Brisbane Broncos have gone to the top of the NRL ladder with a comprehensive 36-0 victory at Suncorp Stadium today over Wests Tigers, who will go bottom if Newcastle Knights can beat Penrith Panthers on Sunday.
But there was bad news for the Broncos, with hooker Andrew McCullough being stretchered from the field after receiving a head injury when tackling a Tigers player in the second half.
Wests had suffered their own injury blow before the game, when they lost halfback Luke Brooks to a hamstring injury that forced a late reshuffle, with former Hull FC star Jordan Rankin coming into the side to replace him. The Tigers had lost Mitchell Moses to Parramatta earlier in the week.
With the Broncos leading 24-0 at the interval, with tries from Tautau Moga, Alex Glenn, Korbin Sims and Jordan Kahu, with Kahu converting each one.
The Tigers had a try by James Tedesco disallowed for obstruction, with Tedesco then being sinbinned for holding down an opponent.
In the second half Kodi Nikorima scored the Broncos’ fifth try after a brilliant James Roberts break, while Anthony Milford completed the tryscoring on 55 minutes.
It was the Broncos’ sixth consecutive victory.
Broncos: 1 Darius Boyd (c), 2 Corey Oates, 3 James Roberts, 4 Tautau Moga, 5 Jordan Kahu, 6 Anthony Milford, 7 Kodi Nikorima, 16 Herman Ese’ese, 9 Andrew McCullough, 10 Adam Blair, 14 Alex Glenn, 12 Matt Gillett, 13 Josh McGuire; Interchange: 8 Korbin Sims, 11 Sam Thaiday, 15 Joe Ofahengaue, 17 David Mead
Tries: Kahu, Sims, Moga, Glenn, Milford, Nikorima; Goals: Kahu 6
Tigers: 1 James Tedesco, 2 David Nofoaluma, 3 Malakai Watene Zelezniak, 4 Moses Suli, 5 Kevin Naiqama, 6 Jack Littlejohn, 20 Jordan Rankin, 8 Aaron Woods (c), 9 Matt McIlwrick, 10 Sauaso Sue, 11 Joel Edwards, 16 Kyle Lovett, 13 Elijah Taylor; Interchange: 14 Tim Grant, 15 Josh Aloiai, 17 Jacob Liddle, 21 Michael Chee-Kam.
Full coverage of all the weekend’s NRL matches can be found in Monday’s issue of League Express
