It's been a long time since the Broncos have been a 'better' side than Manly. I'd say the last time was in 2006?
Even then, Manly were the type of team that could cause the odd boil-over the Broncos.
Don't believe me? Let's go back in time.
First off, the year was 2005. The Brisbane Broncos were head and shoulders the best team in the NRL that season and were looking like specials for the premiership. That was until they arrived at Brookvale and blew a commanding lead to lick their wounds, 20-21 following a drop goal to Michael Monaghan.
Rewind the clock back further to a similar situation in 2003. Very similar situation, except this time it was a miracle pass from Manly Sea Eagles halfback and former Cronulla Shark, Jason Ferris that sunk the Broncos in a rare highlight for the Sea Eagles in their first season back in the competition. The loss would send the Broncos spiralling into a slump (sorry Wayne) that they could never recover from, no matter how hard they tried.
Still not convinced?
What about 2000? Sure, it technically wasn't Manly, but the Northern Eagles were one of the few teams to beat a 'full-strength' Broncos side that season. According to Rugby League Project, it was Round 12 of the 2000 competition when Andrew King played one of his best games to give the Eagles one of their best victories in their short history. The Broncos would later exact their revenge in Round 23 at the old ANZ Stadium, the graveyard to many, but it was the Round 12 game that was cause for concern.
When should the Broncos feel confident against the Sea Eagles? Well if Round 24 1999 is anything to go by...never. It was 26-4 after 56 minutes, Brisbane looked like they were going to extend their record winning margin to 12 straight when Manly recovered and just about stole the game from Brisbane. However, a late shot at conversion from Brendon Reeves was waved away, giving Brisbane one important competition point.
Can history repeat itself? Who knows! It's just fun to look back and remember the history between both clubs. I'm sure that the game on Saturday will be a cracker and with any luck, Brisbane will avoid the boil over.