Broncos great Corey Parker says the performances of some of Brisbane’s players against the Warriors on Saturday night were so bad they would be “embarrassed”.
The 347-game former Broncos workhorse also questioned the “personal pride” of some players, a day after rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns had described the team’s effort as “absolutely disgusting” and declared “they don’t care less”.
Chanel Harris-Tavita goes over against the Broncos. Mackenzie Sweetnam/Getty Images
In going down to the Warriors 40-6 at Suncorp Stadium, the Broncos became the first reigning premier in Australian first-grade rugby league to lose as many as 15 games.
The Broncos are languishing in 16th on the ladder with three games remaining, behind teams like the Eels, Tigers and Titans.
Yet the Red Hill wreckage could get even worse.
Although it is unlikely, it is possible the Dragons could climb off the bottom rung of the ladder and the Broncos could finish with the wooden spoon.
“Madge was clearly unhappy, and he’s defended the team pretty much week in, week out, [saying], ‘They’re working hard’,” Parker said on his SEN radio show on Monday.
“There were some individuals the other night [who would] be pretty embarrassed with their performance.
“This is not gonna get any better.
“You go through who’s going out to play every week, some of the players will not be there next year, OK? … Why do they care what goes on? They’re moving on.”
Of the players who lined up against the Warriors, three won’t be at the Broncos in 2027: the Rabbitohs-bound Payne Haas, Warriors-bound Grant Anderson and Perth Bears recruit Gehamat Shibasaki.
“Do they care enough in their own personal pride and performance?” Parker added.
“Well, you’d have to say you’d like to think so, but the evidence that we’re seeing at the minute, that’s hardly evidence I’m seeing that you’ve got a huge amount of pride.”
Corey Parker during his legendary Broncos career. Getty Images.
Speaking on Nine’s The Sunday Footy Show, Johns roasted the Broncos over the try scored by Warriors playmaker Chanel Harris-Tavita.
In only the 14th minute, the five-eighth received the ball on the left edge, cut back inside, and sliced through the Brisbane defence like it was a game of touch footy.
“I’ve gotta say, the Chanel Harris-Tavita try was absolutely disgusting. The way they didn’t tie in on the inside, it was horrible,” Johns said.
“That showed that they don’t care. They don’t care less … They don’t care if they win or lose at the moment.
“They won the comp last year!”
Haas dropped a bombshell on the eve of the season when he signed a three-year deal with South Sydney, beginning in 2027.
The Broncos’ end-of-season review, Johns says, must zero in on that monumental Haas decision.
“I’ll tell you what they do with a review? Someone sit down with Payne and say, ‘Payne, why are you leaving?’ And there’ll be your answer,” Johns said.
“You’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime player, we’re talking about a player who maybe will be the greatest front-rower ever, and he’s playing for you, and he leaves. There’s your answer.”