In a season filled with highs and lows, the Brisbane Broncos are now on the verge of experiencing the worst slide down the NRL ladder in the club’s illustrious history. As they prepare for a crucial final-round clash against the Melbourne Storm at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night, the stakes could not be higher. After finishing second on the NRL table in 2023 and competing in the grand final, the Broncos now face the grim possibility of finishing as low as 12th if they fail to secure a win against the league leaders.
The scenario is dire: even if they manage to pull off an unlikely upset, the best they could hope for is a 10th-place finish. This is due to the fact that four of the teams above them will face each other, ensuring that at least two of those teams will earn points regardless of the outcome. It’s a far cry from the expectations set at the beginning of the season, and a stark reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in professional sports.
Historically, the Broncos’ most significant drop came in 2020 when they secured their first wooden spoon, finishing in 16th place—eight positions lower than their 2019 performance. Now, they are on track to plummet an astonishing 10 spots in the standings, a reality that would be hard to swallow for a club that prides itself on its winning tradition.
This will mark the fourth time in five years that the Broncos will miss the finals, with three of those seasons occurring under the current coaching regime of Kevin Walters. Their recent 40-6 defeat to the Dolphins marked the largest loss they have ever suffered against a Queensland-based club, surpassing the previous record of 36-4 against North Queensland in 2006. Such a defeat not only highlights their struggles but also paints a picture of a team that has lost its way.
The Broncos’ performance against the Dolphins was a microcosm of their season—characterized by errors, lackluster effort, and an alarming inability to rise to the occasion. Walters emphasized the importance of handling pressure at the Broncos, a sentiment echoed by captain Adam Reynolds, who stated that representing the club is as much about winning as it is about playing.
As the team prepares for a critical offseason, recruitment will undoubtedly come under scrutiny. The decision to pass on the chance to re-sign former player Tevita Pangai Jr., who has excelled with the Dolphins, looms large. Instead, the Broncos opted for former Cowboys forward Jack Gosiewski, whose impact has been minimal. Mid-season recruits Fletcher Baker and Jaiyden Hunt have also struggled to make their mark, leaving fans and analysts questioning the club’s recruitment strategies.
In addition to recruitment concerns, the Broncos were also out-coached in their recent defeat. Wayne Bennett, the Dolphins’ coach, made effective adjustments that saw Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow move to center and Jake Averillo shift to five-eighth, resulting in a standout performance from the trio. Before the match, Bennett’s remark about the need for change resonated deeply: “You can’t keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect the same result.”
Defensively, the Broncos have shown alarming weaknesses, conceding 557 points this season—one of the worst records in the club’s history. If the Storm manage to score just 10 points on Thursday night, the Broncos will find themselves in even more dismal company, with only the disastrous 2020 wooden spoon year and the 14th-place finish in 2021 recording worse defensive statistics.
Reynolds lamented the team’s inability to defend against errors, noting, “We have been leaking way too many points. We have faced a bit of adversity, but we should be good enough to defend errors, and at the moment we are not.”
As the Broncos gear up for their final match against the Storm, the pressure is palpable. A win could provide a glimmer of hope and a chance to salvage some pride, while a loss would solidify their place in the annals of club history for all the wrong reasons. Fans are left wondering whether the Broncos can muster the strength and resolve needed to avoid an unprecedented collapse and regroup for a more promising future.