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Their resolve had been questioned, then their resilience emerged.
Trailing the Sharks by 16 points with 27 minutes left, try-scoring doubles to Gehamat Shibasaki and Josiah Karapani lifted their side off the canvas.
The Broncos fixed their discipline after halftime, conceding just one penalty as they slowly fought their way back into the contest, realising they didn’t have to deviate from the gameplan to score points late.
“We always knew the hard work would get us in good stead down the track, and we’ve shown in games we’ve had to come from behind and play the long game now,” prop Corey Jensen said.
“We’re never out of it, no matter what the scoreline is.”
Round 18 v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (22-18)
This was the battle which illustrated the Broncos could win from anywhere – even without their State of Origin stars Payne Haas, Pat Carrigan, Reece Walsh and Shibasaki.
Down 18-0 with 20 minutes left, the Broncos rallied to score four tries, as rookie prop Xavier Willison stood up.
The Kiwi became a 68-minute hero, finishing with 203 running metres and 43 tackles to show the Red Hill faithful they had an ally in waiting for Haas.
They relied on their defence and strike power against tiring defence – losing the possession and territory battle, while making more than double the tackles inside their own 20-metre line.
“We’ve got a system in place where we just need to play our style of football, and we don’t need to go out of what we’re doing,” Broncos forward Ben Talty said. “We just need to keep doing what we’re doing, keep our composure and not get too flustered.”
Round 23 v Melbourne Storm (2-22)
This clash could prove a defining loss, as Ezra Mam, Adam Reynolds and Selwyn Cobbo all succumbed to hamstring injuries.
But despite losing their halves pairing within 22-minutes, Brisbane remained in the fight, trailing just 12-2 until Coates’ 61st minute try.
The Broncos have not tasted defeat since that night in Melbourne.
“I’m really proud … I thought the players fought right to the death,” Maguire said at the time.
“I’ve never been part of a game where you’ve lost your two halfbacks, and despite the chopping and changing of players they were still in the game. It says a lot about the character of the team.”
Round 24 v Dolphins (38-28)
The Dolphins were heavily depleted, but the NRL’s most lethal attacking side was looking ominous until the 54th minute when they led 28-14.
However, while the Broncos side of last year may well have fallen further, they rallied to score four tries in 15 minutes to win.
Round 27 v Melbourne Storm (30-14)
Broncos centre Kotoni Staggs says the Broncos’ triumph of Melbourne in the final round “speaks for itself”.
“We were all connected on that one page,” Staggs said. “When we’re at our best, not many teams can stop us.”
Before kick-off, there were grave concerns the playing group had derailed their own pursuit of the top four. Walsh’s viral social media video drinking toilet water triggered a frenzy, but that served as merely a subplot following Shibasaki’s axing.
The 27-year-old reported to Monday training still under the influence of alcohol after a boozy Sunday night, with Maguire wielding the axe.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re an Origin player like Gem or a five-gamer,” said hooker Billy Walters, who will miss the rest of the season with a partial ACL tear.
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“You’ve got to uphold the standards, and if you don’t, then there are punishments.”
What transpired was arguably Brisbane’s most complete performance of the year, completing 36 of 40 sets while defending at near 90 per cent efficiency.
Melbourne would dominate possession (55 per cent) and territory (60 per cent), but the Broncos’ 47 tackles inside their own 20-metre zone kept the Storm at bay in the strongest statement of their premiership credentials.
Qualifying Final v Canberra Raiders (29-28)
The greatest final of all time? Brisbane had lost the game twice after trailing by 16 points with 20 minutes to play, but still found a way.
While Walsh and ultimately Ben Hunt proved the match-winners, several unremembered desperate plays kept the Broncos in the contest – epitomised by Mariner’s clutch intercept on his own line in extra time.
“Throughout the week leading up to the game we knew they were a team of offloaders, and we had to expect the ball coming back,” Mariner said.
This was the culmination of Maguire’s hard taskmaster approach, and proof the Broncos could win from anywhere – even against the minor premiers in their own backyard.
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