NRL round 24: Brisbane Broncos crush Parramatta Eels 54-10, Mitch Moses cheekbone injury
The Gabba demolition for the 2032 Olympics got a helping hand from the Broncos as they crushed Parramatta in a message to premiership rivals Penrith.
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Broncos whizkid Reece Walsh ran riot to ignite Brisbane’s premiership assault as star Eels halfback Mitchell Moses suffered a suspected fractured cheekbone in Parramatta’s 54-10 collapse on Friday night.
In a crushing blow for last year’s grand finalists, Moses’ season could be over after sustaining a facial injury in the opening minutes of the Eels’ nine-tries-to-two spanking at the Gabba.
But not even a fit Moses could have saved the blue-and-gold army, who were blown apart by a rampaging Broncos team that fired a title warning shot as Walsh, Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam unleashed a triple treat.
The Broncos resembled Wayne Bennett’s entertainers of the 1990s, with unheralded duo Billy Walters and Deine Mariner posting doubles to leave pathetic Parramatta’s finals hopes on life support.
Under pressure early, the Broncos surged to a 24-0 half-time lead and buried the Eels to effectively seal a top-two berth, a sixth straight win and a crucial home semi-final for the opening week of the finals.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters believes his side still has another gear for the finals.
“I don’t know where the cap for our side is,” he said.
“It was a good start from us and we just maintained that momentum through the whole of the first half, just kept building pressure and picking up points.
“To be fair Parramatta had their injury problems, they had to reshape their defensive line which is always difficult and when you have got guys like ‘Reyno’ (Adam Reynolds) and ‘Walshy’ (Reece Walsh) out there pulling the strings, it makes it pretty hard to defend against.”
RAZZLE DAZZLE
The wondrous Walsh’s attacking brilliance evoked images of a young Darren Lockyer carving up for the magical Broncos sides during their premiership glory years.
The flying fullback destroyed the Eels, producing 109 metres, six tackle busts, two line breaks, a 40-20 kick, a late try and the highlight _ a sublime 20-metre long ball for Mariner’s 31st-minute try which had Parra in tatters at 18-0.
Ably supported by red-hot halves Mam and Reynolds, who kicked his 1000th career goal, Walsh’s speed is lethal and if the key trio maintain the rage, Brisbane have the firepower to smash their 17-year title drought.
HOLY MOSES
The Eels face an uphill battle to make the finals after this Gabba debacle and their cause wasn’t helped by the loss of main man Moses.
It is understood Moses suffered the injury in the fifth minute and he bravely soldiered on until half-time, even producing a brave sprint to try and stop a trybound Herbie Farnworth 90 seconds before the break.
Moses may not return this season and that could be the nail in the coffin for the finals hopes of the embattled Eels, who entered the round 24 showdown in 10th spot.
Parramatta dominated early but their attacking cohesion and defensive application is miles away from the slick team that surged to last year’s decider.
Eels coach Brad Arthur is resigned to being without Moses for the rest of the season.
“We’re pretty sure he has a fractured eye socket,” Arthur said.
“It was about the third or fourth minute, it was extremely tough of him to play on.
“We made the decision to pull him off, he wanted to go back out there in the second half.
“We had some carnage, but we’re not giving up on our season, we’ll keep fighting until the end.”
ON CLOUD NINE
Maligned for 18 months, Walters is now a bona fide member of Brisbane’s playmaking spine.
The son of the Broncos coach silenced his critics with another outstanding display, celebrating the first double of his 57-game NRL career.
In the 27th minute, he produced his best solo moment of the season, beating two Eels defenders with back-to-back lethal left-foot steps to crash over from dummy half and give Brisbane a 14-0 lead.
Not only has Walters muscled up in defence, but his improved creative touch has added another dimension to Brisbane’s spine.
SMELLS LIKE TEAM SPIRIT
The superb two-try performance of rookie Mariner underlined the depth and talent of Brisbane’s class of 2023.
Brisbane registered their 17th victory of the season and if they beat Canberra (a) and Melbourne (h) in the final two rounds, they will become the first Broncos team in history to win 19 regular-season games.
If any team can deny Penrith a hat-trick of titles, it’s the Broncos.
DOMINANT SHARKS CLAIM TOP FOUR SPOT — FOR NOW
Martin Gabor
Gold Coast’s two best players signed colossal contract extensions but it was Sharks veteran Wade Graham in his final season who wound back the clock to help Cronulla move one step closer to securing a top eight finish with a 36-6 win at home.
The premiership-winning hero broke the news to teammates earlier in the week that he’d be retiring at the end of the season, and they celebrated him in style by securing two competition points that has them momentarily in the top four.
Graham even strolled over for a try in the second half thanks to Braydon Trindall’s third assist of the night, while fellow forwards Cameron McInnes and Toby Rudolf also crossed the stripe as the Sharks feasted on the Titans through the middle.
Friday’s result was a non-negotiable for the Sharks who got their season back on track with a shock win over Souths in Perth, and they now control their own destiny with three tricky games to come.
“You can’t control what’s going to happen with other results,” Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said.
“I know it’s a cliché to say ‘week to week’, but it is. If we slip up on a week then that’s going to have ramifications so it’s quite easy to knuckle down on your next opponents.”
DOUBLE TROUBLE
They missed 48 tackles, conceded eight line-breaks and slumped to their 13th loss of the year, but the only number Titans fans should worry about is the eye-watering $15 million the club has reportedly spent to retain star forwards Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and David Fifita.
Interim coach Jim Lenihan dropped the bombshell on the Fox League pre-game show that the duo had inked massive new deals to stay on the Gold Coast despite being linked with rivals after Justin Holbrook was sacked.
Fa’asuamaleaui was brilliant in his return from suspension, running for an impressive 176 metres which included a barnstorming solo try that saw him produce the too short celebration on the Sharks defenders.
It’s a huge coup to keep him for the next decade, while Fifita – who will be there for a further three seasons – caused plenty of headaches but was one of three Titans players to have tries taken off them.
The edge forward does face a nervous wait after he was placed on report for a blatant shoulder charge before Erin Clark was then sent to the sin bin for lashing out in the ensuing melee.
“We’re working really hard at how we work in games and how we physically want to represent ourselves,” Lenihan said, describing the signings as “fantastic”.
“We want to be a side that’s not looked at as a weak side – I know tonight’s result wasn’t great – but we’re certainly transitioning, and that’s not an easy fix or a quick fix.
“That’s a long process of working hard.”
RONALDO NETS A BRACE
Messi is going wild in Miami but Ronaldo Mulitalo is on fire in the Shire after the classy winger put on a show in his return from a jaw injury.
The Sharks winger missed the past two games after he picked up a knock at training but returned with a bang to keep his slim hopes of finishing the season as the league’s leading try-scorer alive.
It took Mulitalo just four minutes to open the scoring but it looked like that might have been his final involvement as he limped heavily with a right ankle injury.
But it proved to be nothing more than a scare as he completed his first-half double and finished the night with seven tackle busts while Connor Tracey also starred at fullback with 205 metres and a four-pointer of his own.
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