Broncos mid-season slump means only one thing

By Chase Christensen 

Twelve rounds have come and gone in the 2026 NRL season. Our pre-season predictions have almost been perfectly on point, as we selected the Dragons to take home the dreaded ‘Wooden Spoon’ and the Warriors to be the most improved and dark horse of the competition. There was one prediction that is looking quite shaky now though, as our predicted grand final winner, the Brisbane Broncos, have slumped to a third straight loss, making their record five wins and six losses. This has placed them eleventh on the ladder before they collect two guaranteed points in their first of three bye rounds in the week before the first Origin. 

There is never a true ‘good’ loss in the NRL, but Brisbane were the closest thing to it when they were defeated by the Roosters. They trailed 30 points to nil early in the second half. It was a bloodbath for Brisbane in every department during the first half, as Easts looked unstoppable. 

In the blink of an eye, the score was 30-24 with a mammoth amount of time remaining in the match. However, an absolute brain explosion from Katoni Staggs resulted in a sin bin, which left him off the field for the remainder of the game. It was an elbow into an opposition player that gave the Chooks an advantage, which they capitalised on by scoring a match-ending try. It was one of the best halves of footy the Broncos have played all year; however, their awful first-half defence, with barely any ball in hand, cost them the two competition points. 

There was only one positive that came in the following week’s match in Manly, and that was Thomas Dufty. His limited game time didn’t put any points on the board, but Brisbane’s attack looked the most dangerous when he was on the field. This was back-to-back great performances from Brisbane’s fresh young halfback, who has a massive career ahead of him. The rest of the team was below average, as the end score was 32-4. This was their worst performance of the season and it was going to take something special to bounce back at Magic Round the following week. 

On the final day of Suncorp Stadium’s annual Magic Round, the crowd was set for a blockbuster battle between the Broncos and Warriors. Despite the match being played at Brisbane’s home ground, it felt like a Warriors home game; Caxton Street was packed from top to bottom with Wahs fans marching to the stadium. Once they entered the arena, you couldn’t hear yourself think. Every play was met with belted emotions from the Warriors supporters.  

The dominance of the crowd certainly gave the Warriors an advantage over Brisbane and they capitalised as they led 22 points to nil at half-time. They had more than 70% of possession, which forced barely any chances for their opposition. Despite an early Adam Reynolds second half try, it did not have much of an impact on the match, as the Warriors responded strongly by not even giving the Bronx a sniff at pulling off a comeback. The match resulted in a 30-point defeat for Brisbane. 

Three straight losses could be detrimental to the momentum of the Broncos’ season, or could they? Last year, they lost in Magic Round by a very similar margin of 24 points against the Panthers. They also had a 5-6 record at the same stage of last season. This is not a coincidence. If anything, it gives Broncos fans even more belief that they will become back-to-back premiers in 2026. It’s inevitable and it starts with what should be two simple wins against the St George Dragons and Gold Coast Titans in their next two matches. 

Despite the horror stretch, Brisbane’s season is far from over. Their form mirrors last year’s premiership run almost perfectly and with key players still firing, the Broncos remain a genuine threat. If they can tighten their defence and rediscover consistency, this slump may simply become another chapter in a successful 2026 campaign.