Gehamet Shibasaki, Kotoni Staggs star as Broncos win 20-12 over Dolphins
The Broncos’ centre pairing of star Kotoni Staggs and the unheralded Gehamat Shibasaki sucker-punched the dismal Dolphins to reclaim Battle for Brisbane bragging rights.
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Battle of Brisbane specialist Kotoni Staggs and unheralded centre partner Gehamat Shibasaki sucker-punched the dismal Dolphins to seal a 20-12 derby victory at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
Returning from a hip-flexor injury, Broncos ace Staggs rammed home his status as the Dolphins bogeyman, making a NSW Origin statement with a bruising display in his first game of the season.
But Staggs found an unlikely hero in centre cohort Shibasaki, who destroyed the Dolphins with two tries, 174 metres and nine tackle busts. He finished with the Battle Medal in the greatest game of his career to fire the Broncos to a slick 3-1 start.
While Brisbane were clinically commanding in wet conditions, the Dolphins trailed from start to finish, ringing alarm bells for coach Kristian Woolf as they crashed to a worrying 0-4 record.
The victory partly avenged Brisbane’s 40-6 belting by the Dolphins last year, although Broncos back-rower Jordan Riki could face suspension for a 39th-minute high shot on Jack Bostock.
“That was a tough game,” Broncos coach Michael Maguire said. “There were periods where we really had to dig in.”
HE’S A GEM
The Dolphins must be sick of Staggs. ‘Special K’ famously roared “this is our f***ing home” when he scored a runaway match-winner in the first clash between the teams in 2023 and the Broncos powerhouse was brilliant again.
Staggs speared through the Dolphins with a solo try in the 30th minute and while he was powerful, his lesser-profile centre partner Shibasaki continued to impress in the No.4 jumper in his second coming at Red Hill.
Shibasaki opened the scoring in the 12th minute running a nice line off Jack Gosiewski and the former Queensland under-20s young gun capped a fine game with his second in the 56th to bury the Dolphins.
“It’s a credit to Gem,” Maguire said. “He has got himself in shape to take this opportunity and he’s done that.”
REECE’S REVENGE
This wasn’t Reece Walsh’s greatest game, but the superstar fullback answered his critics with a display that, most critically, was free of error.
After nine blunders in the past fortnight, the Red Hill Ferrari played with more composure and conservation but Walsh still showed touches of class when it mattered.
The Queensland Origin star landed some precision kicks to pin the Dolphins on their tryline and his rapid-fire catch-and-pass for Shibasaki’s second try was simply sublime.
“It was a set play believe it or not and it came off,” skipper Adam Reynolds said.
CUTTING EDGE
After a quiet past fortnight, Broncos back-rowers Gosiewski and Riki showed more punch to put pressure on Dolphins defenders on the left and right edge.
Both have been defensively sound in the opening three weeks but this time their offensive output was a highlight.
Gosiewski timed his 12th-minute run superbly to put Shibasaki over, while Riki (149m) was busier in attack, producing a tackle-busting 30th minute charge which set the platform for Staggs’ solo brilliance.
But Riki could have a case to answer after crunching Jack Bostock. He was lucky to avoid being sin-binned.
MINISTERS FOR DEFENCE
When Michael Maguire won the premiership in 2014 at South Sydney, the Bunnies had the best defence in the league, leaking just 15 points per game.
A decade on, Maguire’s Broncos are exhibiting a desperate edge without the ball. Maguire’s winning methodology is built on defensive spirit and even when the Dolphins dominated field position early, Brisbane repelled several waves of attack.
It will take a special team to consistently unlock the Broncos this season.
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Originally published as Gehamet Shibasaki, Kotoni Staggs star as Broncos win 20-12 over Dolphins
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