Flegler backing grown-up Broncos to go up a gear for NRL prelims

Brisbane Broncos enforcer Thomas Flegler believes going through some pretty tough times with several teammates as teenagers could lead to a premiership payday next month.

The boy from Innisfail in Far North Queensland, who is leaving the Broncos at the end of the season to link up with Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins, was part of Brisbane’s outstanding crop of teenagers who are now starring for the club.

The likes of Payne Haas, Patrick Carrigan, Herbie Farnworth, Kotoni Staggs, and Flegler are all beginning to reap the benefits of coming through Brisbane’s academy together as the club closes in on its first NRL premiership since 2006.

“It’s going to be really special considering how long we’ve been here for and what we’ve been through to be where we are now,” said Flegler, who has been at the Broncos since he was 18.

“We were boys playing against men.

“I think those tough years we had as a core group who came through the 20s together that we’ve spoken about many times, the camaraderie and the mateship we built on the field and off the field is really starting to pay off.”

Flegler believes a better understanding and acceptance of the importance of defence, which only came from experience, had been a big factor this season.

“Coming from where we’ve been, the experiences we’ve had together, you start to realise how important defence really is,” he said.

“When you start off your career, you are trying to find your feet and you don’t really realise what is important on the field and what is not.

“I think we’ve all come to the realisation now that defence wins games and that’s what we need to do better to keep going forward.”

There’s no doubt Flegler, who turned 24 a few weeks ago and plays his 95th game for the club on September 23, would love to end his time at Red Hill with a premiership.

“I’d love to finish on a high. Hopefully, I’ve got two games left here, and that’s all I am focusing on,” he said.

Brisbane’s aggressive, hoodoo-smashing 26-0 victory over Melbourne in the opening week of the finals has put them just one win away from their first NRL Grand Final appearance since 2015.

Flegler, Carrigan, and Haas shared the hit-up workload and bashed the Storm in the middle, which allowed halfback Adam Reynolds to keep Melbourne backpedalling with his magnificent kicking game.

“We knew last week was going to be our biggest test of the year,” Flegler said.

“We conquered that – now we have a bigger task ahead of us.

“We’ve definitely got one game left, hopefully two.

“We know we will need to go to another gear, and I believe we’ve got that in this team.”

The Broncos have firmed into +160 at Marantelli Bet to win the premiership, just behind the Panthers at +110.

Next up for Brisbane is a preliminary final against either the Newcastle Knights or New Zealand Warriors, who will clash this Saturday in Auckland.

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