Brisbane Broncos 1988

[Big Pete]

So the Broncos were officially handed a reality cheque around this time. They were simply outclassed by the Tigers, but the two losses against Cronulla and the Giants were brutal and there were some worrying signs against the Roosters.

The wheels slowly came away for the Broncos, which was very concerning with the representative season fast approaching.

 

[1910]

I'll leave it there for tonight.

Here's a couple of points that I found interesting.

Over time, that Round 1 game completely over-shadowed the Broncos early run of form. In reality, it was a good second half performance and the Broncos really struggled to put a proper 80 minutes together. If anything, they were fortunate to receive a fairly comfy run in the beginning.

I always enjoy hearing guys like Keith Gee being early stand-outs. Outside of perhaps 1910 mentioning him, I've barely heard a peep about him. However, from the sounds of it, he was one of the form players in the side.

Also, I never quite figured out how the Panasonic Competition worked until I read the book. It was a mid-season competition that would open in mid-February and would last until late May. Brisbane played their first round match in early April where they evidently went down to the Panthers. Those are the only details I came across, so if anyone has anything it'd be cool to know.

It was played from 1974 until 1989. Late 70's it had 37 teams in a sort of an FA Cup style situation where teams like Western Division would play Manly.

It was elimination mid week football played all over the country.

Brisbane won it in 84 in a great game; tackled like demons.

Yeah early Broncos hit the wall, the Mother's Day Massacre, Balmain and a shocking first 20 minutes against the Sharks exposed some weaknesses.

Gee was a good player, wasn't getting a shot at Brisbane and left for the Coast where Mark was and really the Giants were the end of many players.

 

[lynx000]

I remember that 1984 final 1910, it was a fantastic game I was on the edge of my seat all night.

 

[lynx000]

I just watched that clip from the game, how good a player was Bob Lindner, we had some wonderful players come through in a clump at that time.

 

[Big Pete]

STATE OF ORIGIN MATCH #1
QUEENSLAND 26; NEW SOUTH WALES 18 at Sydney Football Stadium

For the first time in 22 State of Origin contests there was no Wally Lewis.

The man who virtually made State of Origin was struck down with a shoulder injury and reluctantly, he withdrew. How could Queensland handle it? How would NSW handle it? The answer became clean soon after kick-off.

The Blues were uncharacteristically lifeless and played on without the intensity expected of them. On the other hand, Queensland eager to show there are 13 capable Maroons besides Lewis, were inspired and inspiring.

Langer, the tiny halfback find of the 1987 series, was saddled with more responsibility than ever. And Peter Jackson, himself a youngster by representative standards, was forced to fill Lewis’ sizable boots. Langer chipped and chased repeatedly, assuming the mantle as chief backline attacking weapon. In the first half he grabbed the ball from a tighthead scrum win by Greg Conescu and scurried past Peter Sterling to score. It was the dominating display which earned him his second man of the match award.

Jackson took on the New South Wales backs and created chances for his outside men. It was just the game Bennett was looking for in the absence of Lewis. The Queensland backs scored five tries, a tribute to their finishing ability, and a tribute to the rockhard foundation laid by the forwards.

The Blues carried one of their best packs of forwards into the game but finished well behind the Maroons six. Unfashionable props Sam Backo and Martin Bella played ruggered, uncompromising roles and Wally Fullerton-Smith and Greg Conescu were tireless.

New South Wales let themselves down badley in defence, allowing Queensland much territory down centre field aftering falling off tackles throughout the match.

Controversial Queensland referee Barry Gommersall made his farewell appearance in this match, and earned mixed reviews for his interpretation of the five-metre rule and for his scrums.

QUEENSLAND 26 (Langer 2, Jackson, McIndoe, Belcher tries; Belcher 3 goals) defeated NEW SOUTH WALES 18 (O’Connor, Ettingshausen, McGaw tries; O’Connor 3 goals)

Queensland
Gary Belcher, Alan McIndoe, Tony Currie, Gene Miles, Joe Kilroy
Peter Jackson, Allan Langer
Martin Bella, Greg Conescu, Sam Backo, Wally Fullerton-Smith, Bob Lindner, Paul Vautin ©
Reserves: Brett French, Scott Tronc

New South Wales
John Docking, Brian Johnston, Mark McGaw, Michael O’Connor, Andrew Ettingshausen
Cliff Lyons, Peter Sterling
Les Davidson, Royce Simmons, Steve Roach, Steve Folkes, Noel Cleal, Wayne Pearce
Reserves: Terry Lamb, David Trewhella

 

[Big Pete]

ROUND 11
CANBERRA 36; BRISBANE 16 at Lang Park

Canberra’s Queensland contingent turned on some of their State of Origin team-mates in a cannibalistic slaughter of the Broncos – Brisbane’s biggest defeat at Lang Park.

