Brisbane produced a scintillating performance to destroy the Warriors 40-10 at Suncorp Stadium in Week 1 of the finals. Despite the absence of representative forward Sam Thaiday through injury, the Broncos dominated from the outset with three first-half tries seeing them head to the break ahead 18-0 before putting their foot down in the second half.
The signs were ominous for the visitors early on with Jharal Yow Yeh denied a try by the officials before Alex Glenn opened the scoring from a Peter Wallace offload after 14 minutes.
Jack Reed was next to cross when he darted over from 10 metres out and captain Darren Lockyer ensured his side took a handy lead into half-time when he crossed following a brilliant run and offload from Matt Gillett.
Corey Parker was next to cross for Brisbane 10 minutes into the second half after Jack Reed leapt highest to collect a Lockyer cross-field kick and passed inside for his unmarked back-rower to score and make it 24-0.
The Warriors finally sprung to life midway through the second half and briefly threatened a comeback with two quick tries – the first a well-angled run from Feleti Mateo off a Shaun Johnson pass and the second a sweeping backline move for Manu Vatuvei to finish.
But three tries in six minutes from the Broncos through Andrew McCullough, Justin Hodges and Gerard Beale ensured a big win for the home side as Lockyer’s farewell tour continued.
Prop Josh McGuire enjoyed a superb game with 189 metres from 22 runs to go with 27 tackles and seven tackle-breaks. Gerard Beale was also impressive with a try and 197 metres. For the Warriors, lock Micheal Luck worked hard to produce 49 tackles.
