| 2006 Brisbane Broncos season | ||||
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The 2006 Brisbane Broncos season was the nineteenth in the club's history. Coached by Wayne Bennett and captained by Darren Lockyer, they won the NRL's 2006 Telstra Premiership, finishing the regular season in 3rd place before going on to defeat the first-placed Melbourne Storm in the 2006 NRL Grand Final (their 6th).
The Broncos did not start the 2006 season well, suffering a 36–4 defeat by the previous year's runners-up, the North Queensland Cowboys in the first round. This was the 8th consecutive loss for the club and equalled the record for longest losing streak set in 2003. Round 2 saw the Broncos get their first win for the season and their first win since Round 21, 2005, with a 16–12 victory over the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (this was the third game in a row in which the Brisbane Broncos beat the Cronulla Sharks 16-12 at Toyota Park). The Broncos then went on to have a strong first half of the season, winning 11 of their first 17 games. Round 8 saw Brisbane produce their biggest comeback in the club's history when they came from 18–0 down at halftime to win 30–28 over the Canberra Raiders. But the year's biggest upset came when the team, missing key players through State of Origin, lost to the last-placed and previously winless South Sydney Rabbitohs 34-14 in Round 14.
After the 2006 State of Origin series finished, Brisbane once again suffered their "post-Origin Slump", losing five consecutive games from Round 18 to Round 23 inclusive. However, strong performances against the competition leaders Melbourne Storm (losing 18–12) and a resounding victory against the Canterbury Bulldogs 30-0 the following week saw a return to form. The Broncos then defeated the injury-struck Parramatta Eels 23-0 in Round 25 and then the New Zealand Warriors 36-12 in Round 26. It was the first time since 1999 that the Broncos conceded no points in consecutive rounds.
Brisbane was heading into the finals with momentum not seen since 2000, but lost to the St. George Illawarra Dragons 20-4 in what was the highest attended Broncos game ever played at Suncorp Stadium at the time. The following week Wayne Bennett agreed to terms to continue coaching the Broncos for a further two years. [1] The Broncos bounced back in the semi-final, defeating the Newcastle Knights by 50–6. Captain Darren Lockyer also became the Broncos' highest point-scorer with 1,077 (breaking Michael De Vere's record of 1,062 points). After trailing 20–6 at half-time against the Bulldogs in the grand final qualifier the team came back in the second half to earn a place in the 2006 NRL Grand Final with a 37–20 victory with Shaun Berrigan scoring a match-turning try in the second half.
It was the sixth time the Broncos made the Grand Final. Their opponents were the Melbourne Storm and the game was the first ever NRL Grand Final not to feature a New South Wales-based club. Despite heading into the game as underdogs, Brisbane won the match 15–8. This saw a fitting farewell to Broncos prop Shane Webcke who retired at the end of the season. [2] The win enabled the Broncos to maintain their perfect record in grand final matches and made Wayne Bennett the most successful coach in grand final history with 6 from 6 with the Broncos. In his first year of coaching he made the Grand Final with the Canberra Raiders but lost, making his record at this time 6 from 7. His current record is 7 from 9 having won a Grand Final with the St. George Illawarra Dragons in 2010.and losing a grand final against the cowboys in 2015
The Broncos were also named "Queensland Sport Team of the Year" at the Queensland Sport Awards. [3]
| Round | Opponent | Result | Bro. | Opp. | Date | Venue | Crowd | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trial Match | Canberra Raiders | Win | 28 | 20 | 18 Feb | Port Macquarie Sports Stadium | ||
| Trial Match | Melbourne Storm | Loss | 10 | 58 | 25 Feb | Stadium Toowoomba | ||
| 1 | North Queensland Cowboys | Loss | 4 | 36 | 12 Mar | Suncorp Stadium | 46,229 | 14/15 |