Fullback Gary Belcher, centre Peter Jackson and prop Sam Backo were all part of Queensland’s stunning 26-18 first State of Origin win only five days before the Raiders faced Brisbane.

Up against Maroon team-mates Gene Miles, Allan Langer, Joe Kilroy and Greg Conesu, the Canberra trio were in superb touch. Coolly they cast aside their Queensland ties for 80 minutes.

Belcher was a devastating attacking agent, scoring two tries and landing six goals for a personal tally of 20. Jackson and Backo both laid on tries for team-mates as the Raiders topped 30 for the seventh time in 11 games.

At the halfway point of their first Winfield Cup campaign, the Broncos were showing signs of wear and tear in the tough weekly grind, and most agreed their fading effort was their poorest of the season.

CANBERRA 36 (Belcher 2, Daley, Bellamy, Ferguson, Jackson tries; Belcher 6 goals) defeated BRISBANE 16 (Hancock, Bourke, Noke tries; Matterson 2 goals)

Brisbane:
Colin Scott, Michael Hancock, Brett Plowman, Chris Johns, Joe Kilroy
Terry Matterson, Allan Langer
Greg Dowling, Greg Conescu, Andrew Tessman, Gene Miles, Bryan Niebling, Keith Gee.
Reserves: Billy Noke, David Bourke, Brad Tessman, Kerrod Walters

Canberra
Gary Belcher, Craig Bellamy, Laurie Daley, Peter Jackson, John Ferguson
Chris O’Sullivan, Ivan Henjak
Glen Lazarus, Steve Walters, Sam Backo, Ashley Gilbert, Gary Coyne, Dean Lance
Reserves: Chris Houghton, Dean Lonergan, Paul Martin, Ricky Stuart

 

[Big Pete]

STATE OF ORIGIN GAME #2
QUEENSLAND 16; NEW SOUTH WALES 6 at Lang Park

Big Queensland prop Sam Backo played the game of his life to spearhead the Maroons to their second win – and the State of Origin crown for 1988.

In the days leading up to the match, doubts emerged over whether he met the qualifications to represent Queensland in the State of Origin football.

But even though they were clarified, Backo was intent on proving his worth to the Maroons and at the same time driving another nail in the Blues’ 88 asipirations.

This was not a spectacular, free-running contest like so many Origin matches, but a grafting duel of the forwards, which turned Queensland’s way after a spiteful brawl in the second half.

The brawl sparked an ugly can-throwing incident which forced a break in playing while the cans were removed.

NSW prop Phil Daley clashed with Maroon’ hooker Greg Conescu and several players rushed in. Referee Mick Stone despatched Daley, Conescu and Wally Lewis, the third man in, to the sin bin.

The parochial Lang Park crowd responded with a hail of cans. The disruption proved an effective tonic for Queensland, who looked tired and frustrated beforehand.

Backo surged his way over the line for Queensland to lead 10-6 soon after and then just four minutes from fulltime Allan Langer ran off a reverse Conescu pass to seal the victory.

Early in the match Michael O’Connor put NSW ahead with another of his remarkable individual tries and he looked one player capable of breaking the game wide open.

Again the Queensland forwards paved the way for victory. With Backo leading, fellow Martin Bella was aggressive and powerful and lent wonderful support.

NSW’s big men Phil Daley and Steve Roach weren’t far behind in the up-front power game. It was an absorbing tussle that hung in the balance until the final minutes but again the Maroons finished with the goods.

