The Mole's end of season review: What went wrong at the Brisbane Broncos?
Updated . First published at
Brisbane Broncos: 2023 finish: 2nd | 2024 finish: TBA
On the face of it, starting 2024 as part of the historic Las Vegas extravaganza seemed a great move for the glamorous Broncos outfit.
Having come so close to taking the title last season, the Broncos were tipped by many to go all the way this year, and Vegas looked the perfect way to start a year to remember.
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But in retrospect, some inside the club believe the trip of a lifetime only inflated the egos of a team already branded as the rock stars of the NRL.
The Broncos were handed a lesson by the Roosters in sin city, and then went on to lose three of their first five games. They were chasing their tails from then on.
Patrick Carrigan has been the Broncos' best this season, but could do little as his side was flogged by the Storm. NRL Photos
Rumblings of discontent refused to go away, and the Brisbane public and media put pressure on the Broncos the players and coach Kevin Walters struggled to deal with.
Mid-season, they were still in the hunt but losses in 10 of their last 13 games resulted in a nightmare crash out of contention.
Discipline – both on and off the field – seemed a problem.
Off the field, insiders say social media, social life and the adoration of fans saw some Broncos lose focus on what matters – producing their best for 80 minutes on the weekend.
On it, they played with gay abandon. They scored some globetrotting tries, but also boast the worst set completion, most errors and most handling errors in the league.
Reece Walsh was brilliant on his day but was actually told by the coaching staff to 'slow down' because he tended to get impetuous and make basic errors.
Walters will start 2025 with an all-new coaching team and that may make a difference.
New assistants Trent Barrett and Ben Te'o come in, replacing John Cartwright (Hull KR) and Lee Briers (St Helens).
The trio will have plenty of work to do after the way the team crashed and burned in 2023.
Best player: Patrick Carrigan invariably led the Broncos in both run metres and tackles and came of age as a real leader in 2024, but sadly didn't receive enough support from his mates.
Needs to lift: Selwyn Cobbo had a brilliant season in 2023, posting 20 tries and blitzing most defences. But he looked slow and disinterested at times this season, bagging just six tries from 19 games.
Key signing: N/A
2025 gains: Nil
2025 losses: Tristan Sailor (St Helens)
