2015 Brisbane Broncos season

2015 Brisbane Broncos season
NRL	2nd
Play-off result	Runners-up (North Queensland Cowboys, 16-17)
2015 record	Wins: 17; Draws: 0; Losses: 7
Points scored	For: 574; Against: 379
Team information
CEO	Paul White
Coach	Wayne Bennett
Captain	Justin Hodges
Stadium	Suncorp Stadium - 52,500
Avg. Attend.	36,096
High. Attend.	51,826 (vs. Sydney Roosters, FW3)
Top scorers
Tries	Lachlan Maranta (13)
Goals	Corey Parker (47)
Points	Corey Parker (102)
< 2014 List of seasons 2016 >

The 2015 Brisbane Broncos season was the 28th in the club's history. Coached again for the first time since 2008 by returning foundation coach, Wayne Bennett, and captained by Justin Hodges, they competed in the NRL's 2015 Telstra Premiership. The Broncos finished the regular season in 2nd place to make the play-offs, going on to reach the 2015 NRL Grand final in which they were defeated by the North Queensland Cowboys.

Season summary

Milestones

• Round 1: Adam Blair, James Gavet and Anthony Milford made their debuts for the club.
• Round 1: Corey Parker played his 300th career game.
• Round 2: Kodi Nikorima and Joe Ofahengaue made their first grade debuts.
• Round 2: Andrew McCullough played his 150th career game.
• Round 4: Jarrod Wallace scored his 1st career try.
• Round 5: Mitch Garbutt made his debut for the club.
• Round 7: Alex Glenn played his 150th career game and Jack Reed his 100th career game.
• Round 7: Daniel Vidot scored his 50th career try.
• Round 8: Anthony Milford played his 50th career game.
• Round 8: Corey Parker kicked his 500th career goal.
• Round 9: Lachlan Maranta played his 50th career game.
• Round 10: Adam Blair played his 200th career game.
• Round 11: Joe Boyce made his first grade debut.
• Round 12: Matt Parcell made his first grade debut.
• Round 20: Kodi Nikorima scored his 1st career try.
• Grand Final: Brisbane Broncos lose their first grand final.

Squad List

Brisbane Broncos
First team squad								Coaching staff
Ajuma Adams - PR Adam Blair - PR, SR Joe Boyce - LK Darius Boyd - FB Dale Copley - CE, WG Mitchell Dodds - PR Jordan Drew - CE, FB Greg Eden - FB, WG, FE James Gavet - PR Matt Gillett - SR Alex Glenn - SR, CE Jon Green - PR Brett Greinke - SR, CE		Justin Hodges - CE, FB Ben Hunt - HB, HK Jordan Kahu - FB, CE, WG Todd Lowrie - SR, LK Lachlan Maranta - WG, FB Andrew McCullough - HK Josh McGuire - PR Anthony Milford - FE, FB Francis Molo - PR Darren Nicholls - HB, FE Kodi Nikorima - HB, FB Corey Oates - SR Joe Ofahengaue - PR, SR		Tom Opacic - CE, FE, FB Matt Parcell - HK Corey Parker - LK, SR Jack Reed - CE David Stagg - SR, LK Zach Strasser - FE, HB Ashley Taylor - HB, FE Sam Thaiday - SR, PR Daniel Vidot - CE, WG Travis Waddell - HK Jarrod Wallace - PR Aaron Whitchurch - CE, WG				Head coach Wayne Bennett Assistant coaches Kevin Walters Stephen Kearney Allan Langer Legend: (c) Captain (vc) Vice captain Updated: 25 January 2015 Source(s): Broncos Squad

Squad Movement

Gains

Player	Signed From	Until End of	Notes
Adam Blair	Wests Tigers	2017	[1]
Darius Boyd	Newcastle Knights	2017	[2]
Greg Eden	Hull Kingston Rovers	2016	[3]
Mitch Garbutt	Melbourne Storm	2017	[4]
James Gavet	Wests Tigers	2016	[5]
Anthony Milford	Canberra Raiders	2016	[6]
Matt Parcell	Ipswich Jets	2015	[7]
Travis Waddell	Newcastle Knights	2016	[8]

