It comes as no surprise that Manly chooses not to host Brisbane in a Magic Round match each year. Even though it benefits the club’s income, it hurts their chances of making the playoffs every year. And so it was on the first night of Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium, where the Broncos had to scurry to defeat the Sea Eagles.
They jumped out to an early 12-0 lead and held off a second-half comeback by the Sea Eagles to win 13–12, with backup halfback Jock Madden scoring the game-winning field goal with four minutes left. If only the Sea Eagles had declined the easy money to host a home game against the Broncos in addition to Brisbane, and instead of playing this game at their purported stronghold in Brookvale.
We have great faith in Jock and his contributions to the team. Although he plays differently from Adam Reynolds, the Broncos coach Kevin Walters noted that “we saw a cool head in a tough period of play tonight.” Brisbane is making enough progress to stay afloat while Adam Reynolds is out due to a bicep rupture.
In addition, Reece Walsh was not present for this Manly match due to a minor knee injury that required Magic Round treatment for the star fullback. Despite the news surfacing prior to the match that his father Gregor is being charged with significant narcotics offenses in the Philippines, star prop Payne Haas dressed for Brisbane.
Since Reynolds was injured a few weeks ago, the Broncos haven’t faced a real top-four opponent, but the way they’ve destroyed Parramatta and handled Manly suggests they can still fight for the championship even without their star player. With a 7-4 record, they are in position to make the top four, and even though they won’t see Reynolds on the field until August at the latest, they are in good form going into the State of Origin calendar, when the workload for their players is certain to increase.
