SHOCK EXIT COULD SPELL END OF BENNETT
BATTERED Brisbane's season is over ... and it is almost certainly over and out for Wayne Bennett.
Brisbane super coach Bennett is a dead-man walking after the Dragons last night conjured a stunning finals boilover to send the Broncos crashing out of the title race with a 48-18 belting at Suncorp Stadium.
Before a shellshocked crowd of 47,296, former Brisbane halfback Ben Hunt exacted the ultimate revenge, helping the Dragons engineer a ruthless seven-try rout of Bennett's Broncos.
Dragons back-rower Tariq Sims, a junior Bronco, hammered Brisbane's pack, posting a firsthalf hat-trick running like Superman to deliver the bullet to the career of Broncos 304-game warhorse Sam Thaiday.
The resurgent Dragons march on to face South Sydney in a sudden-death semi-final this Saturday night, while the Broncos' painful premiership drought extends to 12 fruitless seasons.
Now the knives will be sharpened for Bennett. The Broncos board will meet in the coming weeks to decide his fate and the 68-year-old knew in his heart he needed a premiership fairytale this year to secure a 12-month extension for 2020.
It was an inspired display by the Dragons, who overturned a 10-2 deficit to charge to a 28-10 half-time lead before finishing the Broncos off after the break.
St George Illawarra's $6 million man Hunt entered the clash under siege, but he was near flawless, outpointing former halves partner Anthony Milford to answer the critics in his Suncorp cakewalk.