Brisbane’s season continues to spiral out of control after the Broncos fell to a heavy loss to Canterbury in Round 21 to leave their finals hopes in tatters.
Brisbane previously snapped a six-game losing streak to breathe new life into their season with a comprehensive 30-14 win over Newcastle leading into the clash against the Bulldogs.
However, Kevin Walters’ side were overpowered on home soil as they fell to a damaging 41-16 loss to leave them in 13th spot on the ladder and two wins outside of the top-eight.
Brisbane’s horrible run of form started back in Round 12 when they were shocked by Gold Coast 36-34 at Suncorp Stadium.
Cronulla edged them 22-12 in Round 14 before the resurgent South Sydney continued their winning streak with a regulation 22-12 result.
New Zealand Warriors piled on the points in Auckland as they eased to a 32-16 victory, while an improved showing against Penrith ultimately came to nothing as the reigning premiers recorded a 14-6 win over the Broncos.
The 30-26 defeat against St George Illawarra marked the fifth loss for Brisbane at Suncorp so far this season as Shane Flanagan’s men initially ran riot against a depleted outfit in front of a stunned crowd.
A tough two-game run now awaits with road trips to the Gold Coast and Townsville to take on their Queensland rivals.
After their final bye in Round 24, the Broncos will finish their season at Suncorp with matches against fellow strugglers Parramatta, along with the Dolphins and Melbourne.
The very real possibility of missing out on the top-eight is a far cry from their stellar campaign last year which saw the youthful outfit surge into the grand final, only to suffer a heartbreaking defeat to a Nathan Cleary-inspired Panthers.
They currently sit four points outside the eight after winning just eight of their 19 games.
The Broncos now face the prospect of having to win all five of their remaining five games to make the finals.
