Ignore the hype or you'll end up like Parramatta, Bennett warns Broncos

Wayne Bennett has delivered a blunt warning to the Brisbane Broncos in an attempt to keep the lid on inevitable premiership talk after they crushed 32-10 at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.



The Broncos moved to second spot after the five-tries-to-two win that spoiled Paul Gallen’s 300th-game celebrations.

But Bennett was quick to stamp out talk Brisbane could end their 11-year premiership drought, citing another title fancy’s fate.

Parramatta’s top-four hopes are in doubt after their six-game winning run was snapped by lowly Newcastle 29-10.

Asked what was his advice to his high-flying Broncos with three rounds left, Bennett said: “Stop reading what you guys are going to be writing about them in newspapers or watching the TV.

“Look at Parramatta.”

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Brisbane are sitting pretty after six wins in their last eight games.

They next host St George Illawarra and Parramatta before a regular-season finale against North Queensland in Townsville.

But Bennett was keen to play down the premiership hype, saying he would assess their title hopes in three weeks.

“I am not thinking about winning the competition right now,” he said. “I just want to get through the next three weeks in good shape and playing good football and that’s your best chance. If you go into the next two or three weeks not playing well then it usually ends in tears for you.”

While keen to avoid more injuries, Bennett believed taking Brisbane’s winning mindset into the finals was the priority.

“We are out of Origin now, the boys have freshened up, it is behind us now,” he said. “We just have to turn up each week and do things that give us confidence and not things that lose it.”

Brisbane cruised to their ninth win in 11 home games despite playing the final five minutes with 12 men after Jordan Kahu was sin-binned for a professional foul.

Centre Tautau Moga bagged a double as the Broncos strengthened their top-four position in Bennett’s 600th game as Broncos coach.

Bennett’s call to move halfback Ben Hunt to hooker to cover Andrew McCullough’s season-ending knee injury again paid off.

“He was a threat all the time,” Bennett said. “A lot of people are a threat at the moment which gives others an opportunity to get over the tryline.”

There was no champagne popping for Gallen, who was booed every time he touched the ball by the 34,552-strong crowd.



The Sharks’ title defence officially looks shaky after they failed to lift for Gallen, whose 300th game as a one-club player puts him behind only Cronulla legend Andrew Ettingshausen (328).



The visitors had been desperate to get their top-four campaign back on track after last round’s loss to Canberra.



But nothing could inspire a flat Sharks who could slip as far as sixth on the ladder after their second-straight defeat.



“It’s disappointing. We wanted to get the job done with a win tonight for Gal,” Sharks coach Shane Flanagan said.



It snapped Cronulla’s three-game winning run at Suncorp Stadium, marking the Broncos’ first victory over the Sharks since 2011 in Brisbane.



“We were own worst enemies – too many errors, too many penalties,” Flanagan said.



“I don’t think we are lacking drive. We are just making too many errors.”



Gallen has lost his 100th, 200th and 300th career games.



“This week, we made it as low key as we could,” he said of his milestone. “It’s all about the team at the end of the day and we didn’t perform well tonight.

“We are all hurting, not just me. But it’s not all doom and gloom – we have time to turn it around.”



Sharks playmaker James Maloney had a nightmare return from a broken hand, missing 10 tackles and making two errors.





