Brisbane Broncos came roaring back from a double-digit halftime deficit to overrun Melbourne Storm 18-14 in a grand final re-match thriller at a sold out AAMI Park on Friday night.
Faced with an even bigger task than what confronted them when they fought back from 10 points down at halftime of last year’s season decider, the Broncos overturned a massive 14-point deficit after 40 minutes to mow down the Storm and kick-start their title defence.
Riki’s Powerhouse Performance Fuels Broncos Comeback
A powerhouse second half performance from Broncos forward Jordan Riki turned the game on its head.
With Storm leading 14-0 at halftime, Riki ran in two tries in the opening 11 minutes of the second half to completely change the momentum of the game.
Riki ran for 142 metres, including 56 post contact metres, seven tackle breaks and made 35 tackles in defence to inspire the Broncos to their first win of the season.
Centre Kotoni Staggs sealed a famous Broncos victory with the match winning try in the 59th minute before superstar fullback Reece Walsh riled up the Storm fans on the full time siren with a shoosh sign.
Broncos Break AAMI Park Hoodoo
It was a hoodoo-breaking win for the Broncos, who had not won at AAMI Park since 2016, and a much-needed form reversal after starting the season with two straight losses.
The Storm produced a dominant first half and seemed to be coasting to a third straight win to start the season.
Three Broncos tries at the start of the second half would have brought back some bitter memories for the Storm players involved in last year’s season decider.
Just like the 2025 grand final, the Storm went scoreless in the second half, but it was not for a want of trying, as they dominated the final 20 minutes, only to be met by a brick wall Broncos defence.
Broncos Defence Returns to Form
After conceding 66 points in their first two matches, it was a welcome return to form for the Broncos defence, perhaps a line in the sand game after struggling to start the season.
Joe Chan, the man with arguably the biggest shoes to fill after the season-ending preseason concussion to star forward Eliesa Katoa, made a powerful start to the game for Storm with some blistering runs.
The second rower attacked the Broncos defensive line at speed and jolted Broncos forward Pat Carrigan back before offloading to full back Sua Faalogo for the game’s opening try.
Up to that point, you would not have known the Broncos defence had been historically leaky for a defending premier.
The Broncos had conceded a club worst 66 points in the opening two rounds and it was a major reason why they started the season 0-2, but any questions Storm asked of them in the first 20 minutes, the visitors had the answer.
That was until Chan busted the gate open.
The fullback duel between Walsh and Storm up