Brisbane's defending champions delivered a statement performance at AAMI Park on Friday night, storming back from a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat Melbourne in their grand final rematch. The victory marks a turning point for a Broncos side struggling early in their title defence, snapping an embarrassing run of nine straight losses at the Storm's home venue.
Trailing 14-0 at half-time, Brisbane fought back with Jordan Riki bagging a double and Ben Hunt pulling the strings brilliantly in the second half. The Broncos were dealt an injury blow before the match when captain Adam Reynolds was ruled out due to rib cartilage damage, with coach Michael Maguire saying on Thursday he had hoped Reynolds would play but "unfortunately couldn't make the trip down."
The Reynolds-less Brisbane side overturned the deficit with a slick second half, improving their set completion rate dramatically to 20 from 22 sets after the break compared with just 11 of 21 in the first half. The performance was particularly impressive given the Broncos had conceded 66 points in their opening two games.
The victory ended a run of nine straight losses at AAMI Park, with the last time the Broncos got the money at the venue in Round 25 2016, when Hunt was again one of the heroes. More broadly, it was the Broncos' sixth win from their last eight games in which they trailed by 14 or more points at some stage.
The Storm had used last year's grand final defeat to Brisbane as motivation in an impressive start to the season with big wins over the Eels and Dragons, but Friday's clash provided a new test. After falling to Penrith in Round 1, Brisbane had suffered a shock loss to Parramatta and was eager to avoid an 0-3 start to the year.
The late stages proved tense, with Kotoni Staggs put on report for a high tackle on Moses Leo as the Broncos managed to scramble and keep the Storm scoreless after half-time. A Broncos side that conceded 66 points in their opening two games defended resolutely against a barrage of Storm attacks in the last 15 minutes.