Ahead of Friday’s massive clash between Brisbane and Canterbury, Big League marks 20 years since the club’s epic preliminary final showdown.
Shaun Berrigan’s long-range try that sparked the Broncos’ 2006 preliminary final comeback against the Bulldogs rates among the greatest ever scored in a finals match, but it took a halftime positional switch from coach Wayne Bennett for it to materialise.
Bennett moved gun centre Justin Hodges to fullback at the break with a directive to get more involved. Four minutes into the second half – with the Broncos staring down a 20-6 deficit – Hodges gathered a kick on his own goal-line and arced his way around a handful of Bulldogs defenders before linking with Berrigan.
The dynamic hooker embarked on an iconic 65-metre run to the line, fending off Matt Utai and reaching out to plant the ball in the corner despite the desperate tackle of Willie Mason.
The spectacular four-pointer – Berrigan’s second of the match – triggered a Brisbane avalanche. Second-rower Dane Carlaw crashed over on the same patch of Aussie Stadium grass a few minutes later, and a brilliant 60-metre movement finished off by rookie winger Darius Boyd put the Broncos in front on the hour mark.
The shellshocked Bulldogs were helpless to stem the flow of points against them, with Broncos talisman Darren Lockyer starting and finishing a try from halfway, then setting up another for Brent Tate and kicking a field goal. Corey Parker’s try in the shadows of fulltime completed a 37-20 triumph.
It was a result that seemed improbable as first-half tries to halves Daniel Holdsworth and Brent Sherwin, and winger Utai saw the Bulldogs put one hand on a grand final berth.
“It wasn’t a gamble – Justin is in great form and I just wanted him to see a little more of the football,” Bennett said of his game-swinging backline reshuffle.
Hodges had started at fullback in the Broncos’ previous six matches with incumbent Kangaroos custodian Karmichael Hunt working his way back from a lengthy injury layoff on the wing.
Originally earmarked as a long-term No.1 after bursting onto the scene with the Broncos in 2000 then joining Sydney Roosters, Hodges instead became established as a top-tier centre. But he had flourished at fullback during Brisbane’s late-season surge after himself overcoming a midyear stint on the sidelines.
“Wayne just came up to me at the break and told me I was going to fullback,” Hodges said nonchalantly.
“It didn’t bother me because I’ve played there a bit during the season.
“I was lucky the game opened up and Shaun deserves all the credit for that try – he still had a lot of work to do when I gave him the ball.”
A 19-year-old Hodges was infamously dropped by Bennett in 2001 after signing with the Roosters but returned to Brisbane in 2005 after a similarly tumultuous exit from Bondi Junction.
“Wayne has been great to me and I owe any success I’ve had here in Brisbane to him,” Hodges gushed.
Hodges lined up at fullback in the following week’s grand final (with Hunt on the flank) and scored the Broncos’ first try in a 15-8 upset of Melbourne.
A few weeks later, he made a long-awaited Test debut for Australia in the centres with Hunt retaining the No.1 jersey. One of the great three-quarters of the NRL era, Hodges – who retired in 2015 – would only play another seven NRL games at fullback after his 2006 playoffs heroics.
