Adam Blair says Brisbane did not choke in the grand final defeat to North Queensland
ADAM Blair slams suggestions the Broncos are grand-final chokers as coach Wayne Bennett unleashes a secret weapon to fire up his players for the rematch against the Cowboys on Friday night.
Footy Form
Don't miss out on the headlines from Footy Form. Followed categories will be added to My News.
ADAM Blair has rubbished suggestions the Broncos are grand-final chokers as it emerged coach Wayne Bennett subjected the squad to a replay of their Cowboys horror show.
The Broncos will square off with the Cowboys in a Suncorp blockbuster this Friday night - the first time the Queensland rivals have clashed since their grand-final epic last October.
The Broncos came under fire in the wake of their crushing 17-16 extra-time loss, with critics accusing halfback Ben Hunt of tactical negativity by constantly kicking into touch in the final quarter.
Rather than shut the Cowboys out, it buoyed Brisbane’s foes, who finished with greater intensity as Johnathan Thurston snapped the field goal that clinched their maiden title.
In a bid to bury their demons, Broncos coach Bennett presided over a video review of the grand final in which he pinpointed critical areas that cost Brisbane their seventh premiership.
Blair has heard several critiques that Brisbane lost their nerve in the decider - but the Kiwi Test enforcer is adamant the Broncos did not hit the panic button with victory in sight.
“A lot of people watching that grand final may think we tightened up and lost the game by not playing football,” Blair said.
“But at the same time, I can tell you no-one in our squad felt like we were going to lose that game ... it just happened in the final seconds.
“I don’t agree that we panicked at the end. The whole time out there I know I felt comfortable with the situation and I trusted my teammates.
“Unfortunately, we clocked off for a second and we paid for that.”
Blair concedes many Broncos players were reluctant to conduct a review of the NRL decider. Retired skipper Justin Hodges still refuses to watch a replay of the contest, but Blair says Bennett’s breakdown of their loss imparted some valuable lessons.
NO CHANCE: No grand final hangover for Broncos
EXTEND: Bennett to lead Brisbane until the end of 2019
“A lot of boys didn’t want to do that (watch the grand final again), but to move forward we had to go over the things we didn’t do well in the game,” he said.
“We didn’t watch the whole game, we just watched things we could have done better.
“I just think our execution that night was an issue and we have to keep playing footy this season.
“After going through the game, this year we know what we have to be better at and fix it up.
“We have a lot of hard work to do to get back there (this year’s grand final) and we know a lot of teams will be looking to get us.”
Broncos skipper Corey Parker challenged the squad to lift after squandering a 22-6 halftime lead to crash to a shock 23-22 loss to the Panthers last Saturday.
“We didn’t live up to our standards that we’ve set,” Parker said.
“We’ve had a look at it on the video and worked really hard to rectify it (for the Cowboys clash).
“We’ve moved on from the grand final. We’re not worried about the Cowboys this week, we’re focused on ourselves.”
Download SuperFan NRL - the ultimate rugby league app for iOS
Originally published as Adam Blair says Brisbane did not choke in the grand final defeat to North Queensland
Get your 2019 NRL tipping chart
Whether you’re getting the office together or just organising the family tipping competition, you’re going to need a tipping chart. We’ve got you covered. DOWNLOAD YOUR CHART HERE.
Storm’s new iceman sledges Cronk
WITH Cooper Cronk’s departure last season, Cameron Munster has emerged as Melbourne’s clutch hero in 2018, and the playmaker let his former teammate know all about his new-found talent.