Jamayne Isaako says defeat to Melbourne saved Brisbane’s season
Just a few weeks ago, Melbourne looked to have put a nail in Brisbane’s finals chances. But as it turns out, it was that humiliating defeat that saved the Broncos’ season.
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Brisbane iceman Jamayne Isaako says their 40-4 “hiding” by the Storm last month and the honesty session that followed was the club’s turning point as they look to secure a remarkable finals berth.
Melbourne put on a Round 20 masterclass against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in a seven-tries-to-one horror show which left the home side’s finals aspirations in disarray.
The Broncos’ crushing reality check led to a team discussion the following Monday centred on getting back to basics.
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The demoralising loss has been credited as the spark needed to ignite the Broncos finals hopes after being taught a lesson by the best team in the competition.
As Brisbane prepares for their clash against the Bulldogs to solidify their first finals berth under coach Anthony Seibold, Isaako opened up about the fallout and the form surge that came from it.
“The game against the Storm, we got a bit of a hiding here at home,” Isaako said.
“We had a big talk here the following Monday just about getting back to enjoying our footy.
“A lot of the boys were trying to play footy that we all weren’t used to. We were trying to do things that we hadn’t practised at training. We were going away from that game plan.
“(The loss) certainly helped us in terms of what we needed to fix, especially me and Kotoni (Staggs) on the edges having that defensive mindset when to jam and when not to jam.”
The Broncos have since won three from four, with the thrilling two-point defeat to fourth-placed Rabbitohs the only stumble.
Isaako’s match-winning golden-point field goal against Parramatta last week was all the sweeter considering he has been battling a debilitating shoulder injury.
The 23-year-old has resorted to injections to reduce the pain while strapping his shoulder to get through training and playing the full 80 minutes.
“I’ve had a bit of an AC (acromioclavicular) joint problem for the last couple weeks,” Isaako said.
“It’s a bit sore, so (I’m) keeping it padded to get through training and get it ready for the game. I’ll probably needle it this week.
“It had a good run against (Parramatta winger Maika) Sivo a few times but hopefully should be right for this weekend. I try not to pay too much attention to it during a game.”
The star winger said he was hoping to play through the rest of the season before consulting club doctors about whether it will require surgery in the off-season.
“I’ll probably have to have that discussion,” he said.
“At this stage, hopefully not. Hopefully it can heal on his own. The pain isn’t too bad and it’s bearable.”
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