This game was theirs. They had it in their grasp. Yet somehow, Penrith found a way to break Brisbane hearts.
Despite trailing 8-6 at the break, the Broncos burst into life early in the second half, to take a shock 24-8 lead with fewer than 20 minutes on the clock.
Reece Walsh makes a line break.Credit: Getty
They appeared destined to end a 17-year premiership drought, but ultimately the Panthers were able to produce one of the most remarkable escapes in NRL finals history.
So what have we learned from the Broncos’ defeat, as Penrith won three titles on the trot?
Broncos’ hearts were broken. But do you have to lose to win?
Penrith’s grand final loss in 2020 triggered an unprecedented era of dominance. Could Sunday night’s heartache inspire the same from Brisbane?
Brisbane’s squad is still very much on the young side – the 2023 unit with an average age of just 22.53 years. Only the club’s two previous premierships winners – Adam Reynolds and Kurt Capewell – are 30 or older.
Reece Walsh shows his frustrations after the Broncos’ opening 20 minutes.Credit: Getty
The best years are still ahead of this team, especially considering key stars Reece Walsh, Payne Haas, Pat Carrigan, Ezra Mam and Selwyn Cobbo are all under 25. For next year, Tom Flegler, Herbie Farnworth and Keenan Palasia will be huge losses.
However, with the likes of Deine Mariner and Xavier Willison proving they had what it took to thrive in the NRL, and Roosters forward Fletcher Baker joining the cause, the Broncos have the chance to forge a new era of authority from this point.
This Broncos team won the wooden spoon in 2020 and has taken enormous strides since. They will learn from this setback.
Early errors cruel Broncos, but can they afford to shelve it?
A series of early errors killed Brisbane early, none more so than Herbie Farnworth’s tap back for no one from a short drop-out.
Penrith hooker Mitch Kenny would go on to score the opening points, but it came after a series of other mistakes. Selwyn Cobbo’s dropped ball attempting to find clear space, Kotoni Staggs’ knock on attempting a quick play the ball, and Adam Reynolds’ fumble on the attack from a Payne Haas offload all led up to the try.
Adam Reynolds of the Broncos reacts after a Panthers try.Credit: Getty Images
By half-time, Brisbane had made seven errors to Penrith’s one – unforgivable against the two-time defending champions.
However, this Broncos team has always been one that has thrown caution to the wind in 2023. Reece Walsh and Cobbo have dazzled and been among the best attacking players in the league, despite being among the top offenders for errors.
They have continued to back themselves, and until the grand final had outscored the competition. While some errors were crucial, this is a team that thrives from chancing their arm. To remain a force, they cannot shelve that.
It showed them they could never switch off. Moments such as Nathan Cleary’s 40/20 immediately after Penrith scored, with none of the Brisbane back three in sight, which cost another try.
Or a Stephen Crichton kick in behind, with Reece Walsh ever so slightly out of position and forced into the in-goal, with the Panthers then scoring the match winner.
Small moments, but huge ones, and ones Brisbane need to learn from. But they cannot come into season 2024 more conservative than the aggressive brand they have embodied.
Walters restores the fight
Since the ill-fated wooden-spoon season of 2020, Brisbane’s defence has floated between horrifying and indifferent at best.
On grand final day, even in a losing cause, they showcased the giant strides they have taken under coach Kevin Walters.
When Tom Flegler charged over at close range right on the stroke of half-time to keep the Broncos trailing by just two points, the Queenslanders had no right to be that close.
Thomas Flegler of the Broncos celebrates with teammates after scoring a try.Credit: Getty Images
They had held just 43 per cent of possession, completed just 13 of 21 sets, had run for nearly 300m less than the Panthers and made 49 more tackles. And yet, after holding out a host of Penrith attacking sets, they were in the fight.
Having led by 16 points at one stage, this loss will no doubt devastate the team. A couple of crucial errors again in the second half opened the doors for their rivals again.
But Walters has put plenty of pride back into this jumper after its most haunting years.
Mam the number one man
He has proven to be one of the NRL’s most promising rising stars. But for a brief period, this was just ridiculous.
Ezra Mam burst to life in the second half in a way few would have seen coming. First, he did it all himself, bursting into the clear from halfway to give the Broncos the lead.
Ezra Mam scored a near match-winning hat-trick.Credit: Getty
He did much the same for his second try, before on the following set, fullback Reece Walsh stepped into open space to find the 21-year-old on his inside for a hat-trick.
If not for one of the all-time great fightbacks in NRL grand final history, this would have been an easy Clive Churchill Medal-winning performance.
Halfback and captain Adam Reynolds may have been in talks to extend his time at Red Hill through to the end of 2025, but Mam proved on the biggest stage of all he was the man to take this team into the future.
Off contract at the end of next season, extending his contract before he can hit the open market on November 1 is an absolute priority for the club.
