Roosters v Broncos: Five things we learned

BRISBANE’S halves failed to step up, the Wayne Bennett call that backfired — what we learned from the Broncos’ finals loss to the Roosters.

Roosters’ Latrell Mitchell is met by Broncos’ Benji Marshall.

THE Roosters one win from a grand final, while the Broncos have been thrust into a do-or-die clash.

Here’s what we learned from the Roosters’ thrilling 24-22 win over the Broncos at Allianz Stadium.

1 — WAYNE Bennett rarely falters but the Broncos super coach’s late reshuffle exploded in his face. David Mead started at fullback but was strangely replaced after 20 minutes by Kodi Nikorima, who was dumped to the bench. Bennett needs to decide if Nikorima is a starting halfback or a permanent No. 14.

2 — ANTHONY Milford and Benji Marshall went missing. With Darius Boyd out, the pair should have stepped up to save the game for Brisbane but could not find any spark. They were also greatly exposed in defence, missing 13 tackles between them.

Roosters’ Latrell Mitchell is met by Broncos’ Benji Marshall.

3 — BRISBANE need to fix their shocking starts. The Broncos were the second worst team during the regular season for their starts, having conceded 25 tries in the opening 20 minutes. They leaked another two by the 18th minute. In comparison, the Storm have conceded 14 and the Roosters just 13.

4 — DISCIPLINE in defence was the issue behind Brisbane’s poor start. The Broncos usually pride themselves on their defence but by the 20th minute, they had missed 19 tackles. At half-time, it was 26 compared to the Roosters’ eight.

5 — THE Broncos could be in line for a finals meeting with former coach Anthony Griffin. The club will host next week’s knockout final, which will be played against the winner of the Penrith and Manly clash today.