Five things we learned: Broncos won’t win a title with spine mess

There’s still plenty to like about the young Broncos list, but there is one mess in particular that is holding them back from being a great side. Read the five things we learned here.

• PLAYER RATINGS: Same old guys fail to fire

• MATCH REPORT: Darkest day in Broncos history

It was the darkest day in Broncos history in Parramatta on Sunday and it will take time to recover.

While there is some positivity around the young gun forward pack, the playmakers are a debacle.

Here’s the five things we learned from the match.

Anthony Milford of the Broncos looks on after another Eels try. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

THE SPINE IS RUBBISH

1. THE Broncos will not win a premiership under coach Anthony Seibold until they fix their playmaking mess. Brisbane’s spine of Darius Boyd, Jake Turpin, Anthony Milford and Andrew McCullough were absolutely mauled by Parramatta wizards Mitchell Moses, Clint Gutherson and Dylan Brown. McCullough’s first-half air swing summed up Brisbane’s attack. The Broncos had no cohesion and Seibold needs to find a dominant No.7 to turn Brisbane’s youthful promise into premiership success.

EELS TARGET TEENS

2. THE Eels had a clear game plan to target Brisbane’s forward big guns Payne Haas and David Fifita and it worked a treat. Haas, averaging 189m this year, was held to just 93 running metres and Parramatta’s line-speed muzzled the powerful Fifita. Fullback Anthony Milford was also well contained.

Mitchell Moses of the Eels is tackled by Payne Haas of the Broncos. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

MOSES PARTS THEM

3. THE Broncos will rue not signing Mitchell Moses. Brisbane recruitment chiefs were keen to lure Moses to Red Hill last year but former coach Wayne Bennett knocked it on the head. Moses produced the game of his life and is just the type of classy playmaker the Broncos need.

THEY NEED TO LEARN

4. FOR the second year in a row, the Broncos have been humiliatingly defeated in the first round of the finals. With their season on the line, the Broncos were completely overwhelmed by the rampaging Parramatta squad and lacked the big-game experience to steady the ship. The young Broncos should learn from this costly defeat.

AWAY AND IN DANGER

5. BRISBANE’S away record this season has been their Achilles heel. They managed to win just one game from six outings in Sydney and conceded a whopping 222 points.