ANNOUNCEMENT: Thomas Flegler announce his resignation and Departure From Brisbane Broncos Today
The Broncos have put the cleaners through the Cowboys in Mackay and secured a 46-20 victory thanks to a second-half romp on Sunday afternoon.
Brisbane star Selwyn Cobbo proved he’ll fill the void left by Herbie Farnworth in the centres with aplomb, while backrower Brendan Piakura’s bench days are behind him after bagging a double – but he could be in doubt for Round 1 after picking up a knee injury.
Cowboys fullback Tom Chester dropped the kick-off cold and the Broncos made them pay inside 90 seconds as Cobbo put Corey Oates over in the corner.
The lead soon doubled when backrower Piakura scored thanks to a deft pass from Adam Reynolds, but North Queensland hit back when Semi Valemei intercepted Reece Walsh to race away in the 20th minute.
Piakura, the man who has replaced Kurt Capewell in the second-row, then scored his second with another barnstorming run down the left edge.
Cowboys young gun Kulikefu Finefeuiaki crossed after a strong run and hooker Sean Mullany then made it two in a matter of minutes to close the gap to 16-14 at halftime.
But it was all the Broncos in the second half as Cobbo, Reece Walsh and Tristan Sailor all scored in the first 10 minutes after the break.
The tallest player in the NRL, 205cm Broncos youngster Ben Te Kura, crashed over before hooker Cory Paix crashed over to put the icing on the cake.
But the Cowboys had the final say when local product Jaxon Purdue scooped on a grubber and the 19-year-old raced 90 metres to score at the death and send the Mackay crowd into raptures.
