Wayne Bennett blasts Broncos’ attitude ahead of Cowboys clash
BRISBANE coach Wayne Bennett has lashed his side’s attitude against the NRL’s cellar dwellers and warned the Broncos to ‘aim up” tonight or risk having their finals campaign derailed by the Cowboys.
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BRISBANE coach Wayne Bennett has lashed his side’s attitude against the NRL’s cellar dwellers and warned the Broncos to “aim up” tonight or risk having their finals campaign derailed by the Cowboys.
The Broncos have received a boost for tonight’s clash with strike forward Tevita Pangai Jr making a shock recovery from a groin injury to take his place on the bench for the Queensland derby in Townsville.
But Bennett warned Pangai Jr’s presence alone will not be enough to topple the Cowboys if the Broncos turn up with the same lack of energy that marred their dismal 36-22 loss to the lowly Bulldogs last week.
Seventh on percentages, the Broncos (26 points) must win two of their last four games to clinch a playoffs spot, but Bennett blasted his side’s mentality against lower-ranked teams.
While the Cowboys are equal last, Bennett hopes the fierce rivalry between the 2015 grand-final combatants will be the ultimate incentive to spark the Broncos into action.
“Every bottom-eight team we have played this year, we just haven’t aimed up,” he said.
“That’s the dynamics of our group, but that won’t be the case (tonight). No one will be looking at the Cowboys where they are on the table, we have played them too many times to know how much they want to beat us.
“It’s about the 11th or 12th derby since I’ve come back and every one is a tough encounter.
“They are played in a great spirit and they will be at their best. They bring out the best in us and we bring the best out in them. It will be another one of those games to see who wins it.
“We need to get back playing well and executing and doing the things that we know work for us.
“If we do that, winning looks after itself. When we have done it properly this year we have won. We lost our way last week and when we don’t have that energy, we’ll always get that result.”
While Broncos forward Sam Thaiday notches his 300th NRL game tonight, the Broncos will debut 20-year-old Gehamat Shibasaki, who will start at left centre in place of Jordan Kahu.
The well-built Shibasaki has represented the Queensland under-20s and Bennett backed the hard-running centre to handle the pressure of a Queensland derby.
“Gehamat has come through the system here, he is a good player, we all rate him highly,” Bennett said.
“He is a big powerful fella and willing, so he will be good, he won’t let us down.”
Bennett explained his decision to dump Kahu, who has been a regular fixture in the Broncos’ backline, playing 91 NRL games since his debut in 2013.
“I just thought his form was nowhere near what it can be,” he said.
“He has a few mates who aren’t playing great every week either but they’ve had a few good weeks.
“Jordan has just been struggling a little bit coming back from a broken jaw, and moving him in a couple of positions hasn’t helped him.”
Originally published as Wayne Bennett blasts Broncos’ attitude ahead of Cowboys clash
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