Cobbo grabs three as Broncos blitz Sea Eagles
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A commanding 32-6 victory over the Sea Eagles on Friday night has ensured the Broncos will end Magic Round still at the top of the Telstra Premiership ladder.
After being beaten soundly by the Rabbitohs last week, Brisbane returned to form in style in front of a crowd of 50,077 at Suncorp Stadium, running in six tries in a dominant display.
Winger Selwyn Cobbo scored half of those tries himself and ran for 202 metres, with the only blight from a Brisbane point of view being the loss of back-rower Kurt Capewell to a failed HIA in the second half.
The Broncos took little time to get going, with Reece Walsh linking with Selwyn Cobbo for the opening try, before Billy Walters burrowed over to give them a 10-0 lead on 15 minutes.
The Broncos are putting on a show
By the end of a first half in which they had 63 percent of the ball, the Broncos had run in further tries to Cobbo and Jesse Arthars to lead 20-0.
While the possession count levelled out in the second 40 and Manly enjoyed prolonged periods in attacking territory, they couldn't find a way through and eventually the result was put beyond doubt by a long-range Cobbo intercept.
DCE inspires his team
Herbie Farnworth got over for Brisbane's sixth in the closing minutes, with Adam Reynolds adding his fourth conversion of the night, before Ben Trbojevic scored a late consolation try for the Sea Eagles.
Match: Sea Eagles v Broncos
Round 10 -
home Team
Sea Eagles
9th Position
away Team
Broncos
1st Position
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Match Snapshot
- With Selwyn Cobbo's third try 11 minutes from full-time, the Broncos racked up their 20,000th Premiership point. The try was also Cobbo's 16th in his past 12 games at Suncorp Stadium.
Cobbo completes the hat-trick
- The Sea Eagles had only 37 percent possession in the first half and completed just nine of 19 sets.
- All up Manly made 16 errors, while the Broncos made 10 and completed 81 percent of their sets.
- In his return from suspension Broncos prop Payne Hass ran for 193 metres from 19 carries, despite playing only 58 minutes.
- Manly have now won only one of their past five games at Suncorp Stadium.
Play of the Game
After a couple of early errors, Reece Walsh announced himself with a clever assist off a kick which was well finished by Selwyn Cobbo. The Maroons representative added a second try a few minutes later and a third in the second half in what was an impressive showing across the 80 minutes.
Cobbo opens the scoring
What They Said
“We put pressure on ourselves in the first half, we gave a lot of field position away, so obviously they capitalised. They are a good side, they are on top of the table for a reason. We just gave too much of a head start. I thought second half we competed pretty strongly, but ultimately we couldn’t get across the line.” – Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold.
Sea Eagles: Round 10
“[The Sea Eagles] were very good the second half, they played some footy, got some field position and we managed to defend our line which was really pleasing. Six points against is probably the most pleasing thing from the night. The opposition tonight in their first 20 or 30, they gave us a few opportunities and we converted those.” – Broncos coach Kevin Walters.
Broncos: Round 10
What's Next
A Thursday night showdown with the Storm in Melbourne awaits the Broncos in Round 11, while the Sea Eagles will enjoy a long turnaround before hosting the Sharks on Sunday.