QUEENSLAND 16 (Backo, Langer tries; Belcher 4 goals) defeated NSW 6 (O’Connor try; O’Connor goal)

Queensland
Gary Belcher, Alan McIndoe, Peter Jackson, Gene Miles, Tony Currie
Wally Lewis ©, Allan Langer
Martin Bella, Greg Conescu, Sam Backo, Wally Fullerton-Smith, Bob Lidner, Paul Vautin
Reserves: Brett French, Trevor Gillmeister

New South Wales
Garry Jack, John Ferguson, Mark McGaw, Michael O’Connor, Andrew Ettingshausen
Terry Lamb, Peter Sterling
Phil Daley, Ben Elias, Steve Roach, Wayne Pearce, Steve Folkes, Paul Langmack
Reserves: Paul Dunn, Des Hasler

 

[Big Pete]

ROUND 12
BRISBANE 32; ILLAWARRA 10 at Wollongong Showgrounds

A second half rampage by the Brisbane Broncos ended Illawarra’s hopes of a major upset on muddy Wollongong Showground.

For the first half the Steelers played heady, disciplined football and went into halftime with a 10-6 lead through tries by Brian Hetherington and Paul Upfield.

But the complexion of the game changed completely after the break. Chris Johns backed up a barnstorming Gene Miles run to score and wipe out Illawarra’s lead. The try effectively crushed the Steelers who faded out against a hungry Brisbane.

The Steelers, in their first match in three weeks because of the split round, were flattened by Brisbane’s condition and outclassed by the big four, Lewis, Miles, Dowling and Conescu.

Youngsters Terry Matterson and Andrew Tessmann played their part as well as Brisbane plundered the southerners.

Best for the Steelers was lock Ian Russell who set up a try and made 50 tackles in his 74 minutes on the field.

BRISBANE 32 (Kilroy 2, Miles, Johns, Dowling, Matterson tries; Matterson 4 goals) defeated ILLAWARRA 10 (Upfield, Hetherington tries; Carney goal)

Brisbane:
Shane Duffy, Michael Hancock, Chris Johns, Rohan Teevan, Joe Kilroy
Wally Lewis, Gary French
Greg Dowling, Greg Conescu, Andrew Tessman, Gene Miles, Brett Le Man, Terry Matterson.
Reserves: Bryan Niebling, Keith Gee, Craig Grauf, Kerrod Walters

Illawarra
Greg Mackey, Dean Carney, Peter Phillips, Brian Hetherington, Darren Appelby
Paul Upfield, Perry Haddock
Warren Lee, Michael Bolt, Chris Walsh, Jeff Hardy, Michael Carberry, Ian Russell
Reserves: Glen Steele, Greg Carberry

 

[Big Pete]

ASHES SERIES FIRST TEST
AUSTRALIA 17; GREAT BRITAIN 6 at Sydney Football Stadium

Dignity and pride returned to Great Britain Rugby League in 80 minutes of dogged determination in the 100[SUP]th[/SUP] Anglo-Australian Test at the Sydney Football Stadium.

The Lions were beaten but far from disgraced in a genuine Test match struggle, the like of which hadn’t been seen in Sydney for almost 15 years.

On the stroke of halftime captain Ellery Hanley put his team ahead 6-0 with a try in the corner.

Minutes earlier champion Australian halfback Peter Sterling was being treated for a serious shoulder injury and it appeared he would play no further part in the match. At that point victory was right in the grasp of the English team. But when Sterling somehow made his way back into the game for the second half, the English hearts sank just a little.

He linked with Canberra prop Sam Backo after a grubber kick through and Backo was unstoppable so close to the line.

And just four minutes later Sterling put Peter Jackson through for Australia’s second try and a 12-6 lead which they never looked like relinquishing.

They closed their grip on the game with their advantage on the scoreboard and defended grimly from then on. The British couldn’t overcome the Aussies’ resolve late in the match, despite the magnificence of their forwards.

The English pack, led by Manly’s 1987 grand final hero Kevin Ward, outpointed the Australian six, largely nullifying the backline brilliance of the Aussies.

Wally Lewis was unable to dominate proceedings and Sterling, although he left his indelible stamp on the match, didn’t have the time or the space he normally enjoys to plan his game.

His opposite, Andy Gregory probed and harried for the full 80 minutes, threatening Australia with his elusiveness. It was Australia’s relentlessness against a team unconditioned to winning that proved the difference.

When debutant Peter Jackson scored his second try for Australia with five minutes to play, Sterling called it a day, the Aussies led 17-6 and the Centenary Test was unquestionably theirs.

