Broncos edge out the Raiders in overtime

Wallace brings it home (Source: NRL.com.au)

Well, you know when I said giving up a 22 point lead was bad? Try 24 points. After cruising to a 24 point lead, the Broncos seemingly switched off for the last 20 minutes. Combine that with some rare error-free footy from the Raiders and you've got a tight game that should never been close. Below are things we can take from the game:

Our Forwards


With the representative guys on break and a few key forwards injured, it was time for our remaining forwards to step up. And they did, for 60 minutes. Dane Carlaw made a few menacing runs, Hala was a wrecking machine and Kenny provided his usual 110% effort. Special mention to McCullough as well - I mentioned earlier that he needed to step it up a cog and I'm glad to say he did. The highlight was a fantastic 40/20 kick off two steps - fantastic to watch.

Our Backs


Much the same story with the backs. Hoffman led the way in a manner that belies his experience. Moylan had a few good efforts and he also did a fair amount of work in the ruck to give our big lads a breather. Copley was impressive again, along with Peter Wallace. The backline plays at time were a bit disjointed but that's what you get with so many key players out.

There is no reason to step off the gas, ever


A lot of teams are guilty of stepping off the gas when a lead has been established. The Broncos didn't really have that problem a few years ago but ever since Wayne left, we seem to fall into lull once we gain a decent lead. A hallmark of great teams is that they all have that killer instinct - when a team has a 2-3 try lead, they don't ease up. They keep pushing until their opponent is well and truly beaten. Yes, our team was young so inexperience can take some of the blame but Wallace should have been able to take a leadership role during that time. I guess that's why Glenn was named captain.

A win is a win, any points we can take away during Origin time are a bonus. That cements us into 5th on the ladder which is quite a good effort so far. What is important is that the young players in our squad soak up their latest bit of NRL experience and learn from what happened today.