Jesse Southwell believes the Broncos’ mid-season slump could prove crucial as they prepare to launch their premiership defence against her former club, the Newcastle Knights.
After sitting on top of the NRLW ladder through the opening rounds, Brisbane suffered three consecutive defeats, including a 28-20 loss to Queensland rivals the Titans that prompted a strong message from coach Scott Prince and the club’s leadership group.
The Broncos quickly responded, climbing back to third on the ladder and securing a spot in their eighth finals series.
Jesse Southwell Try
Southwell, who joined Brisbane after four seasons and two premierships with Newcastle, believes the rough patch has provided important lessons ahead of Saturday’s elimination final.
“There are a lot of lessons that we learnt from those three losses,” Southwell said.
“I certainly learnt a lot as a half and I think in the end it will be really good for us.
“I think Princey and the leadership group that we have here have taken it upon themselves to make sure we are getting the best out of each other as people, and you’ll get the best out of your players when that happens on the field.”
Match: Broncos v Knights
Finals Week 1 -
home Team
Broncos
3rd Position
away Team
Knights
6th Position
Venue: Totally Workwear Stadium, Brisbane
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
The 21-year-old has already established herself as one of the NRLW’s premier playmakers, becoming the youngest player in the competition to reach 50 games while representing NSW eight times and Australia on three occasions.
Her move to Brisbane has provided another opportunity to take her game to another level, particularly partnering veteran halfback Ali Brigginshaw in the final season of the champion’s career.
“There’s a lot of halfbacks that are killing it in the game at the moment, but we can learn lessons from each other,” she said.
“I have certainly learnt a lot from Ali and I’m still learning a lot from Ali, and I’m learning a lot from all my teammates.”
Despite the history between the Broncos and Knights, Southwell insists her focus remains on delivering her best performance for the team.
Southwell on song today
“I just want to be the best Jesse that I can be and I’m looking forward to continuing to do that,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to going out there. The Knights are a great side and we definitely have our hands full.”
And there's no shortage of extra motivation as Brigginshaw’s retirement adds an emotional element to Brisbane’s finals campaign.
“Every game you go into as a footballer you want to win,” she said.
“Adding in the incentive to send Ali off definitely helps.
“But we’re going to go into every game, this game is no exception, trying to win. That’s what every athlete wants, because they love the sport they play.”
The Broncos have already shown their ability to recover from adversity this season, but Southwell believes there is still plenty of improvement left in the side as they chase back-to-back premierships.
“We still have a long way to go, to be honest,” she said.
“There’s a lot of young girls that are playing outstanding football at the moment.
"But what we have done this season so far and the improvement that we have seen after 11 rounds has been really cool to see.”
After 11 epic rounds, it all comes down to this. One play can define a season. These are the moments that matter. Kids tickets are available from just $5, click here to secure your seats and get behind your team.
