From the Couch: Brisbane Broncos Season Review

Win-Loss: 10-14
Ladder Position: 12th
Finals: N/A
Attack: 22.38 (9th)
Defence: 25.29 (12th)
Longest Win Streak: 3 (R6-8)
Longest Loss Streak: 6 (R12-19)
Best Win: Round 23: 42-18 at North Queensland
Worst Loss: Round 26: 40-6 v Dolphins

Season Review

Highlights: When healthy and firing, the Broncos attack was as potent as any in the competition.

Walsh was sublime early before fading late and there were some really strong performances from under-the-radar types led by Corey Jensen, while there were some positive early showings from highly-touted rookies led by Blake Mozer.

Despite many senior players letting the Broncos down, Patrick Carrigan maintained his position as one of the best forwards in the game.

Lowlights: Following on from nearly winning the 2023 Grand Final, 2024 was a disaster from beginning to end.

Kevin Walters was a poor coach and was eventually fired at the end of the season.

He looked without idea for much of the year, was poor tactically and with his selections and presided over a major cultural eradication.

Injuries played a huge part in the season: Walsh, Reynolds and Haas all missed over 10 games and there were major concerns about how the Broncos carried themselves off the field.

A midseason slump that saw the Broncos win just one of nine put an end to the hopes of the pre-season second favourites.

The Broncos underestimated the losses of three senior starters – but appear to have heeded no lesson from recent recruitment fails.

Many players failed to come on including Selwyn Cobbo and Brendan Piakura.

What Worked: Brisbane were a disciplined team, conceding the second fewest penalties.

Tackling was not an issue with the Broncos missing the fourth fewest tackles though defence was a disaster suggesting some major systemic problems as well as poor decision-making.

What Didn’t: No team dropped more ball than the Broncos, who showed little respect for either opposition or the pill.

There was an over-reliance on individual brilliance with the Broncos ranking third worst in line break assists and last in try assists.

No team offloaded the ball less than the Broncos – a hallmark of badly coached teams – creating little second phase play, a cardinal sin with so many dangerous players in the team.

Effort areas were horrid with Brisbane ranking bottom four in decoys and supports.

The roster makeup was very poor and was compounded by some very poor bench usage.

Betting Stats

ATS: 9-15
Over/Under: 14-10
Head-to-Head Return: – 8.21 units

Three Betting Notes:

• Brisbane were favoured 17 times in 2024 – but covered just six.
• The Broncos were a poor 4-10 against the spread at Suncorp.
• Brisbane struggled against quality teams with a 4-10 straight up and 4-10 cover record against Top 8 opposition.

Personnel

Best Player: Patrick Carrigan
Next Best: Corey Jensen, Ezra Mam
Most Disappointing Player: Selwyn Cobbo
Next Most Disappointing: Brendan Piakura, Adam Reynolds
Top Tryscorer: Deine Mariner (17)
Top Assist Merchant: Ezra Mam (12)
Top Tackle Breaker: Selwyn Cobbo (6.05 per game)
Top Metre Eater: Patrick Carrigan (169.82m per game)
Top Tackler: Patrick Carrigan (37.91 per game)
Best Buy: Jock Madden
Worst Buy: Fletcher Baker
Best Rookie: Blake Mozer

Player Ratings