Brisbane Broncos produced one of the comebacks of the NRL season to stun Canterbury 22-18 at Accor Stadium on Friday night and clinch back-to-back wins against the Bulldogs.
Canterbury led 16-0 at half-time, which they extended to 18-0 with a Matt Burton penalty goal four minutes after the break, and appeared to have two competition points in their keeping midway through the second stanza.
But some flippant mistakes with the ball by the Bulldogs allowed Brisbane to string together some possession and snatch the momentum, and five-eighth Ezra Mam caught fire to inspire a great escape.
Tries in the 60th, 65th, 70th and 73rd minutes lifted the visitors into the lead to claim a memorable victory that lifted them from seventh to fifth on the premiership ladder.
Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo said his team “lost control of the game” and paid the price for their lack of killer instinct.
“There was some really good stuff in the first half, some stuff I’m really proud of,” he said.
Canterbury’s Viliame Kikau tackles Brisbane’s Selwyn Cobbo on Friday night.Credit: Getty Images
“To get to 18-0 was good, but that wasn’t good enough, that last quarter of the game.
“Momentum totally shifted, and we weren’t good enough to win it back.”
Broncos coach Michael Maguire was delighted with the positivity his players exuded at half-time.
“The players at half-time spoke really well with each other, and they went out and delivered exactly what they said,” he said.
“So that was really pleasing. They needed to stick to their plan, and they did that, so I’m really happy for them … I knew there was a fair bit of belief about the group.”
The win saved the blushes of enigmatic Selwyn Cobbo, who made an error-riddled return to the NRL.
Cobbo, who had not played in Brisbane’s top side for five weeks – during which time he signed to join the Dolphins next season – was recalled by coach Michael Maguire at fullback in the absence of Queensland Origin star Reece Walsh.
If the 23-year-old was hoping to stake a claim for regular selection in Brisbane’s star-studded backline, he was his own worst enemy.
During a first half he would prefer to forget, his errors from Canterbury kicks led to two tries, he kicked out over the dead-ball line on the full and produced a fumble on one of the rare occasions the Broncos found themselves in good attacking position.
That helped the Bulldogs to a 16-0 half-time lead, which suggested they were on track to avenge their 42-18 loss to Brisbane in round eight.
Brisbane, who had won their three previous games, got off to a scratchy start, when back-rower Brendan Piakura was taken off after a head knock in the third minute, then seven minutes later Adam Reynolds kicked out on the full.
Canterbury capitalised on the early possession and turned it into points in the 14th minute, creating a right-edge overlap from a scrum win that allowed winger Marcelo Montoya to score in the corner.
Burton, playing at centre to allow Lachlan Galvin to start at five-eighth, landed a booming goal from the sideline.
Seven minutes later, the Bulldogs kept the ball alive on the last tackle and Burton kicked ahead. The ball bounced around in-goal, Cobbo failed to tidy it up, and Burton pounced to score.
Lachlan Galvin looks for support against the Broncos.Credit: Getty Images
Cobbo was again under scrutiny in the 33rd minute, when he allowed a Galvin bomb to bounce and back-rower Viliame Kikau swooped to post the Bulldogs’ third try.
A Burton penalty goal four minutes into the second half left the Broncos chasing an 18-0 deficit.
Brisbane finally responded in the 61st minute after Canterbury lost the ball in an attacking situation and it ended in the hands of Mam, who sent winger Josiah Karapani on a weaving run to the line.
Reynolds converted from wide out to give his team a flicker of hope.
Five minutes later, Mam – booed by the crowd of 25,234 every time he touched the ball – produced another classy pass that sent centre Delouise Hoeter for a try, but Reynolds missed the conversion, leaving his team eight points adrift.
Brisbane’s fightback continued in the 72nd minute when bench hooker Billy Walters burrowed over from dummy-half. Reynolds’ goal left the home team clinging to a two-point lead.
With all the momentum, Mam threw a perfect pass that sent Piakura over in the 76th minute, lifting Brisbane into the lead for the first time all night.
The Broncos were not about to make the same mistakes as Canterbury, and dug in to post one of their bravest wins in recent memory.
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