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SYDNEY - Brisbane belatedly kickstarted their NRL premiership defence with a comfortable 32-10 victory over the Sydney Roosters at a rain-swept Aussie Stadium on Friday night.
Inspired by skipper Darren Lockyer and star centre Justin Hodges, the Broncos ran in six tries to two to claim their first
victory of the season and leave the winless Roosters rooted to the bottom of the table and still chasing the club's 1000th win.
Lockyer and Hodges both set up two tries with Lockyer scoring another as Brisbane raced to a 16-0 lead before withholding a spirited Roosters fightback as heavy rain drench much of the 11,476-strong crowd early in the second half.
Brisbane winger Steve Michaels scored a double, with Karmichael Hunt, Shaun Berrigan and Greg Eastwood also crossing for tries.
Shaun Kenny-Dowall scored a 70 metre intercept try for the Roosters, while Joel Monaghan crossed early in the second half to give the home side hope of victory, trailing 20-10 soon after the break.
It wasn't to be though, with the Broncos capping off the win with two more tries.
After claiming the club's 999th victory back in August, the Roosters have now gone seven long months searching for win 1000.
Adding further to the Roosters' woes was a hamstring injury to Monaghan, suffered while scoring his try, which will likely see the centre sidelined for at least two weeks.
After scoring four tries against Penrith last week, Hodges provided two of the Broncos' three opening half tries tonight with a clinical draw-and-pass and spectacular break.
Hunt gave Brisbane the lead courtesy of a Lockyer short ball in the 11th minute before winger Steve Michaels made it 10-0 in the 20th when Hodges drew in two Roosters defenders to send the winger over.
The try of the match came in the 27th when Brisbane hooker Shaun Berrigan finished off a Hodges bust.
The Australian centre side stepped Iosia Soliola and palmed off replacement forward Willie Brown to make the initial break at the halfway line, before selling the perfect dummy to fullback Anthony Minichiello and then throwing a basketball-style pass to Berrigan to score.
After misfiring in attack, the Roosters finally got on the board in the 38th minute through Kelly-Dowall's intercept.
Lockyer made it 20-6 soon after the break after setting up Eastwood's try, before a beautiful combination of passes saw Braith Anasta and Anthony Minichiello send Monaghan over to close the gap to 10 points.
It was the closest the home side got, with Lockyer scoring from a Shane Perry kick and then Michaels completing the win with his second of the match.
Brisbane Broncos 32 (S Michaels 2, K Hunt, S Berrigan, G Eastwood, D Lockyer tries; D Lockyer 4 goals) Sydney Roosters 10 (S Kenny-Dowall, J Monaghan tries, C Fitzgibbon goal). Referee: P Simpkins. Crowd: 11,476.
- AAP