AUSTRALIA 17 (Jackson 2, Backo tries; O’Connor 2 goals; Lewis field goal) defeated GREAT BRITAIN 6 (Hanley try, Loughlin goal)

Australia
Garry Jack, Andrew Ettingshausen, Michael O’Connor, Peter Jackson, Tony Currie
Wally Lewis ©, Peter Sterling
Phil Daley, Greg Conescu, Sam Backo, Wally Fullerton-Smith, Paul Vautin, Bob Lidner
Reserves: Steve Folkes, Gary Belcher

Great Britain
Paul Loughlin, Phil Ford, Garry Schofield, David Stephenson, Martin Offiah
David Hulme, Andy Gregory
Kevin Ward, Kevin Beardmore, Paul Dixon, Mike Gregory, Andy Platt, Ellery Hanley ©
Reserves: Roy Powell, Henderson Giill

 

[Big Pete]

We're well and truly into representative season, and what a busy rep season it was! Not only with the State of Origin, but there was also an Ashes series that was doubling as a World Cup pool game (more on that later).

The State of Origin series may have been the Maroons best achievement since '84 where they wrapped up the series in terrible conditions down in Sydney. To crash the Blues unveiling of the SFS and out-class them minus Wally Lewis was a fantastic result for the Maroons and a real coming of age moment for Alfie Langer. One thing I really like about revisiting these old stories is that you're able to understand moments where players became legends and I definitely feel with performances like that, Alfie cemented himself in Rugby League folklore. In '87 he had proved the critics wrong, in '88 there was no second guessing, Alfie was a quality football talent.

The first game and the Round 11 clash highlighted how good the Raiders were. That era from 86-95 was glorious from the Raiders and I know there's a rivalry there between us, but credit where it's due, that Raiders squad maybe one of the best this game has ever seen. So many legends of the game were involved with the club and like Manly before them, really played their part in Queensland Rugby League. Reading through that result reminds me of all the Storm/Broncos clashes in recent years where we'd flip the script and have to go up against Cam, Slater, Cronk, Chambers, Inglis and co and they would just out-class us each and everytime. Even last year when they were without Slater and Cronk, they really made us work for our two points (in a game that really shaped our run to the grand final).

Game II is a classic game and as 'ugly' as the beer-can incident was, it really showcased how much the game meant to the Queensland public and their respect for Wally Lewis. I think it's fair to say the Maroons fed off of the passion and it proved a turning point in the contest, wrapping up another series for the Maroons.

In between that, it appeared to be business as usual between the Steelers. These are the types of game as a fan that I like to revisit. For one thing, nobody really talks about that game, but also it gives you an idea what a typical afternoon was like as a Broncos supporter. One selection that I like here is Shane Duffy. I don't think I've ever seen Duffy play (I wasn't even born around this time) but it's interesting to see him chosen over Scott at points during the season. I think that goes to show that Bennett isn't afraid to blood new talent and give them a go provided they're ready. There's a section towards the end of these write-ups that illustrates this point, but I liked that Wayne didn't rely solely on old heads and made a point of bringing in so many young guys into the squad.

Finally we got the Test match where the Poms put up a nice fight and really pushed the Australians, but the Kangaroos were just too strong. At this point, the Poms hadn't beaten Australia in over a decades time, so even a contest was something to get a little excited over. Plenty of Queenslanders on show as well, with 9/15 repping the Green and Gold. It was certainly happy days to be a Queensland fan.

 

[M.B.88]

Ha lol.
Year i was born :)

 

[Big Pete]

ROUND 13
BRISBANE 26; ST GEORGE 22 at Lang Park

Brisbane won a tightly contested clash with St George 26-22 in this holiday Monday game but there were few smiles in the Broncos dressing room after the match.

Spoilt opportunities and the failure to put the game beyond the Dragons’ reach was the key to the Broncos disappointment.

The most positive aspect of the match to the Broncos was the form of centre Rohan Teevan and of Gene Miles who starred in the second-row.

Miles, dropped from the Australian team for the 100[SUP]th[/SUP] Test match against Great Britain, was devastating in the Broncos’ back row. He scored one try and had a hand in two others as he went on a home ground rampage.

Teevan, replacing Miles in the centres, was blistering in attack, twice scorching across Saints’ line and backing it up with tough defence.

Brisbane’s biggest Winfield Cup crowd of 19, 954 thrilled to the eight spectacular tries and the closeness of the contest – but neither camp was happy with the massive error rate.

