Brave Brisbane Broncos defy odds to upset Canberra Raiders THEY were coming off a surprise loss at home to North Queensland. They had lost their past three games in the nation's capital. They lost a player in the warm-up. They looked a lost cause against a side tipped by many to give the premiership a shake. 
But the Brisbane Broncos last night defied injury, history, the odds and the critics to hand rookie coach Anthony Griffin his first win in the NRL.
And what a win it was, capped by a remarkable try from Broncos winger Jharal Yow Yeh. Only two years ago at Canberra Stadium, the Broncos had one of the worst defeats in the club's history. This was one of their best wins.
They won despite a dreadful start. Prop Scott Anderson injured his calf in the warm-up, leaving officials to scramble for a replacement.
The first choice was Mitchell Frei. But officials were forced to put a line through his name after he injured himself in the Toyota Cup. That left the Broncos to pull Dale Copley, who also played in the Toyota Cup, on to the bench.
The result was they went into the game with only two true forwards in reserve -- Ben Te'o and Josh McGuire.
In the end, Copley spent most of the second half on the wing after Dane Gagai was forced off.
"Our head space was a lot better tonight," Broncos captain Darren Lockyer said.
"We came down here and people didn't think we could win. That got us motivated and switched on.
"When Ando went down, it gave us another reason to switch on even more."
After a tepid first half, the Broncos seized control midway through the second stanza when they scored two quick tries.
The first came when Matt Gillett ran on to a short ball from halfback Peter Wallace and stepped around David Milne to score.
The second was a peach. Centre Jack Reed, making only his second NRL appearance, did well to keep the ball alive and Yow Yeh did the rest, catching and kicking in the one motion. He won the race to the loose ball and the Broncos were out to an 18-4 lead.
"He's got a bucket-load of talent," Griffin said of Yow Yeh.
"When he gets a bit of time and space, and gets the kick in the right spot, he just has a knack of being able to execute something."
As for his maiden win as an NRL coach, Griffin -- thrust into the position when Ivan Henjak was sacked before the season started -- deflected attention on to others.
"It's nice to win any game," he said. "It was a real team effort out there tonight."
An out-of-sorts Canberra never threatened to run them down, a Corey Parker penalty goal only rubbing salt into the home side's wounds. While the Broncos celebrated a courageous win -- no one savoured it more than the survivors from 2009 -- the Raiders could only wonder where it all went wrong. The result overshadowed Matt Orford's return to the NRL. Having spent last season in England with Bradford, Orford struggled to make an impact for Canberra.
"He's had probably one week to work with the side," coach David Furner said. "I think Matty needs game time."
Better days lie ahead for Orford. For the Broncos as well. Their young players struggled in the loss to the Cowboys, but they stood tall last night.
Although they lost Anderson in the warm-up, it didn't affect the Broncos' start.
The outstanding Josh Hoffman made sure Brisbane got off to a flyer, although he had help from the Canberra defence.
Hoffman took on the line in the seventh minute and forced his way over. Parker's conversion bounced in off the post and the Broncos led 6-0. The Raiders warmed to their task and finally found a way over the Brisbane line after 23 minutes.
Josh McCrone's pinpoint bomb gave high-flying winger Blake Ferguson the chance to climb above Gagai and open the Raiders' account.
They almost took a lead into half-time, only for Joe Picker to be correctly denied a try when Daniel Vidot was ruled to have knocked on from an Orford kick.
Brisbane 20 (M Gillett J Hoffman J Yow Yeh tries; C Parker 4 goals) Canberra 4 (B Ferguson try) at Canberra Stadium. Referees: Matt Cecchin, Steve Lyons. Crowd: 16,146.
Source: The Australlian
Topic: Brave Brisbane Broncos defy odds to upset Canberra Raiders
