Broncos coach Michael Maguire said his players need to “have a look in the mirror” after their fourth loss in five games on Friday night.
Brisbane were cruising at 14-0 at halftime but capitulated in the second half as they succumbed to a Latrell Mitchell masterclass to lose 22-14.
Maguire was brought to the club to win a title but it’s been a tumultuous opening 10 weeks for the 5-5 Broncos who are playing nowhere near consistent enough to break their 19-year premiership drought.
“As a group we have to learn how to (play consistently) or we’ll keep bumbling the same way we have been. It’s not good enough, simple as that,” Maguire said.
“It’s the want to do it for 80 minutes. We’re chasing 80-minute games every week and we’ve seen signs but we’ve also seen the other side, so as a group we have to make sure that they take ownership and we take ownership of what needs to happen.
“It was there for us so it’s very disappointing and not good enough.
“We need to have a look in the mirror and have a look at ourselves and say ‘well what do you need to do, what do I need to do to make sure that we get it done’.
“There’s moments where we show signs of what we can do but that’s irrelevant if you don’t do it for 80 minutes.”
Brisbane captain Adam Reynolds was just as downcast following the match where he lost his halves partner Ben Hunt to what appeared a serious hamstring injury.
“It’s extremely frustrating because we know what sort of team we’ve got and we’re just not doing it at the moment,” Reynolds said.
Hunt’s likely absence means Ezra Mam will almost certainly come back into the side for next week’s clash against the Dragons.
Maguire said he didn’t know the severity of Hunt’s injury and the veteran coach wouldn’t be drawn on whether he’d pick Mam.
“I’ll go through this game first then think about that,” Maguire said.
Latrell Mitchell stuns Broncos with clutch screamer
Latrell Mitchell has put his hand up for Origin in a performance of the ages, pulling of a jaw-dropping 49-metre two-point field goal, that never looked like missing, to secure an epic South Sydney Rabbitohs comeback win at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Friday.
To rub salt in the wounds of the Brisbane Broncos, Mitchell then backed it up by pinching the most unlikely of tries in the final second to take the Rabbitohs out to a 22-14 win.
Down 14-0 at halftime and with their season on the ropes, the Rabbitohs looked like they were heading for a fifth straight defeat.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man – that’s when Mitchell took over.
It started with a key penalty goal from in front of the broncos try line to narrow the gap, but the moment that ‘almost stopped time’ came with two minutes left on the clock.
Standing near halfway, Mitchell called for the ball, stepped up, and absolutely sent-it.
The ball sailed perfectly through the sky clearing the centre post by more than 10 metres, from one step over the half-way line.
In a stunning show of confidence, the full back turned his back before it even went over.
“Latrell Mitchell has booted a monster. This is a legendary kick,” said Fox League’s Dan Ginnane on commentary.
“That’s out of control… that’s ridiculous,” added Michael Ennis. “This is why we love Latrell Mitchell. The confidence to step up in this moment.”
While the field goal tied the game and had the crowd on its feet, Mitchell wasn’t finished.
In the final play of the second half, he tricked Broncos’ goal line defence, picking up the ball from dummy half, appearing to take a knee to close out the Souths victory – or so we thought. He then leaps through a gap left by Selwyn Cobbo – who had prematurely conceded the loss, to pick himself up a try at the buzzer – humiliating Broncos players who stood in disbelief.
Mitchell had been everywhere in the second half: saving tries, making big plays, and keeping his team alive with sheer willpower.
The Indigenous All-Star pulled off a one-on-one try-saving tackle on Deine Mariner, stripped the ball from Payne Haas to stop Broncos momentum, and was involved in almost every attacking set.
“He is so freakish. It’s so rare,” said James Graham. “That tackle on Mariner kept his team in the game.”
South Sydney head coach Wayne Bennett summed it up best in the post-match press conference: “He just does what Latrell can do. That’s what makes him such a special player.”
This wasn’t just a win for Mitchell — it was a statement. In the biggest moment, he didn’t just deliver — he dominated. And as Origin selection looms, he’s made one thing clear… you can never count Latrell out.
“Latrell Mitchell just reminded us who the hell he is,” said Yvonne Sampson — and after that performance, not even the most staunch Broncos fan would argue.