It may be too early to announce Michael Maguire as the oracle, but his bold selection gambles on his Broncos’ NRL debut had an immediate impact, and perhaps brought a small sense of joy to those bracing for Cyclone Alfred.
Billy Walters and Brendan Piakura, both starting members of last year’s side, were forced to the bench, while only a quad injury to Kotoni Staggs appeared to keep Deine Mariner in the backline.
Unheralded trio Cory Paix, Jack Gosiewski and Gehamat Shibasaki were all called upon. All three were the side’s opening try scorers in a brilliant 50-14 round one triumph of the Sydney Roosters.
Cory Paix scores for the Brisbane Broncos.Credit: NRL Photos
Paix dug his heels in after being told he was free to seek out other outfits, even with Walters commanding the No.9 jumper, Tyson Smoothy becoming the go-to interchange rake, and Blake Mozer lauded the future of the Broncos’ ruck.
But a remarkable preseason reaped rewards, and the 25-year-old was sensational, and was rewarded with a try after opting to run the ball on last play.
Shibasaki would open Brisbane’s account supporting a breakaway Jesse Arthars on the inside – adding a try assist, two linebreak assists and 139 running metres to his evening – while Gosiewski charged onto a Pat Carrigan pass powerfully.
Anybody questioning Maguire’s calls will now have been silenced.
“There were times there we were really under the pump, and just the energy and effort the players put in for each other I think was something from what I felt was the highlight of the game.”
Michael Maguire
Haas the destroyer as Carrigan’s move proves a peach
Payne Haas was nothing short of meteoric, in a performance which he set up from the very first tackle – prying an error from rival Lindsay Collins.
He went on to prove to be far more than brute force and a big body to take down when his silky offload unleashed Paix for his try.
In wet Sydney conditions, he was simply impossible to bring down – finishing the night with 165 running metres, nine tackle busts, a try assist, four offloads and 22 tackles for no misses.
Haas’ 2024 was hampered by injuries, and the losses of Thomas Flegler, Keenan Palasia and Kurt Capewell from the Broncos’ grand final team of 2023 appeared to expose a lack of depth in the engine room.
Maguire opted to move Carrigan up front to support Haas, and to accommodate Kobe Hetherington at lock, and even that move proved a masterstroke.
Carrigan went on to run for 246 metres, while Hetherington muscled up impressively.
Payne Haas put on a clinic for the Brisbane Broncos against the Sydney Roosters.Credit: NRL Photos
Perhaps the only knock on Haas was he had not dominated for New South Wales in the State of Origin arena.
That all changed when Maguire led the Blues to a famous victory last year, and their union has already translated to clubland.
“He’s an incredible human being. He got some rewards off the hard work everyone did. Everyone worked hard defensively so Payne can do what he does.”
Michael Maguire
Hunt’s homecoming a winner
Ben Hunt has long said he always dreamed of returning to the club with which he made his name, and his homecoming could hardly have gone any smoother.
It was the veteran’s blindside raid which inspired Shibasaki’s try, while his ability to draw a penalty and force a dropout led to Brisbane’s next two tries.
He was the lone man getting to a Daniel Tupou snap to prevent the Roosters from crossing, and on the back of that, finished an early contender for try of the season.
Oh, and he produced two try-saving tackles on Robert Toia.
The halves’ connection of Hunt and Adam Reynolds balanced their ledgers, taking pressure off each pair which they had been carrying as one-man maestros for the Dragons and Broncos respectively last season.
If this form continues, Hunt will prove difficult to move to hooker once Ezra Mam makes his comeback from suspension.
“He’s a competitor, he’s worked extremely hard on his craft and that combination down the left edge. It’s only going to get better, we’ve only had about a month together if that.”
Adam Reynolds on Ben Hunt
Has Maguire injected the missing tonic?
It is still only round one, but the early signs are there that Maguire has injected a newfound resolve in this Broncos’ lineup that went missing in 2024.
The scramble defence when the Roosters had their chances shut down any opportunity which begged, while the grit through the middle of the forwards drove Sydney back regularly.
Ben Hunt celebrates scoring for the Brisbane Broncos in his homecoming game against the Sydney Roosters.Credit: NRL Photos
Yet, their spontaneity does not seem to have been squashed – evidenced by Mariner’s chip to set up Selwyn Cobbo’s first of three tries, before an early Reynolds kick behind the line gifted the Maroons flyer his second.
Hunt’s try in the corner was the best of the lot, featuring four offloads and a bat-back in some of the best adlib football fans could see. Reece Walsh was quick to join the party, supporting Arthars on the inside, before the latter added to the procession.
But at the heart of it all was the bruising defence Maguire’s men showed in the early stages, refusing to drop their heads after conceding a long -range try through Dominic Young.
They earned the right to dazzle, rather than just relying on talent.
“There’s talent there, we know that, but you’ve got to earn the right to be able to do that, and I think the boys did that.”
Michael Maguire