Losses

Player	Signed To	Until End of	Notes
Ben Barba	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	2017	[9]
Marmin Barba	Ipswich Jets	?	[10]
Cameron Cullen	Mackay Cutters	?	[11]
Mitch Garbutt	Leeds Rhinos (Mid-Season)	2017	[12]
Jake Granville	North Queensland Cowboys	2016	[13]
David Hala	Gold Coast Titans	2016	[14]
Ben Hannant	North Queensland Cowboys	2015	[15]
Josh Hoffman	Gold Coast Titans	2017	[16]
Martin Kennedy	Sydney Roosters	2016	[17]
Stewart Mills	Released	-	[18]
Duncan Paia'aua	Queensland Reds (Rugby Union)	2016	[19]

Re-signings

Player	Club	Until End of	Notes
Josh McGuire	Brisbane Broncos	2017	[20]
Andrew McCullough	Brisbane Broncos	2017	[21]
Kodi Nikorima	Brisbane Broncos	2016	[22]
Joe Ofahengaue	Brisbane Broncos	2017	[23]

Contract lengths

Player	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	Source
Todd Lowrie	Brisbane Broncos	Newcastle Knights				[24]
Alex Glenn	Brisbane Broncos					[25]
Justin Hodges	Brisbane Broncos					[26] [27]
Jordan Kahu	Brisbane Broncos					[28]
Matt Parcell	Brisbane Broncos					[7]
David Stagg	Brisbane Broncos					[29]
Zach Strasser	Brisbane Broncos					[30]
Sam Thaiday	Brisbane Broncos					[31]
Daniel Vidot	Brisbane Broncos					[32]
Dale Copley	Brisbane Broncos					[33]
Greg Eden	Brisbane Broncos					[3]
James Gavet	Brisbane Broncos					[5]
Matt Gillett	Brisbane Broncos					[34]
Lachlan Maranta	Brisbane Broncos					[35]
Anthony Milford	Brisbane Broncos					[6]
Kodi Nikorima	Brisbane Broncos					[22]
Corey Parker	Brisbane Broncos					[26]
Travis Waddell	Brisbane Broncos					[8]
Jarrod Wallace	Brisbane Broncos					[35]
Adam Blair	Brisbane Broncos					[1]
Darius Boyd	Brisbane Broncos					[2]
Ben Hunt	Brisbane Broncos					[36]
Andrew McCullough	Brisbane Broncos					[21]
Josh McGuire	Brisbane Broncos					[20]
Corey Oates	Brisbane Broncos					[37]
Joe Ofahengaue	Brisbane Broncos					[23]
Jack Reed	Brisbane Broncos					[34]

Ladder

2015 NRL season
Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	Sydney Roosters	24	18	0	6	2	591	300	+291	40
2	Brisbane Broncos	24	17	0	7	2	574	379	+195	38
3	North Queensland Cowboys (P)	24	17	0	7	2	587	454	+133	38
4	Melbourne Storm	24	14	0	10	2	467	348	+119	32
5	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	24	14	0	10	2	522	480	+42	32
6	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	24	14	0	10	2	469	476	−7	32
7	South Sydney Rabbitohs	24	13	0	11	2	465	467	−2	30
8	St. George Illawarra Dragons	24	12	0	12	2	435	408	+27	28
9	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	24	11	0	13	2	458	492	−34	26
10	Canberra Raiders	24	10	0	14	2	577	569	+8	24
11	Penrith Panthers	24	9	0	15	2	399	477	−78	22
12	Parramatta Eels	24	9	0	15	2	448	573	−125	22
13	New Zealand Warriors	24	9	0	15	2	445	588	−143	22
14	Gold Coast Titans	24	9	0	15	2	439	636	−197	22
15	Wests Tigers	24	8	0	16	2	487	562	−75	20
16	Newcastle Knights	24	8	0	16	2	458	612	−154	20

