The Brisbane Broncos are set for another week in the headlines after the reigning premiers suffered a 40-32 defeat against Parramatta on Thursday night.

Both teams were coming off heavy losses in round 1 and the Broncos came out came out all guns blazing after being held scoreless by Penrith last week.

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The Broncos led 12-0 after 10 minutes, but the Eels scored three tries in five minutes to lead 22-20 at halftime.

The see-sawing contest continued in the second half as both teams conceded tries with leaky defence.

Parramatta ultimately scored eight tries to claim the upset victory and leave the Broncos reeling with a 0-2 record to start the season.

To make matters worse, veteran halfback Adam Reynolds limped off the field in the dying stages, clutching his ribs after a tackle from Kitione Kautoga.

Reynolds was fairly coy when asked how he pulled up and whether he would be fit to play next week.

“It’s alright. A little bit sore. But I put some ice on it,” he said, adding he would check in with Brisbane’s medical staff on the weekend and “go from there”.

Reece Walsh scored two tries and had flashes of brilliance, but he also finished the game in pain when he clutched at his knee after jumping for a high ball.

Eels young gun Jonah Pezet, who is coincidentally joining the Broncos next season, sealed the victory with a try off his own kick when Walsh was out on his feet and gave up chasing down the ball in the in-goal.

“Reece Walsh was nowhere to be seen, he’s clocked off, he’s finished for the night,” Cooper Cronk said on Fox League.

Broncos star’s ‘poor’ display called out

Ezra Mam’s defence has come under fire after Parramatta scored three tries in five minutes to lead 22-20 at halftime of Thursday night’s clash against Brisbane.

Reece Walsh scored the first try of the game and Kotoni Staggs scored another easy try soon after to give the Broncos a 12-0 lead after 10 minutes.

But Kelma Tuilagi got Parramatta on the board, running through Brisbane’s defence, specifically Mam and Jack Gosiewski, to score a try.

Payne Haas scored an easy try for the Broncos but the floodgates as Parramatta tore the reigning premier’s defence apart before halftime.

The Broncos’ left edge looked particularly vulnerable and Mam was caught napping when Eels fullback Isaiah Iongi flew past him to score in the 35th minute.

“Iongi one-on-one with Ezra Mam, beats him on the outside for speed,” Cooper Cronk said in commentary on Fox League.

“This is poor defence from the left edge of the Brisbane Broncos. Ezra Mam stops for a second and allows Isaiah Iongi to go through.

“The left edge of the Brisbane Broncos is shaky tonight.”

“It was very disappointing from a defence point of view,” Broncos coach Michael Maguire said in his press conference.”

Matty Johns said post-game: “Madge will be going, ‘Oh dear, come on boys. Where’s the commitment?’

“If you enjoy fast open football and casual diabolical defence, this was the game for you. Bizarre game.”

Eels legend Nathan Hindmarsh said: “He (Mam) just clocks off, he slows down a little bit where he could have made an effort to dive, clip him or ankle tap him.”

Premiership winner Bryan Fletcher said: “They (the Broncos) look like a shadow of their former selves from last year.”

Johns said Brisbane’s start to the season had shades of the 2024 season when they missed finals after making the 2023 grand final.

Mam was brought into the starting line-up at five-eighth after being demoted to the bench for veteran Ben Hunt in last week’s season opener, but his defensive efforts left a bit to be desired.

Fox League’s Greg Alexander said at halftime: “They’ve got the edge defence absolutely rattled. Ezra Mam is a matchwinner but boy he’s been found out defensively on that side. 

“They really have struggled defensively on that left side, Brisbane. They’re all over the place.

“They do look a little disjointed,” Fox League’s Yvonne Sampson said.

Manly premiership winner Kieran Foran said: “The attacking football from both teams has been exceptional, but the defence has been feeble at times.”

Fox League commentator Andrew Voss said it was a “miracle” the Eels were leading at halftime given Brisbane’s dominance to start the game.

“This is a crazy game of football,” Voss said.

When play resumed in the second half, Parramatta scored a fourth consecutive try when Reece Walsh dropped a kick, gifting possession back to the Eels.

“Reece Walsh’s dropped ball, Brisbane’s goal line defence nowhere near good enough,” Andrew Voss said.

“Reece Walsh, I’m not sure what happened there,” Cooper Cronk said when Walsh dropped the ball.

Mam had his best moment of the game when a deft grubber kick set up Kotoni Staggs for the centre’s second try of the game to make it 26-26.

A brilliant Walsh chip-and-chase try gave the Broncos the momentum back and a 32-28 lead midway through the second half.

“Reece Walsh is absolutely the best player in the competition when he’s playing like this,” Cronk said.

It doesn’t get much easier for the Broncos, who take on the Storm in Melbourne next Friday.

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