The Brisbane Broncos season is over. Needing to beat the Dragons on Saturday night and needing the Raiders to lose on Sunday, the Red Hill club didn’t even succeed in the first step.
Never before has a team ranked as high as fourth with six rounds to play missed out on the final.
The Dragons scored first and were never far behind in a 22-12 victory as Ben Hunt continued his Dally M attempt with a delightful performance, featuring two assist attempts, a 40-20 and 560-yard kick.
He sealed the victory by setting up Mathew Feagai, who ran over 50m to score a remarkable solo attempt. “That has to be one of the tries of the season,” Dan Ginnane said on Fox League.
The Broncos dominated territory throughout the game, but intercepted two no-bins, were poor defensively and even worse with the ball in hand.
“We had our destiny a little bit in our own hands and we let it slip away tonight,” Pat Carrigan told Fox League.
Their only hope of reaching the finals rests on the Raiders miraculously falling apart against the Tigers by a margin of more than 53 points.
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HUNT’S HEROICS STAR YEAR CAP
It was a masterclass from Ben Hunt, an exclamation point on a simply sensational season, and it could have earned him the Dally M medal. As Dan Ginnane stated: “Put the medal around his neck!”
Two assist attempts, and nearly a third. A sensational save attempt to stop the Broncos’ comeback.
Corey Parker said, “When it comes to moments, Ben Hunt has owned them tonight.”
The highlight might have been their 40-20 run to ease the pressure late in the first half. Having been under pressure and stuck in their own half for a long period, Hunt’s brilliant kick resulted in a try in the next set. Greg Alexander stated: “Ben Hunt’s 40-20 was huge.”
It was his sixth of the season, compared to just four in his entire career prior to this year.
Dan Ginnane told Fox League, “Anything good that’s happened for the Dragons, he’s been in the middle of it.”
He reached 21 assist attempts in the season, the first Dragon in five seasons to accumulate more than 20.
Asked if he’s playing the best football of his career, Hunt told Fox League, “I think he’s up there. I’m really enjoying my footy.”
And we’ve all enjoyed watching it.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – SEPTEMBER 3: Broncos players react during the Round 25 NRL game between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Brisbane Broncos at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on September 3, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
THE BRONCOS SHOW COURAGE, BUT THE SAME PROBLEMS REMAIN
“I’m sure you’re going to see a different Broncos (side) tonight,” Kevin Walters promised Fox League before the game.
There were positive signs, like his willingness to grind his way to victory led by the grunt and the desire for a returning Pat Carrigan. But the same old problems remained: the right edge of it was sometimes as full of holes as Swiss cheese.
And despite dominating the territory, his tame attack couldn’t convert that into points.
They made mistakes at crucial moments, and were careless and at odds with each other in attack.
Dan Ginnane said in a comment: “The Broncos hardly look like a team playing for their season.”
After a particularly bad mistake late in the game, Corey Parker declared, “The Broncos’ confidence is at an all time low.”
They have now lost five of their last six matches. They just don’t deserve to play finals.
As Corey Parker put it, the Broncos “have fallen off a cliff.” They have a whole offseason to figure out how to scale their way back.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – SEPTEMBER 03: Payne Haas and Adam Reynolds of the Broncos react at full time during the NRL 25th round game between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Brisbane Broncos at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on September 03 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
RIDICULOUS DRAGONS STATISTICS – AND BRONCOS ERROR
Tonight’s win ends the Dragons’ season, but it keeps alive one of the most fascinating stats of the season.
In all 12 games in which they scored the first try, the Dragons have won. In the 12 games that they conceded first, the Dragons lost! Their inability to fight back and reverse early deficits stems from many reasons, but one thing is clear: The Broncos simply had to start well.
The Broncos won the toss, but chose to run within the strong wind in the first half.
Instead of Adam Reynolds using his formidable kicking game, it was Ben Hunt who dominated the game from his boot, racking up over 300 yards of kicks in the first stanza.
The wind died down in the second half, meaning Brisbane’s hopes of returning home in the downwind death were dashed, as was their dream of the final.
Dragons coach Anthony Griffin said: “I think our performance was outstanding given the circumstances. He wasn’t pretty all the time in the end. At first glance, they were the team that had everything to play for. But I thought when the game was really there to win it, in the big moments in the second half, our guys kept showing up… It was a really good way to end it.”
