Anthony Milford mishap adds to misery as Dragons edge Broncos
Anthony Milford suffered a fresh injury scare as the Broncos took another kick in the guts with a crushing loss to the Dragons.
Star Brisbane pivot Anthony Milford suffered a fresh injury scare as the worst season in Broncos history delivered another kick in the guts with a crushing 28-26 loss to the Dragons on Friday night.
In front of 7,074 fans at Suncorp Stadium, the Broncos slumped to their 12th loss from 13 games and the narrow defeat was compounded by the sight of Milford limping to the sidelines in the 54th minute.
Milford made an early return from a hamstring injury in a bid to lift the Broncos but the $1 million man failed to finish as Brisbane crashed to their sixth consecutive defeat.
Unlike some of Brisbane’s recent horror shows, this was at least a fighting performance.
The Broncos kept the Dragons honest all night, but they fell agonisingly short and will finish the weekend last on percentages if the Bulldogs beat the Warriors on Sunday.
Ultimately, the Dragons had more classy executioners when it mattered. They bolted to a 12-0 lead after just six minutes and never trailed as Matt Dufty, Corey Norman and Ben Hunt kept the Red V in the finals hunt.
The Broncos had a sniff when Kotoni Staggs scored a superb 75-metre try to level scores at 18-all in the 44th minute, but a two-try effort from Fijian winger Mikaele Ravalawa edged the Dragons home.
Staggs has to be considered for his NSW debut this season. The power-packed centre has been a rare bright spot for the Broncos this season and he ripped the Dragons apart with a 75-metre solo scorcher in the 44th minute.
With the Broncos trailing 18-12, Staggs lit up Suncorp.
He took a pass from Tom Dearden deep inside his own half, gave Euan Aitken a savage don’t argue, shrugged off Adam Clune, raced upfield, then dummied past Dufty to score his eighth try of the season. It was brutally brilliant. Staggs is Origin material.
Broncos prop Joe Ofahengaue has gone backwards this season and he needs to lift his game or risk losing his Queensland Origin jumper.
The Broncos went into the clash with a depleted front row, missing Payne Haas and Tom Flegler, leaving Ofahengaue, playing his 101st NRL game, as the side’s most experienced middle player.
Brisbane needed Ofahengaue to muscle up. Instead, he was badly exposed on his tryline, missing Josh Kerr (3rd minute) before Norman slipped past Ofahengaue and Ben Te’o for a 12-0 lead after just six minutes.
For a bloke on $500,000 a season, Ofahengaue isn’t pulling his weight.
Queensland Origin coach Kevin Walters would have relished the performance of the Dragons’ Maroons duo Norman and Hunt. Norman scored a solo try and produced a crucial monster kick late in the game to pin Brisbane in their in-goal, while Hunt was busy all night around the rucks and came up with some clever strategic kicks.
Pat Carrigan was magnificent. Without Haas and Flegler, the Broncos ironman rolled up the sleeves, amassing 183 metres and 42 tackles. The Broncos need more troops like him.
The Broncos went into the game amid the backdrop of an another horrendous week for the glamour club with Staggs calling out his senior teammates for their leadership, or moreover in his opinion a lack of it.
“There’s some boys there in leadership that are not really doing their job and I think there’s a lot of young boys in there that are getting away with a bit,” the emerging centre said.
“We need some leaders there to step up and to show us young boys what it’s about.”
For Staggs to come out so strongly and in public at just 21 years old and having just 41 games under his belt is a clear sign that he does not intend to take the club’s predicament for granted.
More Coverage
Trouble at Knights? Players restless as exit rumours swirl in Newcastle
Adam O’Brien has led Newcastle to consecutive finals appearances but the Knights know they must reshape their roster to take the next step. But can he do it without losing control of the season before it begins?
SuperCoach trial scores: Star cheapie impresses in Eels debut
Popular cheapie Isaiah Iongi impressed with some brilliant touches in his first game for Parramatta. See all the SuperCoach scores from Week 2 of the Pre-Season Challenge.