The first 10 weeks of Brisbane’s defence of its 1998 title was a veritable nightmare – garnering just one win and highlighted by the shock retirement of the club’s captain and greatest ever player. But the Broncos avoided joining the likes of the 1979 Sea Eagles, the 1981, ’89 and ’96 Bulldogs, the 1986 Eels and 1992 Panthers as reigning champions to miss the finals, courtesy of an extraordinary club-record winning streak.
The Broncos romped to the inaugural NRL title in 1998 and were short-priced favourites to salute again…until they started 1999 with five straight losses, including an unprecedented 48-6 defeat to Melbourne at home.
A breakthrough win over Souths preceded another four-match winless run – the flashpoint of which was a fortunate 20-all draw against lowly North Queensland. Coach Wayne Bennett hooked linchpin Allan Langer during the second half and replacement Ben Walker kicked an after-the-siren conversion to salvage a competition point.
“It’s back to the drawing board for us, but I think the old fella (Bennett) has just about run out of chalk,” game-breaking forward Gorden Tallis quipped after the Townsville escape.
Days later, four-time grand final-winning skipper and living legend Langer stunned the rugby league world by announcing his – ultimately short-lived – retirement from the game.
Sinking to last on the ladder for the first time in their glittering 12-season history with subsequent losses to the Storm and Roosters, the Broncos found the circuit-breaker they were looking for via a 12-10 eclipse of an in-form Balmain.
Within a month Brisbane had shortened from 40/1 into 9/1 in the title market. The winning run extended to 11 matches, putting a host of eventual also-rans to the sword before lowering the colours of finals-bound St George Illawarra, Newcastle and Sydney City.
The likes of Walker, Tallis, Darren Lockyer and Shane Webcke stepped up as leaders with new skipper Kevin Walters and gun centre Steve Renouf among several stars to miss chunks of the season with injury.
While the Broncos had rediscovered their trademark attacking flair, it was supreme defence that turned their season around – they conceded less than seven points per game on the 11-game stretch.
“Everybody is looking over their shoulders at the Broncos … they are the defending premiers and in form and that makes them the yardstick for everybody else in this premiership,” Phil Gould said before his high-flying Roosters were foiled by a last-second Lockyer field goal in a 9-8 loss.
The streak ended in unlikely fashion a week later, run down late by out-of-contention Manly in a 26-all draw at Brookvale Oval. Heavyweight Parramatta inflicted Brisbane’s first defeat in more than three months in the penultimate round 21-10, but the Broncos clinched eighth spot – one point ahead of Canberra – with a gutsy 14-12 victory over third-placed Canterbury.
Apparently exhausting their reserves of energy on their tightrope ride to September, the Broncos were humbled 42-20 by minor premier Cronulla in week one of the NRL’s maiden edition of the controversial McIntyre Finals System.
“Maybe they went to the well, mentally, too many times during that 12-week period,” Bennett mused after the Shark Park thrashing.
“Even though we were soft physically against the Sharks, I have no doubt our failure was not a physical thing. It was mental, and maybe a few of the guys were satisfied at just making the finals.”
Nevertheless, the remarkable revival over the second half of the campaign holds a treasured place in the club’s narrative – and arguably laid the platform for the Broncos steamrolling their way to another premiership in 2000.
