Brisbane has been left to count the cost of their 53-6 loss against Parramatta on Thursday night with each of Brenko Lee, Kobe Hetherington, Thomas Flegler and Adam Reynolds behind the eight ball going into the final round.
While Brisbane is clinging to the ladder's eighth rung and an ensuing finals berth, with the Raiders humming of late, the Red Hill side is faced with a must-win clash next against the Dragons next Saturday evening.
Having coughed up 50 points to the electric Eels at Lang Park to start the penultimate weekend of home and away footy, history suggests that the Broncos' premiership hopes are dead in the water, as no side has ever conceded a half-century and scaled the competition's summit in the same season.
Though the Dragons' September dreams have fallen by the wayside, Anthony Griffin's weyr will have designs on consigning the Broncos to the same fate.
And with Reynolds and company facing an uphill battle to make the convoy to Kogarah, you could forgive head coach Kevin Walters for doubling up on his dose of paracetamol.
Reynolds was ejected from his 250th first-grade appearance after failing his HIA, failing to make it to the quarter-hour mark during the dispiriting defeat.
The ex-Bunny was joined on the sidelines of Suncorp Stadium by Lee and Hetherington after the pair were removed following respective woes with a hamstring and a head knock.
A final blow remained for Walters and his withering stable when Flegler was sent to hospital after his neck was rattled during a tackle gone wrong on moustachioed Eels forward Reagan Campbell-Gillard.
The 23-year-old prop was discharged after scans confirmed little more than a soft tissue injury.
Though certainty surrounding the quartet's prospect of making the trek to Sydney, a modicum of clarity has been provided by the Broncos medicos.
“Tom Flegler was taken to hospital with some breathing difficulties after copping a knock to the throat during the first half," Broncos Head Of Performance Dave Ballard said.
“He was monitored and then allowed to return home overnight - we will see how he recovers over the next few days before determining how he shapes up for next week’s game.
“Brenko Lee sustained a hamstring strain in a tackle during the second half and will undergo a scan at the Clive Berghofer Centre Qscan facility today.
“Once we determine the severity of the injury then we will map out Brenko’s rehab program for the weeks ahead.
“Adam Reynolds and Kobe Hetherington both failed Head Injury Assessments during last night’s game and will now go through the standard protocol of further testing over the coming days which will determine if they will play next week.
All eyes from Red Hill will be centred on the fortunes of Ricky Stuart's 'Green Machine' and their last fortnight of fixtures against Manly and Wests.
At present, Brisbane holds a two-point buffer over the Raiders, however, after conceding 9 tries in 80 minutes, the Broncos currently sit 1-point behind their chasing rivals on points differential.
Brisbane's last finals appearance came during the 2019 NRL season, with the former powerhouses foisted with their first wooden spoon in 2020.