| 2 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Win | 16 | 12 | 18 Mar | Toyota Park | 14,221 | 12/15 |
| 3 | Parramatta Eels | Win | 30 | 10 | 26 Mar | Suncorp Stadium | 25,525 | 5/15 |
| 4 | St George Illawarra Dragons | Loss | 12 | 26 | 2 Apr | WIN Stadium | 13,708 | 9/15 |
| 5 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Win | 30 | 12 | 8 Apr | Suncorp Stadium | 20,816 | 7/15 |
| 6 | Sydney Roosters | Win | 24 | 6 | 14 Apr | Sydney Football Stadium | 21,246 | 4/15 |
| 7 | Penrith Panthers | Win | 30 | 6 | 23 Apr | Suncorp Stadium | 25,133 | 3/15 |
| 8 | Canberra Raiders | Win | 30 | 28 | 29 Apr | Suncorp Stadium | 23,582 | 3/15 |
| 9 | Newcastle Knights | Loss | 30 | 32 | 7 May | EnergyAustralia Stadium | 21,252 | 5/15 |
| 10 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Win | 32 | 10 | 13 May | Suncorp Stadium | 24,991 | 4/15 |
| 11 | Bye | 4/15 | ||||||
| 12* | Bulldogs RLFC | Win | 25 | 6 | 27 May | Suncorp Stadium | 30,589 | 1/15 |
| 13 | New Zealand Warriors | Win | 23 | 18 | 4 Jun | Mt Smart Stadium | 7,746 | 1/15 |
| 14 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Loss | 14 | 34 | 10 Jun | Telstra Stadium | 6,537 | 2/15 |
| 15* | St George Illawarra Dragons | Loss | 16 | 18 | 16 Jun | Suncorp Stadium | 32,914 | 2/15 |
| 16 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Win | 16 | 10 | 25 Jun | Brookvale Oval | 16,084 | 2/15 |
| 17 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Win | 26 | 12 | 2 Jul | Suncorp Stadium | 25,863 | 2/15 |
| 18* | Melbourne Storm | Loss | 4 | 10 | 7 Jul | Olympic Park | 15,479 | 3/15 |
| 19 | Bye | 3/15 | ||||||
| 20 | North Queensland Cowboys | Loss | 10 | 26 | 22 Jul | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 24,658 | 3/15 |
| 21 | Wests Tigers | Loss | 6 | 20 | 30 Jul | Suncorp Stadium | 31,500 | 3/15 |
| 22 | Canberra Raiders | Loss | 18 | 30 | 6 Aug | Canberra Stadium | 13,137 | 3/15 |
| 23 | Melbourne Storm | Loss | 12 | 18 | 13 Aug | Suncorp Stadium | 40,195 | 5/15 |
| 24 | Bulldogs RLFC | Win | 30 | 0 | 18 Aug | Telstra Stadium | 26,111 | 5/15 |
| 25 | Parramatta Eels | Win | 23 | 0 | 27 Aug | Parramatta Stadium | 20,253 | 4/15 |
| 26 | New Zealand Warriors | Win | 36 | 12 | 3 Sep | Suncorp Stadium | 47,193 | 3/15 |
| Qualif. Final | St George Illawarra Dragons | Loss | 4 | 20 | 9 Sep | Suncorp Stadium | 50,387 | |
| Semi-final | Newcastle Knights | Win | 50 | 6 | 16 Sep | Sydney Football Stadium | 20,081 | |
| Prelim. Final | Bulldogs RLFC | Win | 37 | 20 | 22 Sep | Sydney Football Stadium | 29,511 | |
| GRAND FINAL | Melbourne Storm | Win | 15 | 8 | 1 Oct | Telstra Stadium | 79,609 | |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Melbourne Storm | 24 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 605 | 404 | +201 | 441 |
| 2 |  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 608 | 468 | +140 | 36 |
| 3 |  Brisbane Broncos (P) | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 497 | 392 | +105 | 32 |
| 4 |  Newcastle Knights | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 608 | 538 | +70 | 32 |
| 5 |  Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 534 | 493 | +41 | 32 |
| 6 |  St George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 519 | 481 | +38 | 32 |
| 7 |  Canberra Raiders | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 525 | 573 | -48 | 30 |
| 8 |  Parramatta Eels | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 506 | 483 | +23 | 28 |
| 9 |  North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 450 | 463 | -13 | 26 |
| 10 |  New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 552 | 463 | +89 | 242 |
| 11 |  Wests Tigers | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 490 | 565 | -75 | 24 |
| 12 |  Penrith Panthers | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 510 | 587 | -77 | 24 |
| 13 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 515 | 544 | -29 | 22 |
| 14 |  Sydney Roosters | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 528 | 650 | -122 | 20 |
| 15 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 429 | 772 | -343 | 10 |
1The Melbourne Storm were later stripped of this minor premiership due to gross salary cap breaches.
