Broncos blitz Raiders with Walsh and Mam magic

The Brisbane Broncos delivered a big performance at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night, convincingly defeating the injury-plagued Canberra Raiders 34-10 in round seven of the 2024 NRL season.

Young talents Reece Walsh and Ezra Mam stood out for the Broncos, who were $1.36 favourites with the NRL bookmakers.

Star fullback Walsh excelled on the field by scoring two tries, kicking five goals, and recording three line breaks, seven tackle breaks, and a total of 177 running metres.

Mam, stepping up at five-eighth in the absence of injured halfback Adam Reynolds, made his case for a State of Origin debut with a try and three assists.

The Canberra Raiders faced a disappointing half, trailing 28-0 at halftime.

Their challenges were exacerbated when key player Jamal Fogarty was sidelined with a bicep injury.

Canberra’s young fullback, Chevy Stewart, struggled, committing four errors in the first half under immense pressure from the Broncos.

Despite the score difference, the Raiders displayed resilience, with Hudson Young coming close to scoring an opening try that was disallowed due to a knock-on.

The Broncos capitalised on opportunities, notably when Walsh broke through the Raiders defence for a 40-metre try.

The Broncos kept scoring points, with Fletcher Baker scoring from a kick by Mam.

Mam then scored his own try after Stewart dropped the ball, and Billy Walters took advantage of a kick to increase the lead to 24-0.

Walsh scored his try before halftime, marking the Brisbane Broncos‘ highest-scoring half against the Raiders since they joined the league in 1988.

In the second half, Simi Sasagi moved from the front row to the halves in Fogarty’s absence and scored Canberra’s initial try in the 49th minute.

Despite this, the Broncos remained in control with Selwyn Cobbo adding another try.

Xavier Savage managed to score a consolation try for the Raiders; however, it was not enough as Brisbane secured back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

Sports news