BRISBANE 26 (Teevan 2, Miles, Johns tries; Matterson 5 goals) defeated ST GEORGE 22 (Walford 2, Mohr, Young tries; Walford 3 goals)

Brisbane:
Shane Duffy, Michael Hancock, Chris Johns, Rohan Teevan, Joe Kilroy
Wally Lewis, Allan Langer
Greg Dowling, Greg Conescu, Andrew Tessmann, Gene Miles, Brett Le Man, Terry Matterson.
Reserves: Kerrod Walters, Billy Noke

St George
Clinton Mohr, Bert Gordon, Peter Gill, Michael Beattie, Ricky Walford
Steve Robinson, Brett Clark
Paul Osbourne, Trevor Bailey, Craig Young, Wally Fullerton-Smith, Graeme Wynn, Geoff Selby
Reserves: Mark Blackburn

 

[Big Pete]

ROUND 14
SOUTHS 16; BRISBANE 4 at Sydney Football Stadium

Souths’ makeshift pack stood tall at the Sydney Football Stadium and crushed the Brisbane Broncos in Sydney’s first bout of Friday night football in 1988.

Darren Maroon and David Hosking, shoring up the front row in the absence of Ian Roberts and Les Davidson paved the way for one of Souths’ most complete victories of the season.

Coach George Piggins acclaimed the first half effort of the side as the best in is three-year reign at the club.

Souths led 16-0 and the match was all but over.

Behind the pack, the developing half-five-eighth combination of Phil Blake and Craig Coleman,were clear winners over Queensland’s State of Origin pairing of Wally Lewis and Allan Langer.

Blake and Coleman found willing supporters with their wide passes and Blake’s 70-metre dash from a scrumbase to score after 36 minutes rubbed salt into Bronco wounds.

SOUTHS 16 (Longbottom, O’Neil, Blake tries; Ellison 2 goals) defeated BRISBANE 4 (Le Man try)

Brisbane:
Shane Duffy, Michael Hancock, Chris Johns, Rohan Teevan, Joe Kilroy
Wally Lewis, Allan Langer
Greg Dowling, Greg Conescu, Andrew Tessmann, Gene Miles, Brett Le Man, Terry Matterson.
Reserves: Billy Noke

Souths:
Bronko Djura, Bruce Longbottom, Michael Blake, Paul Roberts, Adam O’Neil
Craig Coleman, Phil Blake
Darren Maroon, Mario Fenech, David Hosking, Wayne Chisolm, Mark Ellison, Michael Andrews
Reserves: David Cruickshank, Graham Lyons, Trevor Tuckwell

 

[Big Pete]

STATE OF ORIGIN GAME #3
QUEENSLAND 38; NEW SOUTH WALES 22 at Sydney Football Stadium

Queensland created history at the Sydney Football Stadium when they became the first Maroon team to win a State of Origin series 3-0.

It was a triumphant Queensland 13 who left the field after handing out one of the heaviest defeats in Origin history. And they did it in remarkable circumstances.

The Blues started out with a flurry of points. They led 18-6 after just 24 minutes and a whitewashing was on the cards.

But in a remarkable turnaround Queensland scored 32 points in the next 56 minutes – to a lone try by New South Wales.

Again it was Sam Backo who powered Queensland to victory. He timed his runs to devastating effect. He was able to offload, break tackles and make ground on almost every touch of the ball.

He earned his second man of the match award in consecutive games after contributing two tries and figuring in the lead-up for three others. But it wasn’t a one man effort.

Wally Lewis, the patriarchal figure of so many Queensland victories since 1980, was again commanding in all he did. He scored a try, laid on another and kicked prodigiously in the open.

NSW’s dramatic crash led to many post mortems, but none could explain away the transition in their play from worldbeaters in the first half to a second-rate team for the remainder of the match.
They threw the ball around early and puled on three tries. Clearly they were out to avenge their earlier losses.

But after the dream start they relaxed and allowed Queensland a sniff of the tryline. As was a feature of their 1988 play, Queensland grasped the opening with both hands. And they went on with it. They grew in confidence and desire as each minute passes.

The ’88 series will go down as Queensland’s most memorable Origin series yet. Wayne Bennett was viewed as a coaching great; Backo, Jackson, Langer, McIndoe and Currie made their Australian debuts, while Belcher, Lewis, Vautin, Lidner, Fullerton-Smith,Conescu, Bella and Miles also wore the Green and Gold.

