BRISBANE'S backline curse just can't be broken after winger Dale Copley suffered a serious right knee injury in the Broncos' 16-14 NRL trial loss to the Gold Coast Titans last night at Dolphin Oval. In a recurring nightmare for luckless coach Anthony Griffin, Copley started his 2013 season the exact same way it ended last year by leaving the field on a stretcher.
It was a broken leg that ended the young winger's 2012 season in mid-July, but last night a suspected ruptured patella knee tendon injury has left his start of 2013 in tears.
Copley (right) will have scans this week and won't travel with the team to Queenstown today.
Broncos officials were not prepared to speculate on how long Copley would be ruled out, but it's devastating news for the young man.
"He has obviously copped what we think is a fairly significant injury. We won't know more until we get it scanned," assistant coach Kristian Woolf said.
"I have not really thought about it (the injury curse), we have had a few over the past few years. But there is always opportunity with injury."
With winger Jharal Yow Yeh yet to return from his badly broken ankle of last year and Gerard Beale joining the Dragons over the summer, Griffin suddenly has a hole to fill in his outside backs for round one against Manly in three weeks.
It was the third year in a row the Broncos have lost an outside back to a serious injury in the trials, with Jordan Kahu twice struck down with a torn ACL in 2011 and 2012.
Kahu at least survived last night's match at his bogey ground and with another solid game next week he could yet be a contender for a round one NRL debut.
Another option could be Denan Kemp, one of three returning sons for the Broncos this season and a flying winger who slotted into the backline with ease last night to score a late try.
"He has fit in really well, it's like he never left in terms of his relationship with the boys," Woolf said.
The injury to Copley was just a taste of the bad news for the Broncos last night as the Titans scored three first-half tries to lead 16-4 at half-time.
Fullback Josh Hoffman provided a bright spark in attack to score the Broncos' first-half try with a sublime 40m run, but defensively Brisbane lacked urgency in the first half before holding strong in the second 40 minutes.
Halves Peter Wallace, Corey Norman and Scott Prince were each given time in their preferred positions and in a variety of combinations, but none stood out over the other.
Halfback challenger Prince offered a different attacking style, but he also dropped the ball and allowed Dave Taylor to off-load late in the first half which helped set up a superb David Mead try.
It was Prince's grubber into the uprights in the 53rd minute that led to Corey Norman's second-half try and sparked some life back into a flat Broncos team.
The night began with a touch of nostalgia as former Broncos legend Petero Civoniceva pulled on a Redcliffe jumper for the first time in 19 years.
The 36-year-old veteran prop forward returned to his junior roots last night as he led the Dolphins out in an Intrust Super Cup trial match against Wynnum-Manly.
The last time Civoniceva wore the red jumper at Dolphin Oval was as a teenage centre in 1994 in a Colts match.
It was a typical Civoniceva performance. Straight up and down, error-free.
