Bulldogs upset Broncos’ top four hopes with a humiliating 36-22 defeat at ANZ Stadium
AFTER surging into top four contention, Brisbane came crashing back down to earth with an embarrassing defeat to Canterbury that raised serious questions about their premiership credentials.
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THE bumbling Broncos have copped a brutal reality check after having their NRL premiership credentials hammered in a 36-22 embarrassment to the battling Bulldogs.
After surging into top four contention in the past month, the Broncos came crashing back down to earth with a woeful performance at ANZ Stadium that raised serious questions about whether Brisbane has the mental strength to challenge for this year’s title.
With only four matches remaining in the regular season, the seventh-placed Broncos are at long odds to make the crucial top four after losing a game they simply should have won.
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No team has won the NRL premiership from outside the top four since the league’s creation in 1998 and while this year’s competition is as even as ever, the Broncos have struggled to find consistency.
If the Broncos are to win the premiership from outside the top four they will have to win four straight finals matches, something they have not managed to do in 2018.
After beating top eight teams Penrith and Cronulla in recent weeks, the Broncos should have made light work of the cellar-dwelling Bulldogs.
Instead, Brisbane turned up with the energy of a sloth and concentration of a toddler as they bumbled their way to 11 errors.
Coach Wayne Bennett said he was unable to explain Brisbane’s performance.
“I don’t really have any idea,” he said.
“I’m extremely disappointed. They had all the enthusiasm and energy. We were lacking in those areas.
“Our problem is we get two or three good weeks of football then throw one of these games in.
“I can’t tell you why it happens.
“I don’t think we’re that confident (that we thought we could turn up and win). We turned up hoping the other guys would do the job. They’re all hoping someone else will do the job.
“It’s not that we can’t play or match it with the best teams. Our best results have been against the top eight teams.”
Five-eighth Anthony Milford, winger Corey Oates and boom forward Tevita Pangai Jr turned in their worst performances of the year and Jordan Kahu was hooked midway through the second half.
If not for a brilliant brace of tries, which could have easily been a hat-trick, to bench prop Korbin Sims, the score would have looked even more dire for the Broncos.
The Broncos need one more win to guarantee a top eight finish and should manage that with games against the Cowboys (15th), Rabbitohs (2nd), Roosters (3rd) and Sea Eagles (14th) to come.
But they will have to produce a dramatic turnaround in next Thursday’s derby against North Queensland in Townsville to get back into title contention.
The Broncos looked like the Ipswich Jets when they bungled a short drop-out and gifted Canterbury captain Josh Jackson an easy four-pointer.
When Bulldogs fullback Will Hopoate finished off a fantastic long-range movement Canterbury had burst out to a 14-0 lead inside 25 minutes and a boilover was looming against the lethargic looking Broncos.
But the injection of Sims from the interchange sparked the Broncos as the Dragons-bound prop got Brisbane on the board in the 31st minute.
Sims was over again six minutes later, this time on the back of a clever inside pass from halfback Kodi Nikorima, and only a marginal double movement stopped him from bagging a hat-trick inside nine minutes.
Whatever energy the Broncos found late in the first half was gone by the second.
Bulldogs winger Brett Morris went over before fill-in halfback Matt Frawley made the most of his eleventh hour call-up before Josh Morris catapulted Canterbury to a 34-12 lead.
Milford and Jamayne Isaako added some respectability to the score with two consolation tries as the Broncos left Sydney their tails between their legs.
Full-time CANTERBURY 36 (M Frawley W Hopoate J Jackson B Morris J Morris tries R Martin 8 goals) bt BRISBANE 22 (K Sims 2 J Isaako A Milford tries J Isaako 3 goals) at ANZ Stadium. Referee: Ben Cummins, Peter Gough. Crowd: 6,434.
Originally published as Bulldogs upset Broncos’ top four hopes with a humiliating 36-22 defeat at ANZ Stadium