Matty Johns says Broncos’ have ‘got to win’ to forget 2022 disaster

The Brisbane Broncos may be flying high on the ladder right now but the NRL powerhouse are still haunted by the ghosts of the past.

Kevvie wasn’t happy. Photo: NRL Photos

The home stretch of the 2022 season was a period in time Broncos fans would rather forget, and coach Kevin Walters will be determined to not let his side peak on its run this time around.

The third-placed Broncos are deservedly one of the premiership favourites in 2023, boasting one of the more balanced sides in the league. However, it was around this time last year that the wheels came off, dropping from fourth to ninth over the last six rounds to miraculously miss the top eight.

The Broncos lost five of their last six games posting a somewhat unbelievable for and against figure of -119 in that time, which curtailed a promising season.

Watch every game of every round of the 2023 NRL Telstra Premiership Season LIVE on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

There’s little doubt Brisbane are a better side in 2023, sitting in the top four at the end of every round except the first, but now, they have to manoueve through some icy waters.

The next few weeks minus the suspended Reece Walsh and injured forwards Tom Flegler, Kurt Capewell and Jordan Riki won’t be easy.

Those missing pieces coupled with last weekend’s shock loss to the undermanned Titans, will be enough to let the horrors of last season creep into the minds of some of the more pessimistic Broncos fans.

Thomas Flegler: Will miss the next few weeks with a foot injury.

The next chance Walters’ men will get to right the ship is against the Dolphins in the Battle of Brisbane on Saturday night.

In Matty Johns’ opinion, it’s a game the Broncos have to win.

“From the Broncos point of view, if you remember it was this time last year they had a shock loss to the Tigers (Round 20), Pat Carrigan got suspended and their season fell apart,” Johns said on The Late Show with Matty Johns.

“Well last weekend, they suffered a shock loss to the Titans, Reece Walsh has been suspended, it was an undisciplined performance and I think Kevvie (Walters) will be well aware of the similarities.

“Bottom line, Broncos have to get back on the horse and they’ve got to win this weekend.”

Gorden Tallis suggested the ghosts of last year’s past could be in the back of the players’ heads.

“Brisbane are a better side but last year what they went through, maybe that’s lingering behind them,” Tallis said.

“(It was only) the last 25 minutes was when they came out and thought that they could win so that comes down to the players attitude.

“They had a bye, they should have come back in fresh. When the coach says, go away and freshen up, you expect them to come back in with the right attitude and they didn’t.”

It was clear that Walters wasn’t pleased with his side’s attitude and performance during and after the loss to the Titans.

Kevvie wasn’t happy. Photo: NRL Photos

Fox League cameras captured him giving his side quite the spray in the sheds at halftime. He then didn’t mince words in the post-match press conference.

“Yeah I am a bit angry. I’m angry for the 40,000 people that came here today, expecting a bit more I would have thought,” Walters said.

After letting the dust settle, Walters also spoke on radio during the week, believing it was a game the Broncos let slip.

“I was disappointed after the game because I just felt like it was a game that was there to win,” Walters said Thursday on SEN 1170 Breakfast.

“Our attitude wasn’t where it has been all season and I understand that you can’t be at your best every week.

“Somehow, you just have to find a way to win those types of games because it is a very valuable two points we lost on the weekend.”

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Brisbane’s loss to the Gold Coast was the suspension of superstar Walsh, who has been rubbed out for three games for swearing at referee Chris Butler.

Losing Walsh for important games against the Dolphins, Bulldogs and Rabbitohs is a huge blow.

The 20-year-old has been in electric form for the Broncos this season, earning selection in the Queensland State of Origin side.

Walters has since lamented backing Walsh up from Game II.

“In hindsight I probably shouldn’t have played him against the Titans,” Walters said on SEN.

“I should’ve let him have a few days off and wind down from what was a pretty important couple of weeks for him with State of Origin.

“He has got a lot of energy as a player and sometimes that spills over.

“He sometimes doesn’t filter what’s coming out of his mouth but he’s a good young kid and his heart is in the right place.

“We are not happy with Reece’s actions on the field because it is unacceptable. We will work with him and fix him up in that space.”

Reece Walsh is suspended for three matches for verbally abusing a referee.

With the competition as tight as it’s ever been, there’s not much margin for error over the final ten rounds.

Two or three losses on the bounce could quickly turn any side’s season around for the worse.

While on paper, the Broncos should be able to “bounce back” against the struggling Dolphins, who have lost three straight, Johns says it can’t be a game the favourites should take lightly.

“They are looking at four in a row and I can imagine through the week Wayne would have coached the pants off them,” Johns said.

“He just gets them up. I think this will be a cracker and it has the smell of an upset.”

Originally published as Matty Johns says Broncos’ have ‘got to win’ to forget 2022 disaster