NRL 2024: Pressure mounts on Walters as Broncos cling to finals hopes after loss to Dragons
Kevin Walters is under pressure to keep Brisbane’s premiership redemption quest alive after the Broncos slumped to a sixth straight loss in a 30-26 thriller to the Dragons on Saturday night.
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Kevin Walters is under pressure to keep Brisbane’s premiership redemption quest alive after the Broncos slumped to a sixth straight loss in a 30-26 thriller to the Dragons on Saturday night.
The Broncos’ finals hopes are on life support and they must defy history to win this year’s competition given no team has ever lost more than five straight games in a season and gone on to clinch the premiership.
Having not won since Magic Round two months ago, the Broncos (7-10) will be flat-out making the play-offs, let alone winning the grand final unless they can conjure a dramatic turnaround.
Before 34,224 at Suncorp Stadium in an Origin-depleted clash, Brisbane fumbled and bumbled in their worst 50 minutes of the season as Dragons giant Christian Tuipulotu barged his way to a stunning hat-trick – with some help from The Bunker.
Trailing 28-6, a late fightback thanks to a Kotoni Staggs double gave the Broncos a sniff of victory but the blowtorch is on coach Walters to find an answer to this dramatic crash before Brisbane’s premiership drought stretches into a 19th year.
“The thing that annoys me is I know we’re so much better than what we’re doing,” Walters said.
“I’m disappointed that’s what we throw up. I’m disappointed in myself as a coach that that’s what’s being presented consistently.
“That’s not good enough and that rests on me.”
BAD BOY BRONCOS
The Broncos had 12 players unavailable through injury and Origin but their discipline is the worst in the NRL.
Strip penalties, loose carries, professional fouls, forward passes, late tackles, ignoring offside warnings – you name it, the Broncos committed it.
It’s no surprise they have made the most errors in the NRL this year and rank 16th for completion rate.
Brisbane’s discipline was so poor in the first half they were on the wrong end of a 6-1 penalty count and none of them were contentious decisions.
The Dragons were by far the better team and deserved the 22-6 lead they took into the break.
It’s one thing to be down on troops but another to have a total disregard for discipline and the Broncos are getting what they deserve.
“The fundamental, simple errors…you can’t keep doing that,” Walters said.
“We paid the price again tonight.
“It’s not changing. Once one thing happens, it triggers another.”
CAVALRY COMING TOO LATE?
The Broncos get Origin quartet Payne Haas, Reece Walsh, Pat Carrigan and Selwyn Cobbo back on deck ahead of next Saturday’s trip to Newcastle and they don’t have to leave Queensland in the final seven rounds of the regular season.
Captain Adam Reynolds (bicep) is due back from injury in the next month but if they don’t get a move on against the Knights it may be too late.
It’s now looking like they must win about six of their final seven matches to finish in the top eight and five of those games are against teams currently above Brisbane on the ladder.
“I believe we can do that. It’s about these fellas and things have got to change for that to happen,” Walters said.
“We can’t keep doing what we’re doing because we’re no chance of it happening.
“If we change our mentality and habits, there’ll be a big shift.”
While the Broncos were missing plenty of cattle, the Dragons were without their two best players in Origin stars Ben Hunt and Zac Lomax but looked well-drilled and determined.
Axed Maroons forward Jaydn Su’A (129m, one try) ran with venom and Tuipulotu busted 10 tackles in a devastating performance out wide.
Widely-tipped to claim the wooden spoon, the Dragons are sitting eighth with a deserved 9-8 record.
“That’s the sort of team we are (powerful). I was really proud of the first 40 minutes,” Dragons coach Shane Flanagan said.
“The first 40 was Dragons-like, then possession and a few decisions put us under pressure and we let them come back for a scramble at the end,
“We were good enough to get away with it. What we did in the first half got us the win.”
BRONCOS NEED A MAM
The Broncos need five-eighth Ezra Mam to produce more magic if they are to salvage this season.
Mam showed his brilliance when he ran close to the line and scored in the 55th minute to keep the Broncos in the game.
It was a rare glimpse of what he is capable of and kick-started a mini-comeback by the Broncos.
The injection of Blake Mozer at dummy-half got Brisbane on the front foot, Brendan Piakura’s crunching tackles swung momentum and Staggs scored two great tries to show there is life at Red Hill.
This Broncos team has enough talent to challenge the NRL’s top clubs but they have to fix their discipline issues quickly.
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