The ease with which Latrell Mitchell scored in the dying moments against the Broncos has league greats gravely concerned and has left Johnathan Thurston questioning the impact of Michael Maguire.
Only minutes after kicking a monster two-point field goal from half way, Mitchell caught the Broncos “with their pants down” when he played dead at dummy half and then dived over the line on full time.
Post-game, the Nine panel said it was an “under sevens” error by a Broncos defence that had been “torn apart” by Mitchell’s brilliance.
A dejected Adam Reynolds at full time after the Broncos loss to the Rabbitohs. NRL Photos
“When he scored that try at the end, I turned around here to look at the Broncos and they were just scattered. They were absolutely scattered,” Johnathan Thurston said.
“They were just so distant from each other, so far inside their own heads – it’s like they’re playing on eggshells.
“Are they better football side than they were 12 months ago? We all thought Michael McGuire was coming in to put a hard edge to the Broncos. Well, their last five games and their second half fade outs, there’s no hard edge to them at all.
“If I was a Broncos fan, I’d be very frustrated to see the way that they’re playing.”
Deine Mariner scored a stunner for the Broncos in the first half. NRL Photos
The Broncos have now lost four of their last five, and only a half-hour first half blitz against the Bulldogs saved them in that match. They trailed 18-0 in the second half until a consolation try and a penalty goal in the last four minutes.
After 10 rounds, the Broncos are in an almost identical position as last year.
In 2024, the Broncos were sixth on the ladder with a 6-4 record and a for-and-against 58 points in the black. In 2025, they lie sixth again with a 5-5 record, 46 points in the black.
“And we know what happened last year,” Phil Gould said. “The season fizzled out and went away.
Latrell embarrasses Broncos at full-time
“A loss like that tonight is probably as massive a reality check as you could possibly get.
“The way the game ended … this happens in Under 7s. He played dead.
“Have a look at the body language on the players. What Latrell does (is) like someone walking up to you in the main street of Sydney, pulling your pants down in public and you do nothing about it.
“You stand there with your pants around your ankles thinking ‘what happened there?'”
NRLW legend Allana Ferguson said the Broncos problem had nothing to do with firepower.
“They’ve got Payne Haas and Patty Carrigan, they’ve got two of the most experienced halves in the game, they’ve got strike on their edges,” she explained.
“There’s not a lack of talent or skill on the football field. That’s more – that’s heart.
“That’s giving up in a football game when you should keep going. That were poor errors in that game, there was rain that should have affected both clubs. But what South Sydney had was effort and more heart in the second half.
“That’s exactly why they won that game.”
To make matters worse, Ben Hunt limped off in the first half with a suspected hamstring complaint, the severity of which remains unknown.
“Where the Broncos heads are at … I’m worried for them,” Thurston said.
“They’re in a lot of bother.”