Broncos v Sea Eagles: Five things we learned
WHY a home final is so vital for Brisbane, the issue that continues to worry Wayne Bennett and more — check out five things we learned from their win over the Sea Eagles.
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1 — THE Broncos have earned themselves a much-needed week one home final. It seemed like it was going to be a “mission impossible” for Brisbane at stages of their battle with Manly, but they prevailed in the final 10 minutes to boost their for-and-against and secure the Suncorp Stadium showdown. Given Brisbane have not won a finals game away from home since 2009, it’s a major advantage for their finals campaign.
2 — IN booking themselves a home final, the Broncos have also locked in a clash with former teammate and Dragons halfback, Ben Hunt. It will provide an interesting twist to the do-or-die clash, especially given the form of Brisbane’s current halves pairing, Anthony Milford and Kodi Nikorima. While Hunt has come under heat in recent weeks, his ex-teammates are going from strength to strength.
3 — COREY Oates joined an elite group of Broncos players when he scored a stunning four tries. Steve Renouf, Wendell Sailor, Karmichael Hunt, Justin Hodges, Denan Kemp and Israel Folau are the only other players to achieve this in 30 years for Brisbane. He also surpassed Shaun Berrigan to become the sixth leading try scorer for the Broncos. He now has 79 tries in his six-year career. Should he re-sign with Brisbane, Oates could become the club’s most prolific tryscorer.
4 — YOUNG forward David Fifita is improving each week in an impressive debut season for the teenager. Against Manly he amassed 133m off 15 runs and made 25 tackles in a strong 80 minute performance. The future is bright for the 18-year-old.
5 — WHILE Brisbane will be happy to have come away with the victory, they will need to sharpen up their left edge defence before finals begin. Wayne Bennett admitted a few weeks ago it was a concern for him and it appears it still could be. Jordan Kahu missed six tackles, while Corey Oates missed three and Anthony Milford missed two for a total of 11 down the one side.
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