Brisbane Broncos coach insists title defence remains alive despite sixth straight loss
NRL premiers Brisbane Broncos suffered a sixth consecutive defeat, losing 42 points to South Sydney on Thursday night to sit 5-9 and six points outside the top eight. Coach Michael Maguire maintained the team remains 'well and truly alive' in the premiership race, citing the expected return of key players including Reece Walsh, Payne Haas and Kotoni Staggs. The result puts Brisbane at risk of becoming the first defending NRL premiers to miss the finals since the Wests Tigers in 2006.
The Brisbane Broncos' title defence is under serious threat after a 42-point loss to South Sydney left them with a 5-9 record heading into round 15, sitting six points adrift of the top eight with ten matches remaining. The losing streak began against top-eight sides but has since extended to defeats by a winless St George Illawarra, two-win Gold Coast, and now South Sydney. Coach Michael Maguire pointed to the absence of Origin representatives Reece Walsh, Payne Haas and Kotoni Staggs, as well as injured starters Pat Carrigan, Gehamat Shibasaki, Deine Mariner and Corey Jensen, as contributing factors without using them as an excuse. Maguire drew on last season's precedent, when Brisbane recovered from a 5-7 record to win 10 of their final 12 matches and ultimately claim the premiership. To reach the likely qualification mark of 13 wins, Brisbane would need to win eight of their remaining ten games, a schedule that includes six matches against current top-eight sides. Captain Adam Reynolds echoed Maguire's optimism, saying the team would use an upcoming bye week to regroup before attempting to reignite their season.
What's missing
The article does not specify the exact timeline for when injured and Origin-selected players are expected to return to the Broncos lineup, which is central to assessing the plausibility of Maguire's claims.
What different sources said
- ABC AustraliaCenter
'Probably think I'm mad': Broncos coach says NRL title defence is alive
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