QUEENSLAND 38 (Backo 2, Kilroy, Jackson, French, Langer, Lewis tries; Belcher 5 goals) defeated NEW SOUTH WALES 22 (Ferguson, O’Connor, Pearce, Hanson tries; O’Connor 3 goals)

Queensland
Gary Belcher, Alan McIndoe, Peter Jackson, Tony Currie, Joe Kilroy
Wally Lewis ©, Allan Langer
Martin Bella, Greg Conescu, Sam Backo, Wally Fullerton-Smith, Bob Lidner, Paul Vautin
Reserves: Brett French, Trevor Gillmeister

New South Wales
Garry Jack, John Ferguson, Mark McGaw, Michael O’Connor, Andrew Ettingshausen
Cliff Lyons, Des Hasler
Steve Hanson, Ben Elias, Steve Roach, Wayne Pearce, Steve Folkes, Paul Langmack
Reserves: Noel Cleal, Greg Florimo

 

[Big Pete]

ROUND 15
CANTERBURY 25; BRISBANE 10 at Lang Park

Steve Mortimer, on the outer as a “full time” first grader after a debilitating illness, stole the show at Lang Park as the Bulldogs swept to a valuable 25-10 victory.

Mortimer played just 31 minutes of the match, but his influence in that half hour was remarkable.

He first climbed off the reserves bench late in the first half as a head bin replacement for Paul Dunn and in six sharp minutes, showed the sign of things to come.

Coach Phil Gould sent Mortimer back into the game 15 minutes into the second half as Brisbane clung to a 10-9 lead. Six minutes later it was all over.

Mortimer and fullback Jason Alchin produced a superb try for centre Glen Nisssen for 15-10 and then Mortimer toed through a kick which brought about a try for Robin Thorne, all-but wrapping up the match.

Brisbane were solid – but ultimately unable to cover for the loss of trump players Greg Dowling and Gene Miles (injury) and Wally Lewis and Greg Conescu (Test commitments)

CANTERBURY 25 (Nissen, Langmack, Thomas, Thorne tries; Lamb 4 goals; Lamb field goal) defeated BRISBANE 10 (Le Man, Walters tries; Matterson goal)

Brisbane:
Shane Duffy, Michael Hancock, Chris Johns, Rohan Teevan, Joe Kilroy
Gary French, Allan Langer
Brad Tessman, Kerrod Walters, Andrew Tessmann, Bryan Niebling, Brett Le Man, Terry Matterson.
Reserves: Brook Kennedy, Peter Benson

Canterbury
Jason Alchin, Sandy Campbell, Andrew Farrar, Glenn Nissen, Robin Thorne
Paul Langmack, Terry Lamb
Paul Dunn, Mark Bugden, Peter Tunks, David Gillespie, Steve Folkes, Joe Thomas
Reserves: Steve Mortimer, Eddie Muller, Scott Bennett

 

[Big Pete]

ASHES SERIES SECOND TEST
AUSTRALIA 34; GREAT BRITAIN 14 at Lang Park

The improvement and hope portrayed in Great Britain’s gutsy First Test performance appeared nothing more than an aberration after their dismal effort in the Second Test at Lang Park.

Australia had their seventh consecutive Ashes series wrapped up by halftime when they led 18-4.

The tourists were never in the match. Their commitment, teamwork and discipline was only a shadow of that displayed by the Australians.

The British defence was a sad rejoinder to the bad old days of the 70s and early 80s. Invariably they tackled high, and invariably the Australian ball carrier would take a measured “duck” and surge straight through.

Wally Lewis earned yet another Man of the Match award at his favourite stomping ground. His combination with another all-time great, halfback Peter Sterling, had a rare quality about it.

They kicked superbly in general play, each taking the pressure off the other, and both controlled the game with an almost telepathic understanding.

Britain’s kicking game was shocking. Five times they kicked into touch on the full from general play, and when the ball was kept in, invariably it went straight to Aussie fullback Garry Jack, the best broken-field runner in league.

The British may have dominated the Australian pack in the First Test but not so in the second. Back rowers Wayne Pearce and Paul Vautin broke the English line time after time and when Sam Backo revved up after a slow start, he was the hardest man on the field to put to ground.

Australia scored six tries to record a win as complete as any of the past decade. And there were many moments of brilliance for the big crowd of 27, 130 to savour.

