NRL finals rivals will fear facing underrated Broncos, says James Roberts
DESPITE a season of inconsistent performances and off-field dramas, Brisbane now look like the giant-killers of the NRL — and James Roberts reckons they’ve got their rivals running scared.
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THE Broncos are the giant-killers of the NRL and centre James Roberts claims rival clubs would be nervous about facing Brisbane in the finals.
The Broncos may have the opportunity to secure a home final when they face Manly at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday in the last round of the regular season.
Coach Wayne Bennett has kicked the Broncos into gear in the past fortnight, racking up impressive wins against premiership heavyweights the Rabbitohs and Roosters to prove Brisbane is a genuine title contender.
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If not for some poor losses this season, the Broncos could have easily been in the top four given their record against the competition’s best teams.
Statistics provided by Fox Sports Lab show the Broncos have the best record against the other top-eight teams, winning eight of 12 matches against this season’s premiership contenders.
The only top-eight teams the Broncos have not beaten this season are archrivals Melbourne (two losses) and the fading Dragons (one loss), whose recent form has been nothing like when they beat Brisbane in Round 1.
Roberts said the Broncos had hit their straps at the right time of the year and rival clubs had better watch out.
“Any team that comes up against us gets a bit nervous,” he said.
“They want to hope we’re not on because you saw what we can do to teams in the last two weeks.
“They’ve been very tough and finals like (wins against Rabbitohs and Roosters). We’re slowly getting into our groove.
“Our forward pack is one of the best in the comp and we’ve got an awesome backline.
“We’re dangerous all over the park.”
The Broncos have built their late season form surge on the back of improving defence and low-error football.
They boast the best completion rate (78.53 per cent) in the NRL this season and made only four errors against the Roosters to starve them of possession.
The Broncos have missed star players Jack Bird (sternum) and Matt Gillett (neck) for most of the season and have relied heavily on young guns like David Fifita, Tevita Pangai Jr and Matt Lodge to fire in the forwards.
Roberts, who made his NSW Origin debut this year, said Brisbane’s less experienced brigade were starting to believe they win the club’s first premiership since 2006.
“For the younger guys there is a lot more self-belief,” he said.
“We’ve always had self-belief, but it’s growing and our trust within the team is getting stronger and stronger. That’s what you need to win comps.
“It’s the pinnacle of rugby league, that’s what we all train for and get paid to do — win comps.
“Especially at a club like the Broncos, that’s what we’re all about.
“It’s been the longest drought in our club’s history and we’re looking to change that this year.”
Retiring prop Sam Thaiday, who played in Brisbane’s last premiership team, said the Broncos had to make sure they disposed of lowly Manly on Sunday before launching a finals assault.
“The hardest thing has been our mindset this year and making sure we prepare well against teams we think we should beat,” he said.
“We haven’t been good against the bottom sides. We have to get that right this week.
“We’ll get in there and shake the competition up.
“I can’t make too many comparisons (to 2006) because it’s different teams and different times but we have a good mix of youth and experience.
“The young guys have been doing a fantastic job for us. Guys like Tevita and Joe (Ofahengaue) have gone to a new level and David Fifita is a star of the future.
“It’s great to see those younger guys playing off the back of the senior blokes.”
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Originally published as NRL finals rivals will fear facing underrated Broncos, says James Roberts