NRL round 12: Penrith Panthers win 15-4 over Brisbane Broncos, Jarome Luai under fire for touch judge ‘shove’
The Broncos were once again outclassed by an NRL heavyweight and face a tough schedule as they lose their stars to State of Origin — but Kevin Walters isn’t panicking.
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The Broncos copped an NRL premiership reality check after slumping to another loss in a controversial slugfest against Penrith on Thursday night.
The Panthers emerged 15-4 victors before 33,343 at Suncorp Stadium in a high-octane final State of Origin audition.
The absence of halfback Adam Reynolds (concussion) was too much for the Broncos to overcome as NSW No. 7 Nathan Cleary ran rampant for the Panthers.
Cleary was a standout, again, scoring a try, kicking beautifully, running effectively, defending strongly and landing a late field goal.
He was involved in three disallowed tries and one late bombed try and will enter NSW camp on Monday full of confidence.
“Nathan was very strong with his running game,” said Fox Sports’ Matthew Johns.
Panthers five-eighth Jarome Luai – short odds to retain his Blues spot – had some lovely touches.
Martin will also push hard for selection while Crichton – who was strong defensively on Thursday night – will be heavily discussed again.
This was the perfect hit out Penrith’s Origin players needed going into the May 31 Origin opener in Adelaide.
If not for some gallant Brisbane defence and Penrith bombing multiple tries, the Broncos could have been blown off the park in their third loss from their past four matches.
Following five straight wins to start the season, the Broncos have been beaten by top four contenders the Rabbitohs, Storm and defending premiers Penrith in the past month.
BRONCOS ON SLIDE
Broncos coach Kevin Walters has some work to do to kick his team back into gear – but it won’t be easy.
The Broncos will now lose multiple players to State of Origin selection heading into next Saturday’s tough trip to New Zealand.
Forwards Pat Carrigan and Payne Haas are certain selections while Kurt Capewell, Selwyn Cobbo, Tom Flegler and Reece Walsh are deep in Maroons contention.
Cobbo had a solid game, scoring Brisbane’s only try, and Capewell was energetic in defence, but Flegler’s ill-discipline could be a concern for the Maroons.
The Broncos face the Warriors, Sharks, Knights, Titans and Dolphins, along with two byes, during the Origin period.
“It’s not alarming because we played Souths, Manly, Penrith and Melbourne,” Walters said.
“We’d prefer to win all four of them or at least one more. But when we get it right in September we’re going to be okay.
“Let’s have a look at us in 10 or 12 weeks. If we’re continually getting beaten, then that’s not great.”
REYNO TO THE RESCUE
The Broncos lacked direction without Reynolds while Penrith maestro Cleary was at his best.
Reynolds was watching from the coaches’ box after suffering a concussion in last week’s loss to Melbourne and he was sorely missed.
The Broncos’ attacking options were haphazard with Jock Madden filling in at halfback and they missed Reynolds’ kicking game when they were under the pump.
If the Broncos are going to be any sort of premiership threat this season they need Reynolds on the field and firing when it matters.
He should be back to face the Warriors.
BLOW UP THE BUNKER
The Bunker is once again under fire following a bizarre turn of events.
Bunker official Ashley Klein – the NRL’s No. 1 referee last year – cleared Walsh of interfering with Tyrone Peachey in a kick contest which led to Kotoni Staggs scoring.
But on-field referee Adam Gee wasn’t convinced upon watching the replay.
“It doesn’t look right to me, Ash,” Gee said to Klein.
Klein then backflipped on his original summation and denied Staggs a try, which would have brought the contest back to 14-10.
The right decision was made in the end but the strange series of events will put pressure on the NRL’s officials.
“I thought it was a try, you win some and lose some,” Walters said.
“We’re not having a lot of joy with some decisions at the moment.
“If you keep working hard, things will turn.
“It was a bit weird. I’m not sure what Reece is meant to do.”
WALSH’S WOES
This wasn’t the type of performance Broncos fullback Reece Walsh would have wanted in his final Maroons audition.
Walsh made two errors at the back in a first half where Brisbane was continually on the back foot, making only nine runs for 83m.
In contrast, Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards charged 25 times for 248m to go with 10 tackle busts in a stunning performance.
Walsh has been in sensational form this season but needed a huge game to unseat Kalyn Ponga for the Queensland No. 1 jersey.
He produced a nice kick for Cobbo to score but it wasn’t the type of game that demanded he be picked.
If Ponga gets through Newcastle’s game against Cronulla on Saturday then he should retain the Maroons fullback duties.
Panthers star under fire for touchie ‘shove’
– Michael Carayannis and Brent Read
Penrith star Jarome Luai is expected to come under scrutiny from the match review committee after an apparent shove to a touch judge.
