When a 38-point thrashing is seen in a positive light
THE Broncos discovered some spirit on Friday night but still copped a hiding as Melbourne overcame an early slumber to sink Brisbane 46-8.
A 38-point loss is hard to sugar coat but the Broncos have been so bad lately that this was remarkably an improvement.
For 40 minutes in wet conditions at Suncorp Stadium the Broncos went toe-to-toe with the NRL’s most consistent team of the past decade.
Then Brisbane completely crumbled.
It says a lot about how far the Broncos have fallen that losing by 38 points was not considered a complete disaster. But it wasn’t far off in the end.
There were signs of improvement for Anthony Seibold’s Broncos but ultimately it was another heavy defeat and Brisbane’s eighth loss from their past nine matches.
The Broncos’ defence was split too easily and they lacked a killer blow with the ball to prove they are a long way off being an NRL premiership contender.
Broncos chairman Karl Morris has guaranteed Seibold will see out the remaining nine rounds of the season but Brisbane cannot keep conceding 40-plus points most weeks without serious questions being asked.
Anthony Milford’s move to fullback could not have started any worse.
The Broncos’ $1 million man was “nutmegged” in his first involvement which saw Storm winger Josh Addo-Carr score after only 90 seconds.
The Broncos had not even touched the ball before it bounced between Milford’s legs into the in-goal in the second minute.
Earlier, Manly beat North Queensland 24-12.