Storm blow Broncos apart at Suncorp
Brisbane: The Storm blew the Broncos off the park in the second half to win 46-8 as explosive fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen and evergreen captain Cameron Smith lit up Suncorp Stadium with a performance of sheer class. The Storm, now the competition leaders, have not lost to the Broncos since 2009 and retained their dominance over their rugby league “bunnies”. The Broncos played well for 30 minutes but had no answers when the Storm put their foot on the throat.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy said he was “really disappointed” with the first half and that some complacency probably crept in after the early try.
“Then we really found it hard to get back into the game to be quite honest because the Broncos played with more energy and out-enthused us and really got in to us,” he said.
“You’ve got to give the Broncos some credit. They tried really hard in the second half but couldn’t control the ball or their field position.
“We scored early in the second half and I think that did dint their confidence after what they’d been through the last few weeks. I thought we had to play a fair half of footy in the second half to put that score on them.”
Bellamy said dazzling fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen continues to remind him of a young Billy Slater after another breathtaking display of speed and skill.
“He reminds me a little bit of Billy early in his career,” Bellamy said post-match.
“Billy was willing at training to take a lot of risks to try things out and Paps is a bit the same.
“I am a little bit more conservative so I give a bit of advice about when that is going to fit our game at the moment, but I love that he is trying things.”
Results: Eels 26-16 Wests Tigers, Cowboys 12-24 Sea Eagles, Broncos 8-46 Storm.
NRL.com