 1 romp that suggested coach Michael Maguire had brought a harder edge to Red Hill.

But Maguire was left to taste his first defeat as Broncos coach at the hands of his former Canberra teammate and now Raiders mentor Ricky Stuart, who masterminded a brilliant capital raid.

Don’t be fooled by the scoreline. Ricky’s Raiders were outstanding. They led from start to finish, terrorising Brisbane in midfield before inflicting damage on the edges to post their second successive win of 2025 with a six-try domination of a lethargic Broncos.

Broncos winger Jesse Arthars managed a hat-trick but Maguire lamented Brisbane’s collective inability to manage the hype triggered by their Roosters rout.

“There was a lot of hype last week,” he said. “How you deal with that ... we have to make sure we look after that together.”

Reece Walsh was well contained by Canberra. Picture: NRL Imagery

WORLD OF PAYNE

Brisbane’s twin enforcers Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan got a stinging reality check against a Raiders side that outmuscled and outhustled the Broncos pack.

After ripping the Roosters apart in midfield last week, Haas (149m) and Carrigan (124m) were beaten to the punch by pumped-up Raiders rivals Horsburgh, Papali’i, Hudson Young and former Bronco Zac Hosking.

The Raiders simply wanted this more. Their line speed was better. Their defensive contact was superior. Their energy was infectious and it suffocated a Broncos side that were hammered in midfield and completed at just 65 per cent.

“We missed the start,” Maguire said. “We got jumped early and they had more energy than what we needed to show.”

Brisbane couldn’t handle Canberra’s intensity.

SIXES AND SEVENS

After a commanding debut combination last week against the Roosters, Broncos halves Adam Reynolds and Ben Hunt endured a more difficult night at the office.

Reynolds didn’t make a single run in the first half, while Hunt had a bitter-sweet evening.

With the visitors trailing 12-0, Hunt ignited a Broncos fightback, throwing two superb cut-out balls for winger Arthars (25th and 34th) to post a double in a nine-minute blitz to narrow the deficit to 12-10.

But Hunt was badly exposed two minutes before the break when Canberra’s English rookie Matty Nicholson bumped off the Broncos five-eighth, capping a stunning debut with his second try to give the Raiders a 16-10 halftime lead.

“We didn’t give ourselves a chance in the first half,” skipper Reynolds said. “We were nowhere near our best. We were loose again with our defence and didn’t respect the ball.”

Jesse Arthars. Photo NRL Imagery

WHERE’S WALSH?

The Raiders did their homework on Reece Walsh, expertly muzzling Brisbane’s superstar fullback.

In his past two clashes against Canberra, Walsh carved up the Green Machine with three tries. This time, Canberra turned the screws on Walsh. He was restricted to a paltry 51 metres from five runs, with the Raiders kicking to open spaces and denying the Maroons maestro good ball by dominating field position.

In defence, Walsh failed to put his body on the line and two second-half knock-ons summed up his horror night.

BIG RED’S RAMPAGE

Former Queensland Origin duo Papali’i and Horsburgh inspired the Green Machine, sticking it to the Broncos pack with a relentless one-two punch in the opening stanza.

Horsburgh (118m) set the tone early with ferocious charges and a stinging hit on Kobe Hetherington, while the 32-year-old Papali’i (114m) turned back the clock to his 2019 grand-final season.

The dynamic duo combined for 32 hit-ups, with Papali’i turning up the heat on the Broncos when he swooped on a Jamal Fogarty cross kick and crashed over for a 12-0 lead inside 17 minutes.

Horsburgh relished his front-row battle with his good mate Carrigan and if he continues this form, ‘Big Red’ will be back in Origin contention.

Originally published as Brisbane Broncos hype train brutally derailed in Canberra massacre