Luai can be clearly seen making contact with sideline official Chris Sutton moments after Panthers teammate Sunia Turuva in the opening exchanges of the clash against Brisbane.
Sutton objects to the shove to his back by Luai who seems to apologise shortly after. The contact was unnecessary.
The brain snap could cost him an Origin jersey if he is charged by the match review committee on Friday morning. He is a near certainty to play for the Blues when the side is picked on Monday.
Luai was charged before the start of last year’s series. He escaped with a fine for a grade one careless high tackle.
Former Brisbane and Queensland forward Sam Thaiday was suspended for touching a referee a decade ago and said the referees were off limits.
“I got suspended for that,” Thaiday said on the Nine Network.
“If you remember at this stadium. Off a scrum, I grabbed the umpire’s shirt trying to explain that he was holding me in the scrum.
“It was against the Melbourne Storm. I got a week’s suspension for that. You’re not allowed to touch the referee. You can’t touch them.”
Thaiday’s co-commentator, Johnathan Thurston, said the Luai incident didn’t look good.
“You can see his right hand there, straight in the back … then the apology, it looks like,” Thurston said.
“Then he’s trying to get his attention about something … it doesn’t look good.”
Turuva gets to the line and the Panthers are on the board.
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) May 18, 2023
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BRONCOS STAR’S PRE-GAME YOUTUBE HIGHLIGHTS ROUTINE REVEALED
—Peter Badel
Ezra Mam is primed to be Brisbane’s main man and will channel the magic of his Indigenous heroes Johnathan Thurston and Matt Bowen in his bid to bring down the Panthers in Thursday night’s blockbuster at Suncorp Stadium.
Mam will watch YouTube footage of his childhood idol, Cowboys legend Bowen, to spark him into action as Brisbane’s senior playmaker against the defending premiers in the absence of concussed captain Adam Reynolds.
Mam was once part of an Aboriginal dance troupe at Suncorp, so it’s only fitting that the Broncos whizkid will use Indigenous round as a platform to carve up Penrith’s NSW big guns Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai.
The scratching of Reynolds will see Mam and Jock Madden deployed as Brisbane’s starting halves against a Penrith side hitting top gear after last week’s 48-4 demolition of the Roosters.
While he has played only 23 NRL games, Mam is relishing the prospect of facing the Cleary-Luai alliance, motivated by the words of wisdom he once received from former Queensland Origin duo Thurston and Bowen.
“This is pretty special for me,” the 20-year-old Mam said ahead of the Broncos-Panthers Indigenous round clash at Suncorp.
“Matty Bowen was my hero and I always watch footage of him before games to give me that confidence to go out there and play what I see.
“I met him (Bowen) and Johnathan Thurston at a schoolboys carnival when I was 15 and I still remember the conversation I had with ‘JT’.
“He basically said, ‘Make sure you have fun and if you have your life in order off the field, it can help you on it’.
“That’s been my approach and it’s working for me.
“I am looking forward to this game. We will miss ‘Reyno’, but Jock is stepping up and I am happy to take the lead and I’m sure we will balance things out on the field.”
Mam was named Brisbane’s rookie of the year last season after a fine first-up campaign in which he scored six tries from 13 games.
With his flashy feet and sizzling speed off the mark, Mam won’t be afraid to take on the Panthers line, but it’s his bravery in defence that has convinced coach Kevin Walters the Broncos pivot has a long career in the NRL.
“I like his attitude in defence more than anything,” Walters said of Mam.
“In attack, Ezra is imposing himself on the game when he needs to and his combination with Reece (Walsh) has been good, so it’s a nice part of his game that is developing.
“We’ve been really happy with his defence and he will have to get that right against the Panthers.”
Mam’s ability to connect with Madden will make or break Brisbane’s hopes against the Panthers.
Madden made his Broncos debut against Souths three weeks ago and while he was quiet in the 32-6 defeat, Reynolds backed the Wests Tigers import to step up against the Penrith club that tried to sign him this season as Cleary’s understudy.
“Jock just has to stick to the game plan,” Reynolds said.
“He is a pretty switched-on kid, he knows how to get a team around the park, he has had a good pre-season and been prepping us every week at training extremely well.
“No doubt Jock will be barking orders and getting the team around the field.
“It’s his team on Thursday night and the boys have to listen to him.”
Mam has put on 5kg this season to cope with the defensive workload and says he won’t be bullied by Penrith’s power pack.
“I was 82kg last year and I’m sitting at around 87kg now, so I’ve put on a bit of weight. It’s been a lot of effort in the gym,” Mam said.
“I actually like tackling people despite my size.
“Last year I wasn’t a really strong defender so I’ve worked hard to make sure I’m not a target.
“I feel like the boys have put trust in me this year and that’s made me more confident. I just have to nail my role and if there’s a chance, I’ll take it.”
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