Reunified And Rejuvenated
The game of Rugby League had taken a pounding between 1995 and 1997, and with the landmark decision to bring the camps back together, it was important the game show its quality on field to bring back the lost and disillusioned fans.
The Broncos in particular had a point to prove. As the Super League champions, maany critics questioned the validity of their premiership. Many claimed the ARL competition was stronger on the whole than the Super League competition, and that somehow made the Broncos' win less important and less creditable than Newcastle's. There's little doubt which was the better Grand Final as a game itself.
Bronco vice-captain Kevin Walters had an excuse to have his mind on other matters. A well kept secret, Walters' wife Kim had been fighting a losing battle with breast cancer since late 1996. Kim, pregnant with the couple's third child when she was diagnosed, refused chemotherapy for fear of its effects on the unborn child. Kim passed away in February 1998. Kevin established a charity in her honour, to provide support for patients and families affected by breast cancer, the Kim Walters Choices Program. Kevin, showing incredible strength, continued to play football and, many would argue, played his best football.
Discarded by Adelaide, Kevin Campion found solace at the Broncos. Campion first came under the eye of Wayne Bennett during his stint as coach of the Queensland Tri-Series team in 1997, and when Campion told him he was available, Bennett didn't think twice about signing him. He was the only addition to the Broncos' side which lost Mundine and Lazarus from the 1997 squad.
The preseason was restricted to two trials in the popular Country Carnival, with Brisbane winning both their games against Adelaide and Cronulla. They weren't convincing victories, but enough to show the hunger was there. Being the 10th anniversary since that great first day against Manly in 1988, the rematch at ANZ Stadium in Round 1 was a mouthwatering prospect. It was hyped all week as a sellout, and although the figure of 39000 fell short of that expectation, it was still an outstanding crowd after the disappointing response from fans from 1997.
As expected, the clash was heated, with Manly duo Geoff Toovey and John Hopoate sent off for dissent late in the game, after Toovey earlier was sinbinned for the same offence. A huge penalty count went against the Sea Eagles, and the Broncos prevailed 22-6. It was the start of a slide Manly did well to recover from, scraping into 10th spot and the last finals place.
In the middle of a summer heatwave, Sydney played host to the Broncos-Canterbury round 2 clash. It was a close, even encounter, the Broncos escaping with a 20-12 win that had everyone sighing with relief. The next week it was a similar escape against Penrith. Steve Renouf picking up four tries in the 26-18 win.
A local derby showdown with the Gold Coast Chargers was next, whose failed merger with South Queensland in the face of their historic first finals appearance in 1997 was seen by many as suicide. Brisbane won the game 40-18 but not without drama, Peter Ryan suspended for five weeks for a vicious elbow in a tackle which seemed completely unprovoked.
North Queensland had been the surprise packets of the first four rounds, going through undefeated. That came to an end when the Broncos thrashed them 58-4 in the club's biggest ever win at ANZ Stadium. A rematch with Manly at Brookvale followed, and it seemed referee Steve Clark was told to make it a square up. Gorden Tallis was sent off and Tallis and Ben Walker were sinbinned as the Broncos were smashed 28-4, wearing a sickly aqua and blue jersey to avoid a clash with Manly's maroon and white.
That loss meant only six Broncos made the Australian side for the ANZAC Test, when until that point as many as nine had been touted as chances. Darren Lockyer made his official Test debut, and it's a debut he'd like to forget. Four fundamental errors at fullback allowed New Zealand to get back from a 12-2 deficit to triumph 22-16. Lockyer had to back up for the Broncos two days later against North Sydney, who had been unbeaten at ANZ Stadium until that day.
Could Lockyer take the emotional pain of that Test debacle and play 100% against Norths? 2 tries, 7 goals and a personal tally of 22 points says yes! The Broncos hammered the hapless Bears, running in 11 tries for a record equalling 60-6 victory.
The Super Bowl followed, with Brisbane travelling to the intimidating Marathon Stadium to meet fellow table toppers Newcastle. The Knights had a packed house, wet weather and weeks of hype to rev themselves up, and when they led 6-0 early, it looked like they were on their way to proving themselves the best team of 1997. However, the Broncos kept their composure and with incredible precision hit back with four tries to win 26-6 in the most dominant display of the season so far.
The win gave much hope of a strong showing against Sydney City the next week, but with Origin selection around the corner, players had their minds on other things. Despite leading 6-0 and then 12-6 in the second half, the Broncos clocked off and the Roosters ran over the top of them to record a commanding 26-12 win. The Broncos followed that up with a disappointing 20-10 loss to Cronulla before the first Origin game.
