The Brisbane Broncos’ unbeaten start to the season was brought to an end by a “brutal” Canberra Raiders side that exposed the team’s “Achilles heel”, according to Billy Slater.
After Kevin Walters’ side had waltzed through the first five weeks of the season, they were undone by a Ricky Stuart masterclass, as the Raiders held the high-powered Broncos’ attack to just 14 points at Suncorp Stadium.
While the Broncos had been unbeaten heading into the clash, Slater said there were worrying signs even in matches they’d won earlier in the season.
READ MORE: Friend’s favour helps Tiger tie Masters record
READ MORE: American grills Masters over ‘damn near unforgivable’ call
READ MORE: Coach’s plea after star’s ‘distressing’ head knock
“It’s the Achilles heel,” he told Nine’s Sunday Footy Show.
“If I’m Kevin Walters, I’m addressing this issue because when they played the Dragons, they (the Dragons) bashed them and for 60 per cent of that game, they were under pressure.
“The Dolphins, they took them (the Broncos) to a place where they had to work really hard. They’re a talented group, the Broncos, but this is an issue that they need to address.
“They’ve got to work out – when (they’re) in this position, are (they) willing to work hard to get the job done? Are (they) willing to play the simple game, play the game that the Raiders played to get the job done?
“We know (they’ve) got skill and points, it’s the simple game that they need to get right.”
League great Andrew Johns was also critical of the Broncos’ execution down the stretch.
“They played without patience,” he told the Footy Show.Sunday Footy Show.
“I think they tried to win the game before building the game and earning the right to play it. I thought every half chance they pushed the pass. I think they’ll learn from it.”
Slater was full of praise for Stuart, whose side came into Suncorp having won just one of its first five matches.
”I thought Ricky Stuart did an amazing job to change the mindset of his team,” he said.
NRL Highlights: Broncos v Raiders – Round 6
“They got flogged by Penrith the week before and he thought, ‘Well my team is not a shootout team, we can’t score that many points, so we have to drag this talented Broncos team into the trenches and make it a street fight’, and that’s exactly what they did.
Stream the NRL premiership 2023 live and free on 9Now
“They were brutal, they were uncompromising, and they took these young Broncos players into a place where they didn’t really want to go.”
The Broncos will hope to bounce back from the loss when they travel to the Gold Coast to face the Titans next Saturday, while the Raiders will host the Dragons on Sunday afternoon.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
The Mole’s round five team of the week: Axed Knights star sends ‘stunning’ message
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