Fixtures

Pre-season

Date	Round	Opponent	Venue	Score	Tries	Goals	Attendance
Saturday, 7 February	Trial 1	North Queensland Cowboys	Stadium Mackay	6-18	Nikorima	Milford (1/1)	8,000
Saturday, 21 February	Trial 2	Wigan Warriors	DW Stadium	14-12 ET (12-12)	McCullough, Maranta	Parker (3/4)	20,842
Legend:       Win       Loss       Draw

NRL Auckland Nines

The NRL Auckland Nines is a pre-season rugby league nines competition featuring all 16 NRL clubs. The 2015 competition was played over two days on 31 January and 1 February at Eden Park. The Broncos feature in the Piha pool and played the Bulldogs, Sharks and Roosters.

Piha Pool
Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	3	3	0	0	68	22	+46	6
Sydney Roosters	3	2	0	1	30	30	+0	4
Brisbane Broncos	3	1	0	2	21	37	-16	2
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	3	0	0	3	10	40	-30	0

Date	Time (Local)	Round	Opponent	Venue	Score	Tries	Goals
Saturday, 31 January	3:10pm	Round 1	Sydney Roosters	Eden Park	4-6	Nicholls	Milford (0/1)
Saturday, 31 January	7:30pm	Round 2	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Eden Park	4-31	Whitchurch	Milford (0/1)
Sunday, 1 February	2:05pm	Round 3	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	Eden Park	13-0	K. Nikorima J. Nikorima	Milford (2/2)
Legend:       Win       Loss       Draw

Regular season

Date	Round	Opponent	Venue	Score	Tries	Goals	Attendance
Thursday, 5 March	Round 1	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Suncorp Stadium	6 – 36	Gillett	Parker (1/2)	36,057
Friday, 13 March	Round 2	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Remondis Stadium	2 – 10	Oates, Maranta	Parker (1/1), Hunt (0/1)	8,369
Friday, 20 March	Round 3	North Queensland Cowboys	Suncorp Stadium	44 – 22	Maranta (2), Hunt, McGuire, Parker, McCullough, Hodges, Kahu	Parker (6/8)	40,047
Sunday, 29 March	Round 4	New Zealand Warriors	Mt. Smart Stadium	16 – 24	Oates, Maranta, Wallace, McCullough	Parker (4/5)	14,670
Friday, 3 April	Round 5	Gold Coast Titans	Cbus Super Stadium	16 – 26	Milford (2), Dodds (2)	Parker (3/3), Hunt (2/2)	15,432
Friday, 10 April	Round 6	Sydney Roosters	Suncorp Stadium	22 – 18	Hunt (2), Glenn	Parker (5/5)	35,630
Friday, 17 April	Round 7	St. George Illawarra Dragons	WIN Jubilee Oval	12 – 10	Vidot, Thaiday	Milford (1/1)	13,029
Saturday, 25 April	Round 8	Parramatta Eels	Suncorp Stadium	28 – 16	Milford (2), Reed, McGuire	Parker (6/7)	34,398
Friday, 8 May	Round 9	Penrith Panthers	Suncorp Stadium	8 – 5	Kahu, Oates		24,566
Friday, 15 May	Round 10	North Queensland Cowboys	1300SMILES Stadium	31 – 20	Maranta (2), Kahu	Parker (4/4)	24,531
Monday, 25 May	Round 11	Newcastle Knights	Hunter Stadium	18 – 31	Reed (2), Milford, McCullough, Oates	Kahu (4/4), Hunt (1/2), Milford (FG)	12,673
Saturday, 30 May	Round 12	Canberra Raiders	GIO Stadium	12 – 24	Reed, Kahu, Maranta, Oates	Parker (4/5)	10,090
Friday, 5 June	Round 13	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	Suncorp Stadium	44 – 10	Vidot (2), Milford (2), Hodges, Hunt, Reed, Kahu	Kahu (6/9)	28,691
	Round 14	Bye
Sunday, 21 June	Round 15	Melbourne Storm	AAMI Park	12 – 14	Maranta, Reed, Oates	Kahu (1/3)	14,278
Friday, 26 June	Round 16	Newcastle Knights	Suncorp Stadium	44 – 22	Maranta (2), Gillett (2), Oates, McCullough, Milford, Boyd	Parker (5/7), Hunt (1/1)	27,246
	Round 17	Bye
Saturday, 11 July	Round 18	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	ANZ Stadium	8 – 16	Vidot, Thaiday, Blair	Parker (1/2), Kahu (1/1)	16,253
Sunday, 19 July	Round 19	Wests Tigers	Suncorp Stadium	42 – 16	Maranta (3), Glenn (2), Wallace, Reed, Oates	Parker (4/8), Kahu (1/2)	37,260
Friday, 24 July	Round 20	Gold Coast Titans	Suncorp Stadium	34 – 0	Parker, Boyd, Hunt, Wallace, Nikorima, Glenn	Parker (3/5), Kahu (2/2)	27,664
Saturday, 1 August	Round 21	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	Central Coast Stadium	44 – 14	Hodges, Maranta, Reed	Kahu (1/2), Parker (0/1)	16,280
Friday, 7 August	Round 22	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	Suncorp Stadium	16 – 18	Oates (2), Parker	Parker (2/3)	34,082
Friday, 14 August	Round 23	St. George Illawarra Dragons	Suncorp Stadium	32 – 6	Hunt (2), Kahu, Maranta, Milford, Copley	Parker (3/4), Milford (1/1), Kahu (0/1)	33,480
Saturday, 22 August	Round 24	Sydney Roosters	Allianz Stadium	12 – 10	Kahu, Oates	Kahu (1/1), Parker (0/1)
Thursday, 27 August	Round 25	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Allianz Stadium	12 – 47	Hunt (3), Milford (2), Kahu, Oates	Parker (5/6), Kahu (2/2), Milford (FG)	12,036
Thursday, 3 September	Round 26	Melbourne Storm	Suncorp Stadium	8 – 15	Reed	Parker (0/1), Parker (PG), Milford (PG)	44,015
Legend:       Win       Loss       Draw       Bye

