Anthony Milford, Kodi Nikorima produce playmaking masterclass as Broncos roll Roosters 22-8
WHATEVER coach Wayne Bennett cooked at his infamous barbecue has clicked the Broncos into gear as they proved they could do some serious damage in the looming finals.
NRL
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WAYNE Bennett says it’s up to the NRL to act on Dylan Napa’s controversial tackling technique after Broncos hooker Andrew McCullough was left with facial injuries in Brisbane’s 22-8 upstaging of the Roosters.
It was deja vu at Allianz Stadium after Napa produced a carbon-copy tackle of the controversial headclash which shattered the jaw of Broncos prop Korbin Sims in Round 11 to knock McCullough senseless.
Napa escaped suspension over the Sims tackle, but he is unlikely to be so lucky this time after NRL boss Todd Greenberg admitted he should have been charged last time.
Bennett, the NRL’s most experienced coach with 811 games, slammed Napa after the Sims tackle and said it was up to the code to act.
“I had a lot to say about it last time, it’s now up to the NRL,” he said.
MORE: Roosters v Broncos — five things we learned
“I stood up for my player then and made my feelings known to everybody.
“It’s up to the NRL now to do what they’ve got to do.”
Asked if NRL could have stopped the McCullough incident by suspending Napa last time, Bennett said: “Don’t take me down that path, I’ll go where I don’t want to go.”
Broncos captain Darius Boyd said Napa’s tackles were not a coincidence.
“He’s an aggressive player and it’s probably something to do with his technique,” Boyd said.
“It doesn’t happen by chance, not a couple of times. It’s something he needs to look at.”
The Napa incident overshadowed a terrific win for the Broncos against the NRL’s second-placed heavyweights which proved Brisbane could do some serious damage in the looming finals.
Whatever Bennett cooked at his infamous barbecue has seemed to click the Broncos into gear.
A win against cellar dwellers Manly at next Sunday’s final round clash at Suncorp Stadium could catapult Brisbane into fifth or sixth spot on the ladder and deliver the Broncos a home final.
If results go Brisbane’s way the Broncos could even sneak into the top four, although that seems unlikely.
The Broncos have beaten top four outfits South Sydney and Sydney in the past fortnight after losing to bottom four teams Canterbury and North Queensland.
Bennett may have finally struck gold in his search for consistency and it couldn’t have come at a better time with Brisbane facing the prospect of having to win four finals to claim the club’s first NRL title since 2006.
“We were pretty good,” Bennett said.
“It’s the right time of the year to be playing good football.
“It was a really good effort. It was pretty good stuff. We are coming together as a group.”
Napa’s sickening collision with Queensland Origin teammate McCullough left the Broncos without a hooker for 56 minutes, but Brisbane did not miss a beat despite missing their super consistent No. 9.
Halves Anthony Milford and Kodi Nikorima produced a playmaking masterclass, essentially kicking the Roosters out of the contest.
Brisbane’s improving defence was also watertight for much of the contest, holding the Roosters try-less for 67 minutes.
Corey Oates scored his 14th try of the season to get Brisbane on the board before fellow winger Jamayne Isaako bamboozled Roosters opposite Daniel Tupou on the other side of the field to give Brisbane a 14-8 lead.
A mistake by Tupou gifted Kodi Nikorima an easy four-pointer on the cusp of half-time which saw Brisbane take a 20-8 lead into the break.
The second half was a war of attrition, but the Broncos held solid to notch their 14th win and hit their straps at the business end of the season.
BRISBANE 22 (J Isaako K Nikorima C Oates tries J Isaako 5 goals) bt SYDNEY ROOSTERS 8 (B Ferguson try L Mitchell 2 goals) at Allianz Stadium. Referee: Gerard Sutton, Peter Gough. Crowd: 13,263
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Originally published as Anthony Milford, Kodi Nikorima produce playmaking masterclass as Broncos roll Roosters 22-8