Defeated but not gone
Broncos into grand final despite loss
Despite suffering their first ever NRLW loss, the Brisbane Broncos will have the opportunity to claim back-to-back premierships next weekend.
The Broncos were downed 10-8 by the New Zealand Warriors at the SCG on Saturday, their first loss since the inception of the competition last year.
Despite the setback, the Broncos will still feature on grand final day at ANZ Stadium on Sunday.
Killarney forward Steph Hancock was used in a different role from the interchange, coming on in the 26th minute, before being called on again to try and spark the Broncos with less than four minutes to play.
She finished the contest with 68 running metres from her seven hit-ups, and 18 tackles.
Once again, former Scots PGC student Heather Ballinger was unable to earn a spot in the final 17.
Finding themselves in unfamiliar territory, the Broncos trailed by 10-0 at the half-time break.
A rev-up in the sheds from coach Kelvin Wright seemingly hit the right note, with Tamika Upton crossing immediately after the break.
Amy Turner’s 41st minute try got Brisbane back to within two points, however they were unable to nab a decisive third try.
“We weren’t expecting an easy game. It was a danger game for us,” Wright said.
“It’s certainly a lesson learnt. For a lot of the players it’s their first loss in a Broncos jersey.
“We weren’t good enough today. We started poorly, especially our discipline, but we’ll be better for it.
“We gave them six penalties in the first half which really piggybacked them out of their end.
“Some of those little efforts that we’ve been so good at just weren’t there.”
The Broncos will feature in the grand final against St George Illawarra, who defeated the Sydney Roosters to book their spot in the decider.
Brisbane got the edge over the Dragons back in the opening round, coming out 14-4 victors.
As for the week ahead, Wright said they will try and remain as relaxed as possible heading into Sunday’s final.
“We’ll keep things fairly similar,” he said.
“We’ll have training on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Obviously there’s functions and commitments we have to attend, but we’ll keep things as familiar as possible for the players.
“It’s one of the best weeks of their life so we want to make it fun for them, make sure they enjoy it and really take in everything that a grand final is about.”
Hancock featured alongside Ballinger in last year’s inaugural grand final victory over the Roosters, a 34-12 demolition in Sydney.