That first Origin will go down in the annals as one of the greatest. The intense defence wasn't there, but it was replaced by some of the most rivetting attack ever seen. Queensland, with nine Broncos in the team, scored first when Kevin Walters scored. However, three unconverted tries and a field goal to New South Wales had the Blues up 13-6 at half time.
After the break, Allan Langer drew errors from the New South Wales backline with his testing grubber kicks, two resulting in tries as Queensland snatched the lead back 18-13. When Fittler scored with 20 minutes left, and Steve Menzies added to it with 5 to go, at 23-18, New South Wales looked to have the game won. Queensland, pinned on their own line, needed a miracle. The ball went across the tryline. Kevin Walters thinking he heard his outside man Ben Ikin call him to kick it, lifted the ball down field. Ikin chased and regathered 40 metres out, Queensland surging over the half way line. Three plays later, Tonie Carroll was over near the posts and when Lockyer converted Queensland had won 24-23 in one of the most remarkable games in years.
Canterbury came to ANZ Stadium hopeful of knocking off the Broncos just two days after the Origin thriller. However, if they thought the Broncos would be off their game, the 40-12 trouncing would've changed their mind. However, the next week Brisbane fell surprisingly to Canberra at Bruce Stadium. The Raiders had been struggling, and the Broncos led 14-0 after 20 minutes. However, perhaps in the mindset of protecting themselves before the second Origin, they relaxed. Canberra hit back to be level at 18-all before Lesley Vainikolo scored with 5 minutes left to clinch a remarkable 24-18 win.
New South Wales levelled the Origin series the following week when they arrived at Suncorp Stadium. Queensland again scored first, but from there it was all New South Wales, going from 6-0 down to be up 26-6 before full time. A late try gave Queensland some credibility at 26-10, but the Blues were back on track.
However, controversy would dog them. Prop forward Rodney Howe was one of the team's greatest performers, powering up ruck after ruck. After the game he tested positive to a banned anabolic steroid, mysteriously being dropped from the third game with injury. He was later suspended for 22 weeks. He wasn't the only one. Newcastle pair Wayne Richards and Robbie O'Davis were also tested and failed. Richards was suspended for 22 weeks while O'Davis challenged the NRL's jurisdiction in the matter. O'Davis won that battle, and played for Queensland in the Origin decider.
The Maroons were outstanding, albeit against a depleted New South Wales pack. The 19-4 victory, with Allan Langer and Kevin Walters standouts, gave the Maroons their first unified series victory since 1991. Walters threw his head back and yelled to the heavens "Finally!" after fielding so much criticism over the years for Queensland's failures, dogged by the post-Wally Lewis era.
O'Davis was later suspended for 22 weeks after being rushed to sign an updated NRL contract. Teammate Adam MacDougall was also tested, but he claimed he needed his medication to keep him alive after a serious brain illness years earlier. Although the NRL's drug commission accepted his doctor's opinion, they suspended him for 22 weeks but backdated the sentence based on his withdrawal weeks earlier.
Back to the business of football, the Broncos met Parramatta two days after th second Origin game. The Eels had come to ANZ Stadium three times before for a win, a draw and a loss. Tiredness and a depleted team saw the Eels dash to a 12-0 lead at half time before the Broncos woke up. They kept coming back but the Eels stayed in front, leading 20-16 late in the game. Rookie Petero Civoniceva appeared to score right on full time, but the video referee, an innovation brought in by Super League, ruled him short. Parramatta winning 20-16.
The Broncos from there hit their straps. The distraction of the State of Origin series behind them, they went about dismantling their opposition. Big wins over Penrith and Western Suburbs set up what would be the most spiteful game of the year, Broncos vs St George. Tallis' return to Kogarah, and Mundine's first showing against his old club, and what is widely regarded as the most thuggish supporters group in the game were the ingredients for a tension you could cut with a knife.
The Broncos scored early but at half time were down 16-6 as the Dragons racked up three soft tries. After half time it was all Brisbane. Tries to Lockyer and Darren Smith levelled the scores, St George edging ahead with a penalty before Smith scored again. Then Tallis scored a runaway try, dodging projectiles from the crowd, before signalling them in a triumphant stance as he wrapped up the game 30-18 for the Broncos.
Melbourne Storm, the surprise packets of the season, entrenched in the top 6 from their debut in round 1. The club, made up of the remnants of Perth and Hunter, put everything into the Broncos. They led 16-10 shortly after half time and held Brisbane at ransome on their own tryline with the scores locked. A Lockyer break the only difference, allowing the Broncos three late tries in front of a great crowd over 35000.
