Brisbane Broncos 2007

The Brisbane Broncos celebrated their 20th season in the 100th year of rugby league football in Australia. The Broncos started the season as reigning premiers. They made the finals by just scraping into the top 8, but won only two of their last eight games in 2007.

eason summary

On February the 23rd, 2007 The Broncos played against English Super League champions St Helens RFC in the 2007 World Club Challenge. St Helens took the match 18-14 in the last minutes. This was followed by a poor start to the 2007 NRL season by the Broncos, who lost their captain and five-eighth Darren Lockyer to an ankle injury after the first match against the North Queensland Cowboys. Lockyer returned to the field in Round 3 against the Penrith Panthers, but Brisbane had lost their first three games in a row for the first time since 1999. They racked up their first win against the Sydney Roosters in the traditional Good Friday match played by the two clubs. Another loss followed by a win in the Andrew Johns farewell against Newcastle in Round 6.

When, in the Round 7 replay of last year's grand-final, Brisbane were unable to defeat Melbourne, they had managed to win just 2 of their first seven games, compared to their strong starts in 2006 and 2005. Having not yet played an NRL game in 2007, Tame Tupou, the Broncos' top try-scorer for the previous season, left the club in round 7 for England. In round 11 Brisbane were at the bottom of the ladder before racking up their biggest ever win, defeating an under-strength Newcastle Knights 71-6. It was also the Knights' biggest ever loss and the most points the Broncos had ever scored in a game. This was followed up with a loss to an understrength St George Illawarra Dragons.

As a result of the team's form, coach Wayne Bennett gave the players time off during the Broncos' bye. This strategy appeared to be successful, with the team winning five successive games. However, in their Round 18 win against the Cowboys, Lockyer tore his anterior cruciate ligament, ruling him out for the rest of the season. Lockyer's injury, combined with injuries to big-name players Karmichael Hunt, Justin Hodges, Brent Tate and Shaun Berrigan,Fact|date=September 2007 played a role in Brisbane winning just two of their last eight games of the season.

In the last round of the 2007 regular season, the Broncos suffered an embarrassing 68-22 loss to Parramatta, equalling their worst ever defeat and most points conceded in a match. However, the club still finished eighth after the regular season, thus making the finals for the sixteenth straight year. Brisbane's efforts did not improve the following Sunday when they played their 500th game ever and their last of the season, being defeated soundly by eventual premiers the Melbourne Storm 40-0. Only one year after winning the premiership, 2007 saw the second time ever that the Broncos lost more games than they won in a season of football.

On October 9, 2007, the club announced the termination of the contracts of squad members Ian Lacey and John Te Reo, after they were involved in the assault of a man. [cite news | url=http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,22555557-23214,00.html | | title=Brisbane axes Lacey and Te Reo | accessdate=2007-10-09]

Match results

quad

Bold Players have played International or State any year

"Full Backs"
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"Wingers"
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"Centres"
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"Halves"
(c)"'

"Hookers"



"Props"
(vc)"'


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"Second Rowers"
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"Locks"
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Player movements

Gains

Off Contract at end of 2007

ee also

*National Rugby League season 2007

References