NRL 2022: Parramatta Eels win 53-6 over Brisbane Broncos, Adam Reynolds HIA

The Brisbane Broncos were savaged on the field by the Eels and off of it by Queensland great Paul Vautin with ‘Fatty’ at a loss to understand why star winger Selwyn Cobbo missed the game.

Adam Reynolds was forced to watch on in horror, after failing a HIA early in the game. Picture: Getty Images.

Queensland legend Paul Vautin has blasted the Broncos’ decision to rest Origin star Selwyn Cobbo as Brisbane’s season teeters on the brink of collapse.

The Broncos suffered another shocking defeat on Thursday night, losing 53-6 to Parramatta in another Suncorp Stadium slam.

The 47-point drubbing by the Eels followed last week’s 60-12 thrashing from the Melbourne Storm and could see the Broncos fall out of the NRL’s top eight by Saturday afternoon if Canberra beats Manly.

After rocketing into the top four with a seven-game winning streak, the Broncos have lost four of their past five games and now risk missing the finals for the third straight year.

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Paul Vautin (inset) has slammed Brisbane's decision to rest Selwyn Cobbo on Thursday night.

The Broncos appear to be suffering a classic post-Origin hangover, and none more so than Cobbo, who was a late withdrawal from the Eels game due to “fatigue”.

Cobbo, 19, has had a breakout season which resulted in a Queensland debut, with the flying winger starting in all three Origin games.

Cobbo missed four NRL matches in total during the Origin period after suffering a sickening concussion in the opening minutes of the Suncorp decider, which resulted in lingering symptoms for a number of weeks.

He scored a hat-trick against the Knights a fortnight ago but was quiet in the Melbourne defeat, prompting Broncos coach Kevin Walters to give him a week off.

Selwyn Cobbo’s Origin campaign ended abruptly after he was concussed. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

But that didn’t sit well with Maroons great “Fatty” Vautin, who questioned why Cobbo needed to be rested with Brisbane’s season on the line.

“When I heard that I thought it was a gee up,” Vautin told Channel 9 in the aftermath of the Eels defeat.

“I mean, he is a winger for god’s sake. They just stand out on the sideline and fall over the line to score tries then go back and comb their hair.

“How come he needs a rest from that? Honestly, it’s unfathomable. There must be a reason for it.

“Just to say ‘oh no, Selwyn Cobbo’s had a tough year, we’re going to give him a rest’. My god.”

After playing seven games in his debut NRL season last year, Cobbo burst out of the blocks in 2022 to bolt into a Queensland Origin debut.

But his form since being selected for Queensland has plummeted, with Maroons great Cameron Smith admitting a taxing season may have caught up with him.

“He’s a young man and has played his first full series of State of Origin,” said Smith, a Queensland assistant coach.

“It’s a grind. It does take a little bit out of you, but there’s 40 other players that played Origin this year that are dealing with the same thing backing up.

“He’s a young man so you’d like to think he has the energy to be there ready to go.

“There may be some other stuff going on that we don’t know about.”

Walters has insisted there was no sinister reason for Cobbo’s omission and he would return to the team for next Saturday’s final round clash against the Dragons in Wollongong.

PRESSURE BUILDING ON KEVVIE AFTER ANOTHER BRONCOS BELTING

Broncos coach Kevin Walters is confident skipper Adam Reynolds will be cleared for a final-round finals tilt as Brisbane prepare to welcome back star lock Pat Carrigan for next week’s clash against the Dragons.

Pressure is building on Walters in the wake of a 53-6 drubbing at the hands of the Eels which could see the Broncos miss the finals for a third successive season.

The Broncos appeared finals certainties just five weeks ago after a superb 36-14 demolition of the Eels which propelled Brisbane into fourth spot and had Walters’ troops being trumpeted as a premiership dark horse.

Now it feels like rivals are flogging a dead horse, with back-to-back 60-12 and 53-6 collapses to the Storm and Parramatta leaving the Broncos in danger of crashing to ninth if Canberra beat Manly on Saturday.

Pressure is building on Kevin Walters, as the Broncos’ finals hopes begin to fade. Picture: Getty Images.

Walters was left to rue losing Reynolds to a head knock in the opening minutes of the Eels clash, but he expects the champion halfback to be available for the Dragons clash at Kogarah on Saturday week.

Meanwhile, Queensland Origin ironman Carrigan will return to stiffen a Brisbane defensive line that was embarrassingly ripped apart by the Eels to leave their title aspirations in tatters.

“I believe Adam will be OK, but he has to pass all the tests,” Walters said.