Lewis grubbered ahead and regathered to send Peter Jackson away for his third try in two Tests, Michael O’Connor scored one of his “specials”, stepping in and out of the British defence when the match was just six minutes old and Sam Backo powered 50 metres downfield in a surging burst in the second half, and later he charged from dummy half to score his second Test match try.

The British had far fewer bright patches in a disappointing and embarrassing exhibition from a team that promised so much.

Martin Offiah brought the crowd to their feet with a sizzling 60 metre try and Ellery Hanley made some electrifying bursts.

Without tireless backrowers Mike Gregory and Andy Platt, the tourists would have faced a worse nightmare.

AUSTRALIA 34 (O’Connor, Ettingshausen, Jackson, Backo, Pearce, Lewis tries; O’Connor 5 goals) defeated GREAT BRITAIN 14 (Ford, Offiah tries; Loughlin 3 goals)

Australia
Garry Jack, Andrew Ettingshausen, Michael O’Connor, Peter Jackson, Tony Currie
Wally Lewis ©, Peter Sterling
Phil Daley, Greg Conescu, Sam Backo, Wally Fullerton-Smith, Paul Vautin, Wayne Pearce
Reserves: Bob Lidner, Gary Belcher

Great Britain
Paul Loughlin, Henderson Gill, Phil Ford, Ellery Hanley ©, Martin Offiah
David Hulme, Andy Gregory
Kevin Ward, Kevin Beardmore, Roy Powell, Paul Dixon, Andy Platt, Mike Gregory
Reserves: Darren Wright, Phillip Hulme

 

[Big Pete]

The Broncos are really feeling the pinch at this point.

Three less than par performances translated into a 1-2 winning passage. The loss against Souths would had to have been particularly disappointing. Souths were missing key players like Roberts and Davidson while the Broncos had a lot of stars on the paddock. In fairness to Souths, they were a team on the rise and had the ability to beat anybody on their day that season, including the two best teams all year - Canterbury and Balmain.

It sounds like things were traveling better in the rep arena. Queensland pulled off one of it's better comebacks to trounce NSW 38-22, while Australia simply blitzed Great Britain to wrap up the Test series at Lang Park. As noted, there was some fantastic support from the Queensland faithful, drawing 27K which was much higher than the Sydney crowds.

I'd imagine Broncos fans would be feeling the heat somewhat, but would be absolutely thrilled with the rep footy.

 

[1910]

ROUND 13
BRISBANE 26; ST GEORGE 22 at Lang Park

Brisbane won a tightly contested clash with St George 26-22 in this holiday Monday game but there were few smiles in the Broncos dressing room after the match.

Spoilt opportunities and the failure to put the game beyond the Dragons’ reach was the key to the Broncos disappointment.

The most positive aspect of the match to the Broncos was the form of centre Rohan Teevan and of Gene Miles who starred in the second-row.

Miles, dropped from the Australian team for the 100[SUP]th[/SUP] Test match against Great Britain, was devastating in the Broncos’ back row. He scored one try and had a hand in two others as he went on a home ground rampage.

Teevan, replacing Miles in the centres, was blistering in attack, twice scorching across Saints’ line and backing it up with tough defence.

Brisbane’s biggest Winfield Cup crowd of 19, 954 thrilled to the eight spectacular tries and the closeness of the contest – but neither camp was happy with the massive error rate.

BRISBANE 26 (Teevan 2, Miles, Johns tries; Matterson 5 goals) defeated ST GEORGE 22 (Walford 2, Mohr, Young tries; Walford 3 goals)

Brisbane:
Shane Duffy, Michael Han****, Chris Johns, Rohan Teevan, Joe Kilroy
Wally Lewis, Allan Langer
Greg Dowling, Greg Conescu, Andrew Tessmann, Gene Miles, Brett Le Man, Terry Matterson.
Reserves: Kerrod Walters, Billy Noke

St George
Clinton Mohr, Bert Gordon, Peter Gill, Michael Beattie, Ricky Walford
Steve Robinson, Brett Clark
Paul Osbourne, Trevor Bailey, Craig Young, Wally Fullerton-Smith, Graeme Wynn, Geoff Selby
Reserves: Mark Blackburn

This was the game that the Broncos stayed on the field at half time; Powers while tipping in a cool million which was unheard of in the 80's wasn't allowed to have any signage.

Broncos decided to stay on the field at half time and created a makeshift dressing room with a Powers banner around the players.

Lang Park Trust lost their mind at the advert and NSWRL got involved and Broncos promised not again.