Finals

	Qualifying / Elimination finals					Semi-finals						Preliminary finals				Grand final
		QF1: 11 Sept, Allianz Stadium
	1	Roosters	18
	4	Storm	20			SF1: 18 Sept, Allianz Stadium
						Roosters	38
		EF1: 12 Sept, ANZ Stadium				Bulldogs	12					PF1: 26 Sept, AAMI Park
	5	Bulldogs	11									Storm	12
	8	Dragons	10									Cowboys	32			GF: 4 Oct, ANZ Stadium
																Broncos	16
		EF2: 13 Sept, Allianz Stadium										PF2: 25 Sept, Suncorp Stadium				Cowboys	17
	6	Sharks	28									Broncos	31
	7	Rabbitohs	12			SF2: 19 Sept, 1300SMILES Stadium						Roosters	12
						Cowboys	39
		QF2: 12 Sept, Suncorp Stadium				Sharks	0
	2	Broncos	16
	3	Cowboys	12

Date	Round	Opponent	Venue	Score	Tries	Goals	Attendance
Saturday, 12 September	Qualifying Final	North Queensland Cowboys	Suncorp Stadium	16 – 12	Hunt, Milford	Parker (4/4 (2 Penalty Goals))	50,388
Friday, 25 September	Preliminary Final	Sydney Roosters	Suncorp Stadium	31 – 12	Boyd, Hunt, McCullough, Oates, Milford, Reed	Parker (2/4), Kahu (1/2), Milford (FG)	51,826
Sunday, 4 October	Grand Final	North Queensland Cowboys	ANZ Stadium	16 – 17	Corey Oates, Jack Reed	Parker (2/2) (1 Penalty Goal), Kahu (2/2) (1 Penalty Goal)	82,758
Legend:       Win       Loss       Draw

