2007 Brisbane Broncos season

2007 Brisbane Broncos season
NRL rank	8th
Play-off result	Lost Qualifying Final, (Melbourne Storm, 0–40)
World Club Challenge	Lost Final, (St Helens, 14–18).
2007 record	Wins: 11; losses: 14
Points scored	For: 511; against: 476
Team information
Managing Director	Bruno Cullen
Director of Coaching	Wayne Bennett
Captain	Darren Lockyer
Stadium	Suncorp Stadium
Avg. attendance	32,868
Agg. attendance	394,415
High attendance	50,416 (North Queensland Cowboys, 16 March)
Low attendance	24,563 (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, 29 July)
Top scorers
Tries	Justin Hodges (12)
Goals	Corey Parker (48)
Points	Corey Parker (116)
Home colours
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The 2007 Brisbane Broncos season was the twentieth in the club's history and they competed in the NRL's 2007 Telstra Premiership. Coached by Wayne Bennett and captained by Darren Lockyer, the Broncos made the finals by just scraping into the top 8, but were knocked out in the first week by eventual premiers, Melbourne Storm. Two and a half years later the Storm would be found to have been cheating the salary cap over the previous four seasons and their 2007 premiership was stripped.

Season Summary

The World Club Challenge loss 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, 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.

At the end of the season the Brisbane Broncos hed a gala ball at which coach Wayne Bennett was made a life member of the club. His refusal to make an acceptance speech at the club's presentation ball showed the strain in his relationship with the Broncos.^[1] On 9 October 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 after the ball.^[2]

Squad information

As of 9 September 2007

Cap.	Nat.	Player	Position	First Broncos game	Previous First Grade RL club
68		Brad Thorn	Second-row	1994	—N/a
76		Darren Lockyer (c)	Five-eighth	1995	—N/a
79		Tonie Carroll	Lock	1996	—N/a
87		Petero Civoniceva (vc)	Prop	1998	—N/a
93		Shaun Berrigan	Hooker	1999	—N/a
94		Dane Carlaw	Prop	1999	—N/a
100		Justin Hodges	Centre	2000	—N/a
106		Corey Parker	Second-row	2001	—N/a
110		Brent Tate	Centre	2001	—N/a
124		Craig Frawley	Wing	2003	Canberra Raiders
127		David Stagg	Second-row	2003	—N/a
128		Sam Thaiday	Second-row	2003	—N/a
130		Karmichael Hunt	Fullback	2004	—N/a
138		Steve Michaels	Wing	2005	—N/a
139		Nick Kenny	Prop	2005	—N/a
140		Greg Eastwood	Lock	2005	—N/a
141		Darius Boyd	Wing	2006	—N/a
142		Shane Perry	Halfback	2006	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
143		Michael Ennis	Hooker	2006	St. George Illawarra Dragons
144		Ben Hannant	Prop	2006	Sydney Roosters
145		Ian Lacey	Hooker	2006	—N/a
147		Joel Moon	Centre	2006	—N/a
148		Dave Taylor	Prop	2006	—N/a
149		Nick Emmett	Centre	2006	—N/a
151		John Te Reo	Hooker	2007	—N/a
152		Andrew Lomu	Prop	2007	Canberra Raiders
153		Denan Kemp	Fullback	2007	—N/a
154		Mick Roberts	Hooker	2007	—N/a
155		Clifford Manua	Prop	2007	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
156		Alwyn Simpson	Wing	2007	—N/a
—		Brent McConnell	Halfback	Yet to debut	North Queensland Cowboys

Squad changes

Coaching staff

Pre-season

The Broncos' pre-season involved two matches in England and two more trial matches upon their return to Australia.

World Club Challenge

As reigning NRL premiers, on 23 February 2007 The Brisbane Broncos played against English Super League champions St Helens R.F.C. in the 2007 World Club Challenge. St Helens took the match 18–14 in the last minutes.

23 February 2007 20:00 UTC+0

St. Helens	18–14	Brisbane Broncos
Tries: Gardner (2) Sculthorpe Goals: Sculthorpe (3)	Report	Tries: Parker Boyd Goals: Parker (3)

Reebok Stadium, Bolton, United Kingdom Attendance: 23,207 Referee: Steve Clark

Telstra Premiership

Ladder

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	Melbourne Storm	24	21	0	3	1	627	277	+350	44
2	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	24	18	0	6	1	597	377	+220	38
3	North Queensland Cowboys	24	15	0	9	1	547	618	−71	32
4	New Zealand Warriors	24	13	1	10	1	593	434	+159	29
5	Parramatta Eels	24	13	0	11	1	573	481	+92	28
6	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	24	12	0	12	1	575	528	+47	26
7	South Sydney Rabbitohs	24	12	0	12	1	408	399	+9	26
8	Brisbane Broncos	24	11	0	13	1	511	476	+35	24
9	Wests Tigers	24	11	0	13	1	541	561	−20	24
10	Sydney Roosters	24	10	1	13	1	445	610	−165	23
11	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	24	10	0	14	1	463	403	+60	22
12	Gold Coast Titans	24	10	0	14	1	409	559	−150	22
13	St George Illawarra Dragons	24	9	0	15	1	431	509	−78	20
14	Canberra Raiders	24	9	0	15	1	522	652	−130	20
15	Newcastle Knights	24	9	0	15	1	418	708	−290	20
16	Penrith Panthers	24	8	0	16	1	539	607	−68	18

Honours

Statistics

For NRL first-grade matches only.

References

27°27′53″S 153°0′34″E / 27.46472°S 153.00944°E / -27.46472; 153.00944 (Suncorp Stadium)