Brisbane continue march towards the finals with 24-12 win over plucky St George Illawarra

BRISBANE are looking more like title contenders with every passing week and their latest win, a 24-12 triumph over the Dragons, was one of their best yet.

Brisbane Broncos players celebrate a try during the round 24 NRL game between the Brisbane Broncos and the St George Illawarra Dragons at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Friday, August 18, 2017. (AAP Image/Dan Peled) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

BRISBANE channelled the spirit of their 2015 grand-final team as Anthony Milford produced his magical best to sink the Dragons and sound an ominous warning to NRL rivals.

Despite nursing a bung shoulder that could collapse at any moment, Milford showed he is as tough as he is talented after digging into his bag of tricks to spearhead Brisbane’s 24-12 victory at Suncorp Stadium.

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The triumph, Brisbane’s fifth in six games, kept Wayne Bennett’s troops in second spot — and they are generating the type of momentum that underpinned their most recent charge to the NRL grand final.

Brisbane rolled on with the impressive win over the Dragons.

The match represented the second anniversary of Brisbane’s 32-6 carve-up of the same opponent, the Dragons, at Suncorp Stadium. It was that victory which laid the platform for Brisbane’s surge to the 2015 decider and suddenly coach Bennett has a whiff of Groundhog Day.

Fittingly, it was Milford, Brisbane’s best player in their heartbreaking grand-final loss to the Cowboys, who shapes as the man to ensure the Broncos’ class of 2017 go one better.

Dancing like a Samoan Fred Astaire, the hot-stepping Milford toyed with the Red V, scoring a first-half try and setting up two others to leave the Dragons’ finals hopes on life support.

Milford was supported by a hungry Broncos pack that possesses both power and panache, with Josh McGuire setting up the try that gave ultra-consistent back-rower Alex Glenn a deserved double.

The Dragons were brave but couldn’t crack the Brisbane line.

It took just four minutes for Brisbane to land the first blow, Glenn pouncing after Dragons centre Josh Dugan grassed a Milford cross kick.

The loss of Andrew McCullough was supposed to sound the death-knell for Brisbane’s title hopes, but his injury-enforced absence has forced others in the playmaking spine to assume more responsibility.

Exhibit A is Milford.

The quicksilver five-eighth is running into formidable form on the eve of the finals. Not even a shoulder that requires surgery is eroding Milford’s confidence to back the best aspect of his game — his flashy feet.

His 20th-minute try which gave Brisbane an 8-6 lead was a tribute to Milford’s speed and potency in the red zone, but he is only one plank in a Broncos offensive system that is firing on the back of freedom.

The Broncos look every inch a title contender.

It would be dangerous to suggest Brisbane are a better team without McCullough but their ruck has a more creative dimension with Ben Hunt utilising his playmaking skills at dummy-half.

His 33rd minute play was simply sublime. Playing against his future club, Hunt showed superb vision, kicking across field early in the tackle count and hitting a flying Jordan Kahu smack on the chest for a 14-6 halftime lead.

It was the play of a $6 million man. Even Dragons coach Paul McGregor must have felt like applauding the genius of his future halfback.

The Dragons gave the Broncos a scare when Tim Lafai whittled the deficit to 20-12 after 58 minutes, but when Milford released Corey Oates 12 minutes from time, Brisbane were safe.

BRISBANE 24 (A Glenn 2 J Kahu A Milford C Oates tries A Milford 2 goals) bt ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA 12 (T Lafai P Vaughan tries G Widdop 2 goals) at Suncorp Stadium. Referee: Matt Cecchin, Gavin Reynolds. Crowd: 31,832

Originally published as Brisbane continue march towards the finals with 24-12 win over plucky St George Illawarra