The Brisbane Broncos' season hit a new low on Thursday night, suffering a humiliating 48-6 defeat to South Sydney while also losing two key playmakers to injury.
Already struggling for form, the Broncos endured their worst loss of the season as the Rabbitohs ran riot, racing to a 30-0 halftime lead — the largest halftime deficit Brisbane has ever faced, eclipsing the club's previous record of 29 points.
The heavy defeat stretched Brisbane's losing streak to six matches and leaves the club facing an uphill battle to revive its finals hopes.
To make matters worse, captain Adam Reynolds and five-eighth Ezra Mam both left the field injured during the second half.
Reynolds appeared troubled after making a line break in the opening half, clutching at his hamstring but continuing to play. He later left the field with 20 minutes remaining in the second half to ice his leg due to severe cramping.
Despite concerns, the veteran halfback downplayed the issue after the match, revealing his hamstring was "tight" but he was "alright".
Mam's night also ended prematurely after suffering a shoulder injury, with the Broncos fearing an AC joint issue.
The performance was one Brisbane will be eager to forget. The Broncos managed just one converted try while recording 33 missed tackles, 15 ineffective tackles and 14 errors as South Sydney dominated possession and field position throughout the contest.
Coach Michael Maguire admitted his side contributed to its own downfall but remains adamant the Broncos can turn their season around.
"We're still well and truly alive," the Broncos coach said.
"People would probably think I'm mad. But one thing I do know is, I've got several guys that are not on the field at this present moment.
"As a group, we say we're not going to use that as any sort of excuse or anything like that. But they'll all come back, and there's a lot of quality there that I know can come back into the team.
"We're in a bit of a tough situation at the moment. We'll get those boys back at some stage, and we all know what the team's capable of doing.
"So once they get back, and we've got to get through this little period now, which is tough for all of us. We don't like going through it, but it can also be the making of us."
Maguire pointed to his side's inability to maintain possession as a major factor behind the lopsided result.
"We didn't help ourselves," Maguire admitted.
"We're putting a lot of pressure on ourselves, and that's obviously coming from the opposition. But there are obviously areas of our game that we need to be better at.
"It's pretty simple. We had possession go against us, and that comes from ourselves on many occasions. So we need to just be better."
The challenge does not get any easier for Brisbane.
The Broncos' next five matches come against the Roosters, Sharks, Panthers, Cowboys and Knights, all teams currently sitting inside the top nine, as they search for a way to halt their alarming slide and keep their finals aspirations alive.
The more that Madge says that the side is “well and truly alive”, the more he reminds of the knight in the Monty Python film, claiming “it’s just a scratch” after both his arms have been cut off.
I suspect that for his own credibility, and for the goodwill of the fans, he should announce – after the next defeat – that the chances of making the finals this year are gone, and that he will use the rest of the season to trial youngsters and to get his long-term, and chronically injured guys fit for next season.
He should also bite the bullet and tell Adam Reynolds that he has played his last game, and won’t be re-signed as a player for next year.
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