Embarrassed: Brisbane’s Matt Lodge gives brutal assessment of Broncos

Brisbane forward Matt Lodge didn’t pull any punches when assessing the Broncos’ performance against the Roosters.

Broncos forward Matt Lodge: ‘We’re pretty heartbroken. We let a lot of people down.’ Picture: AAP

Brisbane forward Matt Lodge was 10 minutes into an interview on Sunday afternoon when one of the club’s officials tried to drag him away for a gym session.

Lodge wasn’t going anywhere. Brisbane players have been in the crosshairs for not fronting the media after Thursday night’s drubbing at the hands of the Sydney Roosters and Lodge wanted to make a point. He even extended an olive branch to club legend Gorden Tallis, insisting the door was always open at Broncos headquarters.

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“No one walked off that field after being embarrassed 59-0 and felt happy about that,” Lodge said.

“You get embarrassed for days. You get double-downed on by players who were successful at this club. They have every right to throw that criticism because the performance was embarrassing. It kind of lets them down because it is their club as well, they created the Brisbane Broncos.

“Gordie is one of the best forwards that has ever played the game so anything he says you have to take with a bit of respect.

“But he has never stepped foot in the building, helped any one of our young players, helped the club get better, reached out and asked if there is anything he can do to help us become better.

“He is entitled to that opinion. Maybe if he could know that we are trying to fix it here. If he wants to come in and give us a hand, show us leadership and help us be better players, we are more than (open) to that.”

Tallis quickly dismissed the idea. Told by The Australian of Lodge’s comments while on Triple M NRL, Tallis replied: “They made their choices. They made their bed, they can lie in it. No chance mate.”

Clearly, Tallis won’t be part of any Broncos revival, at least not in the existing climate. Instead, it will be left to the current guard to rebuild the club’s reputation following the embarrassment against the Roosters.

Coach Anthony Seibold is expected to make mass changes in response. He will shift Corey Oates to the back row, allowing the Broncos to bring in young star Xavier Coates on the wing.

Jesse Arthars is likely to be axed, Lodge is expected to return to the starting side and Thomas Dearden is likely to join the squad on the interchange bench as the Broncos prepare for another testing encounter against Manly.

“We’re pretty heartbroken,” Lodge said. “We let a lot of people down. Myself, my football hasn’t been good enough. The performance we put out was shit.

“The city and the club and everyone who has gone before us deserves better. There is only one way to pick yourself up and that is from every individual to go home and look at themselves in the mirror and realise how much damage a result like that has cost them.

“We have been living it the last couple of days and it has been relentless.”

Asked specifically about allegations the Broncos were lacking in leadership, Lodge — part of the club’s leadership group — said: “If I am being honest, we would love to have Darren Lockyer running us around and tell us what to do.

“We have the players here, we have the talent. If you are here, you are an adult, you are full time, you need to do the job.

“Across the board some people aren’t as good as what they think. That is also me as well who is in that category. I feel we haven’t ticked any boxes, we haven’t achieved anything, we haven’t won the comps they did in the 90s.

“The Roosters are the best forward pack in the comp because they have won the premierships. We have a lot of work to do.

“We haven’t built that hard resilience when things don’t go our way. That is not through being young — that is a personal thing we all need to be better at.

“It is a very bad feeling walking off the field getting beaten like that.”