Crash Craddock: ‘Glass jaw’ Broncos can’t win premiership unless the rest of the forward pack aims up

The Broncos are great frontrunners. But their loss against the Panthers showed – once again – that they fall apart under pressure, writes ROBERT CRADDOCK.

The Broncos have earned an unfortunate reputation as a team who don’t like the rough stuff.

Who struggle to muscle up when they are confronted by an in-your-face forward pack like the Roosters, the Raiders and now the Panthers.

Brisbane are great frontrunners when they are allowed to put on their tap-dancing shoes but not when it’s blue overalls time. Pressure rattles them.

Here’s a couple of concerning stats from the spanking by the Panthers.

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Pat Carrigan and Payne Haas can’t do much more than they currently do. Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty Images

Despite the lopsided scoreline, Brisbane’s two forward leaders Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan made 178 and 148 running metres respectively and 83 tackles between them.

No problems here. They fired. These are good numbers. They could not give any more.

But teams have learnt that you can soak up Brisbane’s best one-two punch and still give them a beating.

That is a major worry … and what does that say about the rest of the pack?

As former Test prop Greg Dowling said recently “you cannot win a premiership with two forwards … the others have to chip in.’’

Players like Kobe Hetherington must find a way to give more. For a starting middle forward to be given Carrigan’s No.13 jumper and make three runs for a paltry 28m is unacceptable.

Significantly, Broncos coach Michael Maguire said he learnt a lot about his team in this loss.

So did rival teams whose standard game plan for the Broncos will be just what the in-your-face Roosters, Raiders and Panthers dealt up this season.

Maguire now has an extremely delicate decision whether to recall banned back Ezra Mam when he returns this week from a nine match suspension due to a drug-driving conviction.

Mam was given an insight into the greeting that awaits him when he was fiercely booed when his face was shown on the big screen late in the game.

REYNO’S NIGHTMARE

Does Adam Reynolds have grand final demons? Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty Images

Is the Broncos nightmare 26-24 grand final loss to the Panthers two seasons ago still haunting Adam Reynolds?

It looks like it. There were passages of play last night which bore stunning resemblance to the Panthers epic grand final win such as Reynolds kicking out on the full – which he did in the grand final – and missing Nathan Cleary when he jinked inside close to the line.

To his credit Reynolds put up his hand for an ordinary performance.

DES’ LAST STAND

Will the Gold Coast Titans be Des Hasler’s last stand as a first grade coach?

The Titans went searching for a harder edge when they sacked Mr Nice Guy Justin Holbrook and replaced him with the complex Hasler.

But he has not shifted them a square centimetre. Hasler is renowned for his quirkiness. When you are winning you can get away with being different. When you are losing your critics lose patience very quickly.

The Titans have had a shocking run of losses. Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty Images

Hasler also broke his silence on the axing of David Fifita but the enigmatic forward’s future remains a mystery.

Fifita played for the Ipswich Jets on Sunday, running just 58 metres and making 20 tackles after being named on an extended bench as his team lost 32-0 to the Northern Pride.

Ipswich officials were not unhappy with his effort but the numbers hardly screamed “pick me,’’ even after the Titans were thumped by the Bulldogs with coach Des Hasler conceding Fifita “has some thinking to do.‘’

“We will have a look post game, he’s had to review some areas and he had some thinking to do in some areas,” Hasler said.

“So we will assess that and we will go again … just some areas that we wanted him to look at that he has worked on. Some thinking along those lines.’’

TOM TERRIFIC

The prospect of leaving Tom Dearden out of the Queensland State of Origin starting side must pain Billy Slater’s heart.

Cam Munster looks a lock in to partner Daly Cherry-Evans in the halves but Dearden must be the squad, perhaps with in the No.14 jersey on his back. Tough, dependable, and with great zest for the contest, he shapes as an anchorman of the next generation.

TURF N SURF

The Suncorp Stadium turf held up perfectly. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Suncorp Stadium grounds manager Matthew Oliver can take a bow for the 11th hour revitalisation of the ground’s playing surface.

League fans were gobsmacked when the saw photos of half the field being returfed last Tuesday but Oliver declared he was “100 per cent confident‘’ the new turf would do Magic Round proud.

And so it proved despite being tested by torrential rain and nine games of football including the women’s State of Origin game with the best bits of turf being the ones which were replaced.

Originally published as Crash Craddock: ‘Glass jaw’ Broncos can’t win premiership unless the rest of the forward pack aims up