2The New Zealand Warriors were deducted 4 competition points due to gross salary cap breaches.
The Brisbane Broncos had the biggest NRL season crowd average for 2006. The average crowd (including the Qualifying Final) for 2006 was 32,681
| Games | Played | Crowd Total | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Games | 28 | 754,550 | 26,948 |
| Home Games* | 13 | 424,917 | 32,685 |
| Away Games* | 15 | 329,633 | 21,976 |
| Finals | 4 | 179,588 | 44,897 |
All Games*: Played:28 Total: 754,550 Average: 26,948
Home Games: Played: 13 Total: 424,917 Average: 32,685
Away Games: Played:15 Total: 329,633 Average: 21,976
Finals*: Played: 4 Total: 179,588 Average: 44,897
| Brisbane | Position | Melbourne |
|---|---|---|
| Justin Hodges | Fullback | Billy Slater |
| Darius Boyd | Wing | Matt Geyer |
| Brent Tate | Centre | Matt King |
| David Stagg | Centre | Greg Inglis |
| Karmichael Hunt | Wing | Steve Turner |
| Darren Lockyer (C) | Five-eighth | Scott Hill |
| Shane Perry | Halfback | Cooper Cronk |
| Shane Webcke | Prop | Antonio Kaufusi |
| Shaun Berrigan | Hooker | Cameron Smith (C) |
| Petero Civoniceva | Prop | Brett White |
| Sam Thaiday | Second Row | David Kidwell |
| Brad Thorn | Second Row | Ryan Hoffman |
| Tonie Carroll | Lock | Dallas Johnson |
| Corey Parker | Interchange | Adam Blair |
| Dane Carlaw | Interchange | Jeremy Smith |
| Ben Hannant | Interchange | Ben Cross |
| Casey McGuire | Interchange | Nathan Friend |
| Wayne Bennett | COACH | Craig Bellamy |
Brisbane played against minor premiers the Melbourne Storm in the Grand Final and came out 15–8 winners. It was a perfect farewell for retiring prop Shane Webcke. The Broncos maintained their 100% win record in Grand Finals (1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2006). The six Premierships make Wayne Bennett the most successful club coach in Australian club football history.
Brisbane 15 (TRIES: Hodges, Tate; GOALS: Lockyer 2/2, Parker 1/2; FIELD GOALS: Lockyer)
defeated
Melbourne 8 (TRIES: Turner, King; GOALS: Smith 0/1, Geyer 0/1)
Halftime: Brisbane 8-4
Referee: Paul Simpkins
Stadium: Telstra Stadium (Sydney)
Crowd: 79,609
Clive Churchill Medal: Shaun Berrigan (Brisbane)
When They Scored
10th Minute: Brisbane 2-0 (Darren Lockyer penalty goal)
14th Minute: Melbourne 4-2 (Steve Turner try)
19th Minute: Brisbane 8-4 (Justin Hodges try; Darren Lockyer goal)
48th Minute: 8-8 (Matt King try)
60th Minute: Brisbane 10-8 (Corey Parker penalty goal)
62nd Minute: Brisbane 14-8 (Brent Tate try)
73rd Minute: Brisbane 15-8 (Darren Lockyer field goal)
Three Broncos players, Karmichael Hunt, Justin Hodges and Sam Thaiday were selected to make their international representative debut for Australia in 2006.
Bold Players Reperesentive Players for International or State in any year.