Statistics

Name	App	T	G	FG	Pts
Blair, AdamAdam Blair	23	1	0	0	4
Boyce, JoeJoe Boyce	1	0	0	0	0
Boyd, DariusDarius Boyd	18	3	0	0	12
Copley, DaleDale Copley	9	1	0	0	4
Dodds, MitchellMitchell Dodds	19	2	0	0	8
Garbutt, MitchMitch Garbutt	3	0	0	0	0
Gavet, JamesJames Gavet	1	0	0	0	0
Gillett, MattMatt Gillett	26	3	0	0	12
Glenn, AlexAlex Glenn	25	4	0	0	16
Hodges, JustinJustin Hodges	20	3	0	0	12
Hunt, BenBen Hunt	26	12	4	0	56
Kahu, JordanJordan Kahu	22	9	22	0	80
Maranta, LachlanLachlan Maranta	20	15	0	0	60
McCullough, AndrewAndrew McCullough	27	5	0	0	20
McGuire, JoshJosh McGuire	13	2	0	0	8
Milford, AnthonyAnthony Milford	27	13	3	3	61
Molo, FrancisFrancis Molo	5	0	0	0	0
Nikorima, KodiKodi Nikorima	20	1	0	0	4
Oates, CoreyCorey Oates	25	14	0	0	56
Ofahengaue, JoeJoe Ofahengaue	14	0	0	0	0
Parcell, MattMatt Parcell	6	0	0	0	0
Parker, CoreyCorey Parker	24	3	66	0	144
Reed, JackJack Reed	24	11	0	0	44
Stagg, DavidDavid Stagg	2	0	0	0	0
Taylor, AshleyAshley Taylor	1	0	0	0	0
Thaiday, SamSam Thaiday	23	2	0	0	8
Vidot, DanielDaniel Vidot	8	4	0	0	16
Wallace, JarrodJarrod Wallace	25	3	0	0	12
Whitchurch, AaronAaron Whitchurch	2	0	0	0	0
Totals		111	95	3	637

Source:^[38]

Representatives

The following players have played a representative match in 2015.

	All Stars match	City Vs Country	ANZAC Test	Pacific Test	State Of Origin 1	State Of Origin 2	State of Origin 3	Kiwis Tour
Darius Boyd	-	-	-	-	Queensland	Queensland	Queensland	-
Matt Gillett	-	-	-	-	Queensland	Queensland	Queensland	-
Justin Hodges	Indigenous All Stars	-	-	-	Queensland	Queensland	Queensland	-
Josh McGuire	-	-	-	Samoa	Queensland	Queensland	-	-
Corey Parker	NRL All Stars	-	Australia	-	Queensland	Queensland	Queensland	-
Sam Thaiday	-	-	Australia	-	Queensland	Queensland	Queensland	-
Daniel Vidot	-	-	-	Samoa	-	-	-	-
Adam Blair	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	New Zealand
Alex Glenn	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	New Zealand
Jordan Kahu	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	New Zealand
Kodi Nikorima	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	New Zealand

Honours

Club

• Paul Morgan Medal: Corey Parker
• Clubman of the Year: Justin Hodges
• Rookie of the Year: Kodi Nikorima
• Best Back: Ben Hunt
• Best Forward: Sam Thaiday
• Most Consistent: Andrew McCullough

