From controversy to calamity: Where do Broncos go from ninth-straight implosion?

A week of frustrations and more headlines for the Brisbane Broncos as their season fell further into the doldrums has ended in calamity – suffering a humiliating 46-20 defeat to the Melbourne Storm to mark their ninth-straight loss at Suncorp Stadium.

Even as retiring skipper Adam Reynolds completed a lap of honour around Suncorp Stadium, the speculation surrounding the nature of his omission for the rest of the season seemed to be too much of a distraction to overcome.

While the official line he could not fight beyond a calf issue eventually came out, it took several turns. First Reynolds declared himself eager to play, before then insisting he had withdrawn himself from the remaining contests. Coach Michael Maguire repeated the latter, but not before Ben Hunt expressed his disappointment at the situation on radio, and an ill-fated social media ‘like’ by Reece Walsh on a post which condemned the captain’s treatment was issued.

It typified a season of woes: from premiers, to barely avoiding the wooden spoon.

Neither Brisbane nor Melbourne had much to play for, given they will not factor in the finals, but the goal-line defence of the Broncos in their final outing at home this year would have done little to give their fans a promise of what 2027 may bring.

Melbourne’s first try was described in commentary as “under-7s stuff” – Stefano Utoikamanu shrugging off four defenders, Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan among them, to reach out and score straight from a penalty tap 10 metres out.

While a Shawn Blore knock on gave Brisbane the chance to strike back through Kotoni Staggs, a Billy Walters’ mistake opened the door for Tryan Wishart to latch onto a short pass from Cameron Munster and fend off two more defenders to score.

Nick Meaney soon sliced through with ease, Haas and Ezra Mam getting nowhere near him, while Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown bullied his way beyond Josiah Karapani and over the top of Deine Mariner to cross.

Not even a Mam intercept try could settle the carnage that was being inflicted upon Brisbane. On the stroke of halftime, the Storm showcased some razzle-dazzle – Harry Grant’s chip over the top straight from a scrum leading to Wishart’s second.

By halftime, trailing 30-10, the Broncos had missed 27 tackles to Melbourne’s seven.

It took a one-man advantage following Moses Leo’s sin binning for a forceful high shot – and a play of madness which featured kicks from Hunt, Staggs and Mam for Hunt to eventually score – for Brisbane to get back in the contest after the break.

But all that did was delay the inevitable, and gave fans the chance to see the NRL’s first trial of the kick-off rule change in which the team to concede a try determines who kicks off. That Hunt try was the only instance where the scoring team took the kick.

They still have a round to play – a trip to Accor Stadium next Thursday to face the Bulldogs – but there are growing concerns for just how the Broncos can bounce back in 2027.

True when they last missed the finals they won the premiership the following year, but the nature of this campaign’s derailing has been particularly concerning.