Full Backs
Wingers
Centres
Halves
Hookers
Props
Second row
Locks
| Player | Tries | Goals | FG | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corey Parker | 4 | 63/89 | 0 | 142 |
| Darren Lockyer | 13 | 19/24 | 5 | 95 |
| Tame Tupou | 13 | 0 | 0 | 52 |
| Darius Boyd | 11 | 0 | 0 | 44 |
| Justin Hodges | 10 | 1/1 | 0 | 42 |
| Shaun Berrigan | 9 | 0 | 0 | 36 |
| Karmichael Hunt | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| Greg Eastwood | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Brent Tate | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Shane Webcke | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Brad Thorn | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Brett Seymour | 3 | 0/1 | 0 | 12 |
| Michael Ennis | 0 | 6/11 | 0 | 12 |
| Petero Civoniceva | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| David Stagg | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Sam Thaiday | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Dane Carlaw | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Frazer Anderson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Leon Bott | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Casey McGuire | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Tonie Carroll | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Stephen Michaels | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Shane Perry | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| TOTAL | 105 | 89 | 5 | 603 |
| Player | Notes |
|---|---|
| Brent McConnell | from North Queensland Cowboys |
| Nathan Strudwick | from John Paul College (Brisbane) |
| Thomas Bradford | |
| Player | Notes |
|---|---|
| Casey McGuire | Contract with Catalans Dragons (Super League) |
| Shane Webcke | Retired at end of season |
| Leon Bott | Contract with Cronulla Sharks |
| Neville Costigan | Contract Terminated for player misconduct, contract with Canberra Raiders |
| Brett Seymour | Contract Terminated for player misconduct, contract with Cronulla Sharks |
| Nathan Daly | Contract with Cronulla Sharks |
| Scott Minto | Contract with North Queensland Cowboys |
| Ben Vaeau | Contract with North Queensland Cowboys |
| Joe Clarke | Contract with North Queensland Cowboys |
| Player | Years signed | Until the end of |
|---|---|---|
| Karmichael Hunt | 3 Years | 2009 |
| Michael Ennis | 1 Year | 2007 |
| Ben Hannant | 2 Years | 2008 |
| David Stagg | 3 Years | 2009 |
| Ian Lacey | 2 Years | 2008 |
| Joel Moon | 2 Years | 2008 |
The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos currently compete in the National Rugby League (NRL). The club has won seven premierships, including two New South Wales Rugby League premierships, a Super League premiership and four NRL premierships. The Broncos have won two World Club Challenges, and four minor premierships in multiple competitions. Prior to 2015, Brisbane had never been defeated in a grand final, and since 1991, the club has failed to qualify for the finals five times. The club is one of the most successful clubs in the National Rugby League since it began in 1998, winning three premierships. The club is one of the most successful clubs in the history of rugby league, having won 59.9% of games played since its induction in 1988, second only to Melbourne Storm with 67.3%.
Darren James Lockyer is an Australian television commentator and former professional rugby league footballer. Lockyer was an Australian international and Queensland State representative captain, who played his entire professional career with the Brisbane Broncos.
Shane Webcke is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, who spent his entire club career playing for the Brisbane Broncos. Webcke represented Queensland in the State of Origin 21 times and also captained the side. He made 26 test appearances for Australia. His position was prop forward and at his peak he was renowned as the best front rower in the world. Alongside Glenn Lazarus and Arthur Beetson, Webcke is considered by many to have been one of the finest post-war front-rowers to play the game.
Justin Hodges is an Australian professional boxer and former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative centre, Hodges started his career in the National Rugby League with the Brisbane Broncos before moving to the Sydney Roosters, with whom he won the 2002 NRL Premiership, before returning to the Broncos in 2005, and winning the 2006 NRL Premiership. He also captained the Broncos.
The 2005 Brisbane Broncos season was the eighteenth in the club's history, and they competed in the NRL's 2005 Telstra Premiership. Coached by Wayne Bennett and captained by Darren Lockyer, they finished the regular season 3rd despite ending the year with another long losing streak which continued into the play-offs and saw them knocked out once again.
The 2004 Brisbane Broncos season was the seventeenth in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2004 Telstra Premiership, making it to the finals again, but were knocked out of contention by the North Queensland Cowboys, their first ever loss to the club.