“It was just disappointing from everyone, but the positive is we’re still alive, we have another week against the Dragons.

“We get Patty Carrigan and Selwyn Cobbo back next week and hopefully we can pick up the pieces quickly.”

Walters was left to lament a shocking defensive display by the Broncos, who were carved up in midfield by a Parramatta side inspired by Shaun Lane and Mitchell Moses.

The Broncos, 14th last year, have done so well this season to put themselves back in finals contention but the past five weeks have been worryingly brittle.

“It was terrible,” Walters said.

“We didn’t start well and finished poorly as well.

“Our defence hasn’t been where it needs to be to do well at this time of the year.”

Prop Tom Flegler was rushed to hospital with a throat injury and is unlikely to play against the Dragons.

“’Fleg’ got an elbow to the throat, he couldn’t breathe,” Walters said.

“It wasn’t a good night for us.”

113 POINTS IN TWO GAMES: BRONCOS’ HUMILIATION CONTINUES

The Broncos’ finals hopes are in crisis after star skipper Adam Reynolds suffered a head knock and prop Tom Flegler was rushed to hospital in Brisbane’s disastrous 53-6 collapse against the Eels at Suncorp Stadium.

Just a week after being humiliated 60-12 by the Storm, Brisbane were disgraced again, this time ruthlessly ripped apart by a powerful Parramatta side that left the Broncos’ playoff prospects on life support.

The Broncos have conceded 113 points in two weeks.

What a debacle.

Flying high in the top four after flogging Parramatta 36-14 in round 19, the Broncos could sensationally drop out of the top eight this weekend as the electric Eels exacted revenge in Brisbane’s latest Suncorp siesta before 30,371 fans.

To compound their pain, key duo Flegler, Reynolds and Kobe Hetherington could miss Brisbane’s final regular-season clash against the Dragons at Kogarah.

Adam Reynolds was forced to watch on in horror, after failing a HIA early in the game. Picture: Getty Images.

Celebrating his 250th NRL game, Reynolds’ milestone match ended after just 13 minutes when the champion halfback collided with teammate Jordan Pereira’s hip and failed a HIA test.

It got worse for Brisbane. Eight minutes later, Flegler was placed on report for a shoulder charge on Parramatta prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard before leaving the field in the 25th minute – and going straight to hospital _ for scans on a throat injury.

Hetherington was then knocked out making a tackle in the 44th minute as the Broncos’ night imploded.

Brisbane pledged to hit back from the Melbourne massacre but their defensive frailties were again exposed as Eels trio Mitchell Moses, Clint Gutherson and Shaun Lane ran riot in a nine-tries-to-one carve-up.

Tom Flegler was taken to hospital after sturggling to breath after a hit to the throat. Picture: Getty Images.

EIGHT ISN’T ENOUGH

What on earth has happened to the Broncos?

Just five weeks ago, Brisbane were seemingly finals specials. Now, they are a rabble. The Broncos are no hope of winning the premiership, their title drought will extend to 16 seasons and four losses in five games have left their top-eight dreams in disarray.

The Parramatta pummelling left Brisbane (28 competition points) with a negative points differential (-26). If the ninth-placed Raiders (26 points and -25 differential) beat Manly on Saturday in Canberra, the Broncos will crash out of the top eight on percentages.

That would plunge the Broncos into a death-or-glory final-round away clash against the 10th-placed Dragons. On this evidence, don’t hold your breath hoping for Brisbane to beat the Red V.

If Brisbane miss the finals, it would be a shocking capitulation given the five months of toil that triggered hope of a Red Hill revival under Kevin Walters.

The Eels were in cruise control, with Clint Gutherson scoring a double as Parramatta piled on 53 points. Picture: Getty Images.

ADAM BOMB

The next nine days could make or break Brisbane’s season.

That’s the amount of time Broncos medicos have to put Reynolds through a crucial battery of tests in a desperate bid for their No. 1 player to be cleared of concussion for the Dragons showdown.

Reynolds tore Parramatta apart in their previous clash at CommBank Stadium but when he went up the tunnel early after colliding with Pereira, his 250th game was in tatters – and so was Brisbane’s offence.

Watching the drubbing from the sidelines, Reynolds looked a shattered man.

THE DEFENCE RESTS

If defence is attitude, Brisbane’s attitude suddenly stinks.

The Broncos have leaked a whopping 189 points in their last five matches an average of 37.8 per game.

After defending courageously for the majority of the season, Brisbane have lost the plot without the ball and their finals destiny is now out of their hands.

Brisbane’s confidence is shot – and so is their season.