From there, the Broncos all but limped into the finals. A tight win over Illawarra which featured Wendell Sailor's first send off, a scrappy 44-10 win over a nearcollapsed Gold Coast, a 10-all draw with nemesis Balmain at Leichhard Oval and an effortless 46-12 win over Adelaide was shaky form at best. Their 22-10 win over North Queensland signalled alarm bells, with the side doing just barely enough to win. They followed that pattern against Auckland and South Sydney to scrape home with the minor premiership, tied with Newcastle but with a far surperior for and against.
The top spot meant they had a week off in the finals, which in their current state of slumber was the last thing they need. Parramatta booked an ANZ Stadium ticket with a brutal, commanding win over North Sydney. They came to ANZ Stadium and stifled the Broncos with boring, unadventurous, slow but highly successful play. They triumphed 15-10 and sent the Broncos into sudden death. Sydney City sentenced fellow holidaymakers Newcastle on a similar journey at Marathon Stadium.
The Broncos took on Melbourne at the Sydney Football Stadium in what has to be classed as the quirkiest finals scheduling of them all. Brisbane were scrappy in the first half but led 10-2 with some exciting play from Langer and Lockyer late in the half. The second half was a return to the Broncos we know and love, smashing Melbourne with four tries, sealing a 30-6 victory and a showdown with Sydney City at ANZ Stadium.
Controversy surrounding the scheduling of the game at ANZ. The NRL's finals scheduling, if followed directly as it was laid down, would've had the two clubs playing at the Sydney Football Stadium. However, with one of the preliminary finals set to be played at ANZ Stadium regardless, the NRL thought it wiser to schedule the Broncos game there, and get a decent crowd, rather than have the Parramatta-Canterbury game played at ANZ in front of an embarassing crowd.
Roosters fans and the club were fuming, but coach Phil Gould inwardly wouldn't have cared where the game was. He was more concerned with his captain Brad Fittler's rib injury, which although passed 100% was far from the case. Fittler was missing in action as the Broncos sent shockwaves through the Eels and Bulldogs camps, scooting to a 14-0 lead in even time. They extended that to 18-6 at half time, before running rampant in the second half. Lockyer scored three second half tries, for a match total of 20 points as the Broncos racked up an amazing 46-18 win to book themselves a place in the inaugural NRL Grand Final. Lockyer also set up a brilliant try for Michael Devere with a chip kick that bounced perfectly for the young winger.
Canterbury effected the most remarkable comeback in league history a week later. Down 18-2 with 16 minutes left in their preliminary final against Parramatta, the Dogs scored 3 late tries in 10 minutes to tie the game. The Bulldogs fans went wild when Craig Polla-Mounter appeared to kick a 50 metre field goal right on full time, but it went under the crossbar. Canterbury though far too good in extra time, running away winners 32-20.
Broncos fans breathed a sigh of relief, Parramatta seemingly knowing how to beat the Broncos, but 9th placed Canterbury appearing on paper at least a far easier proposition. The Broncos would go into the Grand Final the hottest price favourites since 1969, even hotter than in 1992.
When Willie Talau lost the ball early and Mick Devere scored, Brisbane looked set to capitalise on their favouritism. There were questions raised by Canterbury fans about whether Steve Renouf stripped the ball, but referee Bill Harrigan, in good position, ruled Renouf didn't deliberately play at the ball. Minutes later a fair try to Renouf was disallowed after a Canterbury player knocked a pass out of Kevin Walters hands. Harrigan ruled it went forward off Brisbane. Canterbury hit back to lead 8-6 after 22 minutes with a penalty and a try to Tony Grimaldi, with Grimaldi's try having doubts after Corey Hughes appeared to be held before passing.
The Broncos hit back soon after, with Kevin Campion awarded a try. There were doubts about whether Campion grounded the ball, but Harrigan and the touch judges awarded it, Brisbane back in front 10-8. Canterbury went into half time in front though, with Talau making amends for his early mistake. Canterbury in front 12-10, and how would they go in the second half leading?
The answer was poorly. Brisbane came out far more determined, more relaxed and more focussed. Tonie Carroll started it off when he powered over for a try. He was followed by Sailor, Tallis, Phil Lee and departing centre Darren Smith as the Broncos finished up convicing victors, 38-12. Canterbury fans to this day blame Harrigan for the loss, a remarkable statement given the 7 tries to 2 thrashing.
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