NRL 2023: Brisbane Broncos win 32-10 over Sydney Roosters, Pat Carrigan ends try drought
Brisbane have moved to within striking distance of their first minor premiership in 23 years, as a Broncos star finally ended one of the NRL’s longest try-scoring droughts.
Brisbane moved within striking distance of their first minor premiership in 23 years _ and all-but delivered the bullet to the Roosters’ season _ with a commanding 32-10 rout at the Gabba on Thursday night.
Electric Ezra Mam and Broncos super centres Kotoni Staggs and Herbie Farnworth were as menacing as a 1980s West Indies pace attack at the Gabbatoir, tormenting a dismal Roosters side that bumbled to defeat before 21,841 fans.
Fighting for their season, Sydney were sloppy, crashing to a 20-0 half-time deficit and not even two late consolation tries could save Trent Robinson’s troops from the grim reality of a likely finals collapse.
The Broncos, conversely, were in formidable touch, with quicksilver pivot Mam charging onto a Roosters kick and racing 85 metres for his second try to nail Sydney’s coffin shut in the final minute.
Brisbane registered their 15th win of the season to be provisionally first and the Roosters roasting puts them on course for a top-two finish as the Broncos ramp-up plans to smash a 17-year title drought.
“It was a really good win,” Broncos coach Kevin Walters said. “That first half I don’t think I’ve seen us play as physical and as controlled.
“The Roosters were going hard, which we expected, but in the second it got a bit sloppy and messy with discipline.
“I was pretty impressed with our first 40.”
PAT ON THE BACK
Broncos lock Pat Carrigan should play in the back row more often. Being stationed out wide helped the Origin ironman finally break one of the longest individual tryscoring droughts in NRL history.
Playing on the right edge in place of Brendan Piakura (virus), Carrigan has finally avoided an end-of-season nudie run, celebrating the first try of his NRL career in his 78th match for the Broncos.
Carrigan hit an Adam Reynolds pass and crashed over in the 37th minute to give the Broncos a 20-0 half-time lead, sending Brisbane players into grand-final style celebrations as his four-year, 1568-day tryscoring drought officially came to an end.
Carrigan finished with 116 metres, four tackle busts, three offloads, 20 tackles and a line break in a superb all-round display.
“You could see from the boys we were all elated for Patty,” Walters said. “He was on 78 games, 77 and 76 before that (without a try), but he has got the egg off his back now ... he is away.”
BRICK WALL BRONCOS
On match eve, Bulldogs football boss Phil Gould delivered a brutal assessment of the Broncos, saying they lacked the defensive steel to win the premiership.
This performance proved it was a nonsensical critique.
Make no mistake, the Broncos have the defensive hunger to go all the way. Brisbane have the second best defensive record in the league, behind only Penrith, and they scrambled brilliantly to suffocate a Roosters side that won back-to-back titles just four years ago.
“Our defence was very good,” Walters said.
“We need to keep maintaining that and driving that, they scored both their tries from kicks.
“I was really impressed with our left edge, Herbie (Farnworth) did a great job on Joseph Manu.
“Herbie is known for his attacking prowess but he was very good in defence as well.”
BONDI RESCUE
The Chooks are just about cooked for 2023. Mathematically, they can still make the finals, but pragmatism suggests the Roosters’ top-eight hopes are terminal after their latest bumbling display.
Brisbane broke Sydney’s spirit in defence, while the Roosters’ attack lacked cohesion and execution.
The Roosters face Manly (h), the Dolphins (h), Parramatta (a), Wests Tigers (h) and Souths (a) in the last five weeks, but if they somehow sneak into the playoffs, they will be finals cannon fodder.
“We were well beaten, that was disappointing,” Robinson said.
“In these games against the top-four teams, we haven’t been threatening, we haven’t been able to score points.”
Asked if the Roosters can still make the finals, he added: “There is always belief. Until someone says there is zero per cent chance, then you attack it.
“The belief is there, but the execution isn’t.”
One bright spot was veteran winger Daniel Tupou, who became the greatest tryscorer in Roosters history with his 140th four-pointer, surpassing the legendary Anthony Minichiello (139).
“He is one of the best Polynesian players because of his consistency and longevity,” Robinson said.
“He is certainly one of our best wingers of all time.”
BRONCOS BAD LUCK CONTINUES AS HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF
—Pamela Whaley
Gold Coast are the NRLW queens of Queensland after sinking Brisbane 17-16 in a golden point thriller at The Gabba on Thursday night.
Titans hooker Lauren Brown nailed the winning field goal in the 77th minute to give her team the lead for the first time across the high intensity contest.
It was a gifted moment for the Titans, who managed to climb back from a 10-0 gap after just eight minutes to level the scores at 16-all with 20 minutes to play.
And then, with the game on the line in the 76th minute, the Broncos made a fatal error to hand possession to the Titans when they were called offside from the kick off.
With the game in the balance, coach Karyn Murphy called on ex-Bronco Brown from the bench to ice the field goal.
“I knew if we could get in a good position I’d back Loz any day to get those,” Murphy said.
The third instalment of what is becoming an intense rugby league rivalry has left the Broncos without a win from their first two games, while the Titans are undefeated after a win against North Queensland in round 1.
With their star five-eighth Taliah Fuimaono out with an ankle injury, the Titans ran out with a teenage halves combination in Sienna Lofipo and Chantay Kiria-Ratu.
Both 18, they’re the youngest halves combination in NRLW history.
Queensland 19s star Kiria-Ratu had the chance to put the Titans in front with eight minutes to go with a penalty from 30 metres out but it sailed to the left of the post, and she later missed a field goal with three minutes to play.
However, they both had plenty of courage despite their limited experience, while their Maroons under-19s teammate Rilee Jorgensen, also 18, was called up on game day but was a stand out in defence.
“Fui ruled out with that ankle injury, to have the youngest halves pairing in NRLW history, we knew that they’re definitely confident kids and I definitely had confidence in them,” Murphy said.
“They’ve got a massive future. To play beyond their years out there and that pressure, the decisions they made, I’m very proud of them.
“And then Rilee, she got a call this morning she’d be in too, we had five 18 year olds out there. So it’s looking good on the Gold Coast.”
The Titans didn’t gained the lead until the end but the Broncos did enough to hang on for the ride after racing out to a 10-0 start after just eight minutes.
With scores locked at 10-all at halftime, Broncos’ new recruit and ex-New Zealand Rugby Sevens star Gayle Broughton made the Titans defence look silly with her slick skills.
The 27-year-old former Parramatta fullback busted through three tackles on the 40 metre line, sold a dummy to Titans fullback Evania Pelite and scored next to the posts to go up 16-10.
But it wasn’t enough to hold off the storming Titans.
Broughton took a shot to win in golden point but it sailed wide, but for the second week in a row it was poor discipline that cost the Broncos.
“I look at it that we shouldn’t have gone into golden point, to be honest with you,” said Broncos coach Scott Prince.
“We had moments we could have nailed.
“We were very ill-disciplined in terms of our defensive efforts, missing one-on-one tackles. That’s certainly not the standard we want to play.
“You can pinpoint one moment like missing a field goal but there were many moments we just didn’t win.”
The Broncos will now face the Cowboys on Saturday to complete the Queensland triangle, while the Titans will take on Cronulla in The Shire.
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