"All we did was tackle in the first half and we were under pressure and conceded some points.
"It was important we bounce back in the second-half and put some pressure on. We did that well and had opportunities to win the game, we just didn't take them."
With expectations high after their best season start since 2010, and pre-match festivities replicating the Warriors' 1995 extravaganza, there was everything to play for.
A kapa haka performance set the scene before members of the club's original line-up and bursts of fire flanked the side as they emerged out of the tunnel in a reenactment of the club's inaugural on-field arrival.
However, after starting strongly, the Warriors structures and intensity fell away as the Broncos enjoyed a wealth of possession and territory. They struggled to get of their own line throughout the second quarter and, overall, 21 errors and five penalties took its toll.
Brisbane held their nerve and warmed into the match, successfully completing their first 18 sets and going 29 minutes before committing their first of only six errors.
As happened in 1995, the visitors went out to a 10-0 lead through tries to wingers, Corey Oates and Lachlan Maranta, before interchange prop Jarrod Wallace added a third just before halftime.
"They probably would have been happy with a few more points with the amount of possession that they had," said captain Simon Mannering.
"A few fundamental errors in that first half and a couple of calls didn't go our way and we didn't have a lot of possession.
"We were still very much in the game. We showed that for the majority of the second-half, we just couldn't quite finish it off."
The home crowd of 14,679 was left stunned and silent as their side trudged off at the break before a Chad Townsend try six minutes after the resumption sparked both parties to life.
Down by 10 and with more than half an hour remaining, the Warriors began making inroads but three further scoring chances went awry.
Just when the Broncos seemed to have absorbed the best the host's had to offer, Johnson sliced through the right side defence before finding debutant centre Matt Allwood on an inside line to score under the bar.
The No7 added the extras and shortly after put up a bomb which Solomone Kata claimed to plant down and level the scores.
Johnson then missed the conversion from close range, and with five remaining, a contentious ruck infringement against Ben Matulino gave Parker an easy penalty to put his side ahead by two.
A messy line drop out then allowed hooker Andrew McCullough to pounce ingoal for the Broncos' fourth, with Parker converting after the siren to send Warriors fans home with that familiar empty feeling.
Luckless Warriors interchange forward Ben Henry departed early in the second-half with what looked to be yet another injury to his left knee. The 23-year-old has missed large portions of the last two seasons with anterior cruciate ligament damage and the severity of his latest problem will be determined in the coming days.
Broncos skipper Justin Hodges' chronic hamstring woes also forced him from the park and will keep him sidelined for the next three weeks.
Broncos 24 (Corey Oates, Lachlan Maranta, Jarrod Wallace, Andrew McCullough tries; Corey Parker 3 cons, 1 pen)
Warriors 16 (Chad Townsend, Solomone Kata, Matt Allwood tries; Shaun Johnson 2 goals)