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – SEPTEMBER 3: Tyson Gamble of the Broncos reacts at full time during the 25th round NRL game between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Brisbane Broncos at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on September 3, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
AS A STEP
MINUTE 6: The Dragons forced two errors in as many minutes before Jack Bird beat four tacklers near the line to reach out and connect the ball.
“These are worrying signs for visitors,” Dan Ginnane said in a commentary for Fox League. “It’s the Dragons looking fabulous so far.”
MINUTE 8: Tom Fgleler was trashed for 10 and placed on the report for a shoulder charge, despite his own chin hitting Mathew Feageai before his shoulder made contact. Feagai was subsequently sent to an HIA, which he approved.
Ginnane called it: “A dire start for the Broncos.”
Fortunately for the Broncos, they didn’t concede with Flegler out of the park.
MINUTE 25: The mounting pressure from the Broncos finally turned into points on the scoreboard when Delouise Hoeter overcame a wide tackle to score the fourth try of her career, and the third against the Dragons.
MINUTE 36: With a brilliant Ben Hunt 40/20, his sixth of the season, the Dragons struck in the next set when Zac Lomax delivered a no-look pass for winger Mathew Feagai to score. Hunt nearly made it 20-40 a couple of minutes later, but he was standing just in front of the 20m line.
Tom Flegler was stunned that he had been condemned to sin.Source: FOX SPORTS
MINUTE 45: The Broncos’ right-side defense fell apart again when Ben Hunt assisted Cody Ramsey, his 20th assist attempt of the season and the first man to do so for the Dragons in five years. Hunt tricked Adam Reynolds into pushing too far forward off the line and mounted a tackle to feed Ramsey. Hunt nearly made another attempt just a few minutes later with an equally exceptional pass, but the Broncos’ defense survived.
MINUTE 59: Billy Walters rocketed out of the ruck from close range to find the line thanks to some poor Dragons defending, with Reynolds’ conversion making it 16-12 for the Dragons.
MINUTE 76: Brendan Piakura spilled a pass and Ben Hunt recovered the ball, quickly going on the attack before feeding it to Feanai, who embarked on a simply remarkable run, getting past at least eight Broncos players before connecting the ball.
“That has to be one of the tries of the season,” Dan Ginnane said.
“That’s an outstanding individual effort,” Corey Parker said. “You couldn’t have scored a better try in the context of a season,” he added.
“That’s one of the great moments of the Dragons season and it comes right at the end,” Ginnane said.
MINUTE 77: Kotoni Staggs was penalized for a high tackle on Andrew McCullough.
Dan Ginnane said: “This is ending disastrously for the Broncos.”
TEAM NEWS
The Broncos got a big boost when crucial playmaker Adam Reynolds recovered from a concussion to take part in Saturday afternoon’s clash.
Tyson Gamble is cut in half and Ezra Mam folds. Thomas Flegler (throat) and Selwyn Cobbo (rested) are expected to play.
Backrower Jordan Riki has been ruled out with an eye problem and replaced in the starting squad by Zac Hosking. Corey Jenson (Covid) is also out with Brendan Piakura coming in at 17.
The Dragons made just one change to their starting team that beat the Tigers last time out, with veteran hooker Andrew McCullough (knee) called up late an hour after recovering from a knee injury. Jayden Sullivan falls to the bench and Tyrell Fuimaono to the 18th man.
Ben Hunt will be looking to finish the season strong in his quest for the Dally M medal.
dragons: 1. Cody Ramsey 2. Tyrell Sloan 3. Mathew Feagai 4. Zac Lomax 5. Tautau Moga 6. Talatau Amone 7. Ben Hunt 8. Jack de Belin 19. Andrew McCullough 10. Blake Lawrie 11. Josh Mcguire 12. Jaydn Su 13. Jack Bird 9. Jayden Sullivan 15. Jaiyden Hunt 16. Jackson Ford 17. Aaron Woods 18. Jack Gosiewski 14. Tyrell Fuimaono
broncos: 1. Te Maire Martin 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Delouise Hoeter 5. Selwyn Cobbo 6. Tyson Gamble 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Thomas Flegler 9. Jake Turpin 10. Payne Haas 11. Kurt Capewell 17. Zac Hosking 13. Patrick Carrigan 14. Billy Walters 15. Keenan Palasia 22 Rhys Kennedy 23 Brendan Piakura 18. Tesi Niu 19. Jordan Pereira
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Source: www.foxsports.com.au