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Broncos lock in top four as Storm suffer major Hughes injury blow
Sam Kosack • September 5th, 2025 12:04 am
The Brisbane Broncos have almost guaranteed themselves a top four finish as Craig Bellamy’s selection gamble backfired after Jahrome Hughes suffered a broken wrist.
Hughes was returning this round from a dislocated shoulder suffered in Round 21 as Craig Bellamy opted to play a full-strength side against the Brisbane Broncos despite having the top two locked up.
It places Hughes's finals campaign in major jeopardy given the typical recovery time for a broken wrist is 4-8 weeks.
With the grand final four weeks away, it gives the reigning Dally M medalist a slim chance at returning this season.
The Broncos were up 8-6 when Hughes suffered the injury, and emerged 30-14 victors off the back of huge efforts from Reece Walsh and Payne Haas.
The 16-point win secures a top four finish for the club unless the New Zealand Warriors somehow win by 70 points over the Sea Eagles tomorrow.
It means the Broncos will now prepare for a showdown with the Raiders in Canberra next week, likely the final game in a massive Week 1 showdown.
With the game in the balance after half-time, Walsh kicked a crucial 40/20 40 seconds into the half, before scoring two minutes later.
Walsh ultimately walked away with two tries, a try assist and a line break, while Payne Haas had a huge five tackle breaks, six offloads, and 28 tackles.
It’s a statement win for the Broncos, who are now undeniably premiership contenders, after a scandalous week for the club, starting with a viral video of Walsh drinking from his newly-installed toilet, before Gehamat Shibasaki was stood down for disciplinary reasons.
The new-look centre-wing pairing of Deine Mariner and Jesse Arthars performed well, leaving Michael Maguire with a large selection headache around recalling Shibasaki.
Broncos’ hooker Billy Walters said it was pleasing to put together a complete team effort but identified the team needed to continue to strive for consistency as they head into finals.
“It wasn't in patches tonight,” Walters told SEN post-game.
“I felt like we were probably good for the whole whole 80, which is what we've been striving for.
“It’s only one game though. There’s the biggest games to come now in the finals and we’ve got a big tough task against Canberra down in Canberra who have been a little bit underrated.
“They've been the best team all year and probably not getting the respect they deserve, so it's going to be tough going down there, but I can't wait for the challenge.
Walsh and Piakura were the first half scorers for the Broncos, while Eliesa Katoa was the Storm’s lone try scorer for a 12-4 half-time score.
Two second-half tries to Will Warbrick and Nick Meaney meant the game was three-tries apiece until a length-of-the-field intercept try to Josiah Karapani sealed the win and a top four finish for the Broncos.
In a largely stop-start game, there were 20 penalties awarded and 10 six agains, a number SEN’s Gary Freeman hopes we don’t see in the 2025 finals.
An additional four penalty goals were a large difference in the context of the match, putting the Broncos 8-points up before Karapani’s final try.
The Storm will also be left sweating over a possible suspension to Nelson Asofa-Solomona, who was sin-binned for a high tackle in the 36th minute.
The Storm had already locked in a clash against the Bulldogs in Week 1 of the finals in Melbourne.
