NRL Round 27 2024: Melbourne Storm win 50-12 over Brisbane Broncos, Eliesa Katoa sin-binned

The Brisbane Broncos have capped off a disappointing 2024 season with a horror loss - in front of their home fans - to the Melbourne Storm.

Brisbane’s disastrous season finished with a brutal black eye as mighty Melbourne made a premiership statement with a ruthless 50-12 belting of the Broncos on Thursday night at Suncorp Stadium.

The brittle Broncos were defensively pathetic with hat-trick heroes Jahrome Hughes and Will Warbrick exacting revenge for last year’s Suncorp stitch-up to consign Brisbane to a horror 12th-placed finish before 35,086.

This time 12 months ago, the Broncos flogged the Storm 26-0 in the opening week of the finals at Suncorp in their fairytale surge to the 2023 grand final.

How the tables have turned.

The Broncos have ended a horror 2024 season in the worst possible way. Picture: NRL Imagery

While Craig Bellamy celebrated his 400th win as an NRL coach and his Storm team reinforced they are the team to beat in the 2024 title race, the woeful Broncos resembled Anthony Seibold’s wooden-spoon rabble of 2020.

Hungry for their first title in four years, the joy of Melbourne’s Broncos bashing was tempered only by flying fullback Sua Fa’alogo (hamstring) hobbling off in the 57th minute.

While Storm forward Eliesa Katoa dodged a bullet with the NRL match review committee clearing the backrower to play in week one of the finals.

Katoa was charged with a grade one careless high tackle after being sin-binned for a tackle on Broncos fullback Tristan Sailor on Thursday night.

The penalty carries a $1,800 fine with an early guilty plea, allowing Katoa to line-up for the Storm next weekend.

Melbourne are firing at the right time of the year. Picture: NRL Imagery

BUMBLING BRONCOS

On match eve, Broncos coach Kevin Walters appealed for his squad to play for pride.

His 17 troops showed little of it as Brisbane conceded a half-century for the first time this season.

This performance was an embarrassment to the Broncos jumper.

“I’m extremely disappointed, it’s not acceptable,” Walters said.

“Some of the tries we let in aren’t anywhere near NRL standard, not even in the Queensland Cup.”

Unable to make the playoffs, the dead-rubber degenerated into a Suncorp massacre as Hughes ran riot in a nine-tries-to-two carve up against a Broncos side that defended without spirit or hunger.

Brisbane missed 46 tackles and conceded 13 line breaks. They lost 10 of their last 13 games. Their defence was shamefully shambolic. Broncos stars should brace for a punishing 2025 pre-season.

RED-HOT HUGHES

Before Hughes joined the Storm in 2017, the former injury-prone Cowboy’s services were offered to the Broncos.

Hughes, his career at the crossroads, believed the Storm were the club to save him.

It was a sliding doors moment, with Hughes’ judicious move to Melbourne representing the masterstroke that has helped the attacking whiz realise his potential and put him firmly in the frame for this year’s Dally M Medal.

Hughes was sublime. The Kiwi Test halfback torched the Broncos with his pace and his brilliant short-side rush, releasing Warbrick (249m) before backing up to finish off a 70-metre movement, was rugby league magic.

SUPER SUA

Is there a better back-up fullback in the league than Storm sensation Fa’alogo?

What a talent. What a joy to watch.

Forget Benji Marshall and Karmichael Hunt. Fa’alogo’s flashy sidestep is twice as exaggerated and the Samoan speedster had the Broncos running in circles as he lit up Suncorp 12 months after his debut at the same venue.

In just his 15th NRL game, Fa’alogo charged for 185 metres and the Storm will be sweating on the fitness of the 21-year-old and first-choice fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen (leg) for week one of the finals.

Eliesa Katoa was charged with a grade one careless high tackle after being sin-binned. Picture: NRL Imagery

ROLLED OATES

If this is Corey Oates’ final game for the Broncos, he deserved better.

The off-contract 29-year-old claims he won’t be offered a new deal by Brisbane and the sole survivor of the Broncos’ 2015 grand-final team has been a wonderful servant for the club.

Oates is the third top tryscorer in Broncos history with 121 four-pointers and this was a sad swansong, the veteran winger hobbling throughout as the Storm ruthlessly plunged the dagger into his career and Brisbane’s season.

If this was Corey Oates’ final game for the Broncos it was a sad swansong. Picture: NRL Imagery

Walters dismissed suggestions the Broncos cannot fight back next season.

“We have enough talent here,” he said.

“We had $4 million sitting on the sidelines tonight.

“Defence is where we need to get better and that will be our first port of call.

“We need to be better as a group and a club.

“We’ll get our review started on Monday.”