Brisbane second-row forward Sam Thaiday says five-eighth Anthony Milford is the key to his form resurgence.
Thaiday was arguably the Broncos' best in Round 22, running for 196 metres in a barnstorming performance.
Suspended the week before, Thaiday missed Brisbane's loss to the Roosters and was eager to make up for his wrongdoings. He did just that, with the 31-year-old even managing to score a four-pointer – his third for the year.
It helped the Broncos secure a 12-8 win against St George Illawarra and they will hope to build on that performance against the Parramatta Eels on Friday night.
But Thaiday told NRL.com that his great performance was not all his doing, instead shifting the focus to Milford and his increased involvement in Brisbane's play.
"I had a lot of opportunities against the Dragons," Thaiday said.
"'Milf' was playing with confidence and he was passing me the ball a fair bit. I was in the game and getting involved because of him.
"It definitely helps when the ball comes down my side more.
"It was just my time to shine and I was lucky because of all the opportunities I received.
"I just want to do my job. I scored a try off one of Milf's kicks and that was very smart of him. He read the defence very well.
"Milf played short to me a couple of times and he realised they were rushing up, and because of that he put the kick in and I scored."
It's a good sign for the Broncos that Milford is beginning to find his feet after suffering a form slump in the middle of the season that saw him and halves partner Ben Hunt come under intense criticism.
But that rough patch appears to be a thing of the past and a win against the Eels is now vital for Brisbane's top-four hopes.
A win on Friday would keep the Broncos within touching distance of the top four, with the match signalling the beginning of a run home that includes three games at home.
Suncorp Stadium will need to be a fortress for Brisbane, but equally important to their top-four chances is the Broncos' completion rate.
Even when Brisbane have struggled this season they've held onto the ball, and this was no different in their win against the Dragons last week.
Wayne Bennett's men completed at a staggering 88 per cent in wet and windy conditions, and Sam Thaiday said that would need to continue if his side are to be competitive in the next month of football.
"We had a much-needed win last week and we completed at a very high percentage rate," he said.
"That was the most pleasing thing about it because we made sure we didn't dwell on our mistakes.
"It helped us focus on what we needed to do and that pretty much got us the win in the end.
"It was a fantastic team effort in the sense that everyone covered each other and we all put in for each other.
"We're improving and we are focused on improving every week.
"That will continue on Friday night and hopefully that will turn into us finishing in a great position at the end of the year."