References

1. Lutton, Phil (18 November 2014). "Adam Blair leaves Wests Tigers for Brisbane Broncos". The Sydney Morning Herald.
2. "Darius Boyd signs with Brisbane Broncos on three-year deal". The Courier Mail. 21 November 2014.
3. Garry, Chris (2 September 2014). "Fullback options rise for Broncos following signing of English ace Greg Eden". The Courier Mail.
4. Badel, Peter (16 July 2014). "Brisbane Broncos win fight for hulk-like Melbourne Storm forward Mitch Garbutt". The Courier Mail.
5. Badel, Peter (13 October 2014). "James Gavet is the enforcer Wayne Bennett hopes will bring some mongrel to the Broncos pack". The Courier Mail.
6. Badel, Peter (2 August 2014). "Broncos-bound Anthony Milford will become a superstar under Wayne Bennett". The Courier Mail.
7. Buchan, Jay (13 October 2014). "Medal winner off to Broncos". The Queensland Times.
8. Dillon, Robert (5 September 2014). "Knights Travis Waddell set to follow Wayne Bennett". The Newcastle Herald.
9. Chammas, Michael (11 November 2014). "Ben Barba signs with Cronulla Sharks for $800,000 a season for the next three years". The Sydney Morning Herald.
10. "Ipswich Jets Gains & Losses". www.qrl.com.au. QRL Media. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
11. "Mackay Cutters Gains & Losses". www.qrl.com.au. QRL Media. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
12. Balym, Todd (24 June 2015). "Mitch Garbutt released by Brisbane to join Leeds Rhinos effective immediately". The Courier Mail.
13. Badel, Peter (7 August 2014). "No regrets for Broncos utility Jake Granville after agreeing move to North Queensland Cowboys". The Courier Mail.
14. Brady, Jack. "Hala joins Titans on two-year deal". nrl.com. NRL. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
15. Morton, Jim (7 October 2014). "Cowboys sign Ben Hannant for 2015". The Sydney Morning Herald.
16. Garry, Chris (31 October 2014). "Josh Hoffman signs with Gold Coast Titans, freeing cash for Darius Boyd to join Broncos". The Courier Mail.
17. "Martin Kennedy rejoins the Roosters". nrl.com. NRL. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
18. "Why Mills quit the Broncos". rugbyleagueweek.com.au. Rugby League Week. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
19. Pentony, Luke (16 October 2014). "Reds recruit and former Brisbane Bronco Duncan Paia'aua to debut for Queensland Country in National Rugby Chamption". ABC News.
20. Garry, Chris (23 January 2015). "Prop Josh McGuire signs new Brisbane Broncos deal". The Courier Mail.
21. "Brisbane Broncos hooker Andrew McCullough has re-signed with the NRL club for two more years". ABC News. 15 April 2015.
22. "EXCLUSIVE: Kodi Extends Contract". www.broncos.com.au. Brisbane Broncos. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
23. "Brisbane Broncos re-sign Joe Ofahengaue for two more NRL seasons". ABC News. 1 June 2015.
24. "Lowrie returns to Newcastle". www.newcastleknights.com.au. Newcastle Knights. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
25. Morton, Jim (18 January 2012). "NRL Broncos re-sign five youngsters". The Sydney Morning Herald.
26. Garry, Chris (22 April 2014). "Broncos co-captains Corey Parker and Justin Hodges sign new deals". The Courier Mail.
27. Whaley, Pamela (10 August 2015). "Justin Hodges retirement: The Brisbane Broncos captain will be remembered for these moments". Fox Sports.
28. Badel, Peter (16 August 2013). "Brisbane Broncos flyer Jordan Kahu slept homeless in his Magna to score NRL dream". The Courier Mail.
29. Badel, Peter (3 February 2014). "Broncos coach Anthony Griffin to play teenager Kodi Nikorima in the halves during trial". The Courier Mail.
30. Mason, Jamie-Leigh (15 August 2013). "Redcliffe Dolphins' Zach Strasser possible replacement for Peter Wallace or Scott Prince at Brisbane Broncos". Redcliffe and Bayside Herald.
31. Dick, Barry. "Sam Thaiday to captain Broncos in 2012, re-signs until 2015". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
32. Malone, Paul (15 October 2013). "Brisbane Broncos sign Daniel Vidot, Stewart Mills and Todd Lowrie". The Courier Mail.
33. Garry, Chris (29 July 2014). "Brisbane Broncos speedster Dale Copley's baseball snub finally pays off". The Courier Mail.
34. Badel, Peter (10 April 2013). "Matt Gillett and Jack Reed sign long-term deals to stay at Broncos". The Courier Mail.
35. "Lachlan Maranta and Jarrod Wallace sign two-year extensions with Broncos". The Courier Mail. 30 May 2014.
36. Jackson, Ed (1 October 2014). "Brisbane Broncos re-sign halfback Ben Hunt". The Sydney Morning Herald.
37. "Corey Oates re-signs with Broncos". NRL.com. 9 October 2014.
38. "Broncos NRL Player Statistics".

Coordinates: 27°27′53″S 153°0′34″E / 27.46472°S 153.00944°E