NRL 2020: Brisbane Broncos go down to Gold Coast Titans 30-12
Big Brother no more. The Broncos have been met with boos by their own fans at halftime, hitting rock bottom as the club fell to their fifth straight loss to the last placed Gold Coast Titans.
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For 32 years, the Broncos have been Queensland’s flagship club.
Now, they are a deadset embarrassment.
Besieged Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold is fighting to save his job after the Broncos crashed to their fifth consecutive loss with a pathetic 30-12 derby defeat to the pumped-up Titans.
The Big Brother Broncos had their pants pulled down by a Titans team that led from start to finish, running harder, playing tactically smarter and tackling with a spirit that painted Seibold’s troops as a passionless rabble.
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The Titans ambushed Brisbane with four first-half tries for a 22-0 halftime lead and withstood a brief fightback to bury the Broncos when Phillip Sami crossed in the dying minutes.
If the Bulldogs beat the Tigers today, the mighty Broncos — the richest club in the league with unmatched resources — will be dead last on percentages.
What a disgrace.
This performance was so insipid that Brisbane’s 6262 fans booed them off at halftime, prompting former skipper Justin Hodges to say: “I’ve never ever seen a Broncos team booed off.”
The Broncos board on Friday pledged their support for Seibold at a three-hour meeting but if there is any strong governance at the club, the Brisbane coach has to be axed if the glamour club misses the finals.
A playoffs implosion appears a mere certainty, with Brisbane’s third consecutive loss to the Titans at Suncorp compounded by the loss of senior prop Matt Lodge to a knee injury.
Seibold says his five-year contract is designed to give him time to build a dynasty but no Broncos coach gets such latitude.
Brisbane sacked Wayne Bennett with a 64 per cent win ratio in 2018. Seibold’s current win rate is a paltry 40 per cent.
Of equal concern is Brisbane’s general demeanour. They have no direction in the halves, no spirit in midfield and seemingly no faith in their underfire coach’s ability to stop the rot.
On paper, the Broncos have more talent but the Titans simply played with more enthusiasm and wanted victory more.
Based on this F-grade stuff, Seibold must find it hard to mount an argument that he hasn’t lost the dressing room.
The Titans ran and defended like it was a grand final. By contrast, the Broncos looked as flat as a McDonald’s hot cake in the opening stanza.
Intensity aside, the Broncos have simply not coped with the recalibrated style of football since the restart of the NRL premiership after the two-month COVID hiatus.
The one-referee system and six-again rules have created a faster paced game and several bigger Broncos forwards, such as Matt Lodge and Joe Ofahengaue, are being tested laterally, especially against second-phase football.
Reeling at 22-0 at halftime, the Broncos came alive in the second half. Two tries in 10 minutes to Ben Te’o (49th) and Herbie Farnworth (59th) whittled the deficit to 24-12, setting up a tense final quarter.
But the Titans held their nerve to leave Seibold facing a nervous future.
Originally published as NRL 2020: Brisbane Broncos go down to Gold Coast Titans 30-12