Beneath the veneer of the Broncos’ slew of talent lies a questionable mental toughness

It’s not talent beating the Broncos right now, it’s effort. For all their roster firepower, Brisbane have nobody fooled, writes PETER BADEL.

Talent isn’t beating the Broncos.

Effort is.

That’s the chastening reality for Michael Maguire as pressure builds on the Brisbane coach to kickstart a misfiring Broncos side that is fast becoming the most complex, enigmatic team in the league.

Broncos’ coach Michael Maguire after the most recent loss to South Sydney. Picture: NRL Imagery

Sometimes in rugby league the greatest weapon for a team is psychological.

Over the past four years, premiership kings Penrith had many teams beaten before kick-off, their aura all too powerful and suffocating.

Right now, the Broncos, for all their roster firepower, have nobody fooled.

Rival teams know that beneath the veneer of Brisbane’s slew of talent lies a questionable mental toughness that can be exposed when contests get dragged into the gutter and the street fight is on.

Brisbane led 14-0 at halftime in driving rain on Friday night.

The injury-ravaged Rabbitohs, missing nine top-liners, had no right to come back. The fact they did paints a picture of a vulnerable Brisbane team that has yet to find its true identity – and heart – under Maguire.

Ben Hunt watches on as the Broncos suffer another loss. Picture: Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

The man who knew it best was Souths supercoach Wayne Bennett.

His radar honed by 50 years of coaching, Bennett walked into the Homebush sheds at the break surprisingly calm. He sensed Brisbane’s energy was off; they weren’t up for a dogfight.

He had one simple message for his Souths troops.

Wayne Bennett looks on during South Sydney training leading up to the win over Brisbane. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

“Listen to me,” Bennett told the group.

“If we score first in the second half, we will win this.”

Three minutes after halftime, Souths hooker Siliva Havili scored a soft bargeover, triggering a red-and-green avalanche that saw Brisbane leak 22 unanswered points.

The Broncos sacked Kevin Walters last September and hired Maguire to instil a harder edge at Red Hill. After 10 rounds, the 5-5 Broncos have yet to prove they are being calloused into title contention by Maguire’s military methods.

Brisbane Broncos during loss to Penrith Panthers in Magic Round. Picture: NRL Imagery

Commentating for Fox Sports on Friday night, Walters had every right to feel vindicated and privately snigger: “I got this mob to within four minutes of a premiership … what did I really do wrong?”

Off-the-ball efforts are crushing Brisbane at the moment.

They are struggling to build pressure in attack, their movement patterns off-the-ball are pedestrian and gone is the kick-chase desperation that Jordan Riki exhibited in Brisbane’s charge to the 2023 grand final.

Kevin Walters after the 2023 NRL Grand Final loss to Penrith. Picture: Adam Head

In Brisbane’s past two grand-final campaigns, first under Bennett in 2015 and then Walters in 2023, the Broncos had a non-negotiable statistic related to decoy runs.

It’s boring stuff for the average fan but Brisbane’s internal data showed when the Broncos hit in excess of 50 decoy runs, they never lost.

Players moving off the ball is a sign of intent, energy and team-first commitment.

‘Push supports’ put doubt in defenders’ minds and give a halfback, such as Adam Reynolds, more time and variation to ignite the backline.

On Friday night, the Broncos had more territory than Souths, more line-breaks, more metres and fewer missed tackles … yet still lost.

Their decoy runs were 34.

It points to a team lacking desperation, amplifying pressure on Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan, the two front-row spearheads carrying Brisbane’s pack.

Payne Haas and Kotoni Staggs arrive back at Brisbane Airport after losing to the Rabbitohs. Picture: Richard Walker

Maguire has said several times at post-match press conferences, almost to the point of annoyance, that he is “learning about his team”.

That’s really code for Maguire discovering which of his troops are up for the fight … and those that are being found wanting living up to the standards the coach believes wins premierships.

Maguire, who won a title at Souths in 2014, builds success via a simple mantra - hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.

The Broncos have the talent and tools to break the club’s 19-year premiership drought this season.

But if Brisbane can’t find some substance quickly, the richest team in the league will lament another wasted campaign … and put another coach in the firing line.

Originally published as Beneath the veneer of the Broncos’ slew of talent lies a questionable mental toughness