The 2003 Brisbane Broncos season was the sixteenth in the history of the Brisbane Broncos. Coached by Wayne Bennett and captained by Gorden Tallis, they competed in the NRL's 2003 Telstra Premiership, finishing the regular season 8th and making the finals for the 12th consecutive year. The Broncos were then knocked out in the first match against eventual premiers, the Penrith Panthers.
The 1997 Super League season was a breakaway professional rugby league football competition in Australia and the only one to be run by the News Limited-controlled Super League organisation. Eight teams which had broken away from the existing Australian Rugby League, in addition to the newly created Adelaide Rams and Hunter Mariners, competed over eighteen weekly rounds of the regular season. The top five teams then played a series of knock-out finals which culminated in a September grand final played in Brisbane between the Brisbane Broncos and Cronulla.
The 1998 Brisbane Broncos season was the eleventh in the history of Brisbane's National Rugby League premiership team, the Brisbane Broncos. Coached by Wayne Bennett and captained by Allan Langer, they participated in the newly formed National Rugby League's 1998 premiership and posted their three biggest ever wins in rounds 5, 7 and 15 before finishing the regular season as minor premiers. The Broncos then won the 1998 NRL Grand Final, capturing their fourth premiership in seven seasons.
The 2002 Brisbane Broncos season was the fifteenth in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2002 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season in third position before going on to again come within one match of the grand final for the second consecutive year.
The 2007 Brisbane Broncos season was the twentieth in the club's history and they competed in the NRL's 2007 Telstra Premiership. Coached by Wayne Bennett and captained by Darren Lockyer, the Broncos made the finals by just scraping into the top 8, but were knocked out in the first week by eventual premiers, Melbourne Storm. Two and a half years later the Storm would be found to have been cheating the salary cap over the previous four seasons and their 2007 premiership was stripped.
The history of the Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club stretches back from their inception in the mid-1980s to the present day. They were introduced to the NSWRL's Winfield Cup premiership in 1988, taking the competition by storm in winning their first six games. The Broncos participated in 18 consecutive finals series from 1992–2009, winning premierships six times, including the 1992 and 1993 NSWRL premierships, the Superleague premiership in 1997 and then the 1998, 2000 and 2006 National Rugby League premierships.
The 2007 NRL season consisted of 25 weekly regular season rounds, starting from 16 March and ending on 2 September, followed by four weeks of play-offs that culminated in a grand final on 30 September.
The 2008 Brisbane Broncos season was the 21st in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2008 Telstra Premiership, the centenary season of rugby league football in Australia. The Broncos finished the regular season 5th but were knocked out of the finals by eventual grand finalists Melbourne Storm for the second consecutive year.
The 2008 National Rugby League season consisted of 26 weekly regular season rounds, starting on 14 March, followed by four weeks of play-offs, culminating in a Grand Final on 5 October.
The 2009 Brisbane Broncos season was the 22nd in the club's history and their first without foundation coach Wayne Bennett. They competed in the NRL's 2009 Telstra Premiership and by the 12th round were leading the competition, but then suffered one of their worst post-State of Origin form slumps ever and spent rounds 16 to 22 outside the top eight. The team managed to finish the regular season 6th, qualifying for the finals for the 18th consecutive year. The Broncos then came within one match of the grand final but were knocked out for the 3rd season in a row by eventual premiers the Melbourne Storm.
The 2006 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding match of the NRL's 2006 Telstra Premiership season. It was played between the first-placed Melbourne Storm and the third-placed Brisbane Broncos clubs on the night of Sunday, 1 October. The 2006 grand final was the first ever to feature teams which were both from cities outside the borders of New South Wales, in this case the capitals of Queensland and Victoria, yet was played at the traditional venue of Sydney's Telstra Stadium. It was the first time the two sides had met in a grand final. They had played each other twice during the 2006 regular season, with Melbourne winning both times. The Melbourne side went into the grand final as heavy favorites, having won the minor premiership. Both teams were looking to keep their perfect grand final records intact: Brisbane with 5/5 and the Melbourne side with 1/1 heading into the game.
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