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2023 NRL grand final player ratings: Brisbane Broncos

Which Broncos players can hold their heads high?

Published by
Scott Pryde

The Brisbane Broncos collapsed in dramatic fashion to cost themselves a chance at the 2023 NRL premiership on Sunday evening, falling to the might of the Penrith Panthers by just two points.

Despite their loss, plenty of Broncos still had an excellent game in the decider.

Here is how Zero Tackle rates each Brisbane player from the decider.

1. Reece Walsh - 5.5/10

A real mixed bag from Walsh. Had a very slow first half where he barely touched the ball, and when he did, it was for an error or being driven back into his own goal like a wheelie bin. The second half saw him help cut Penrith to ribbons in combination with Ezra Mam before he was unable to do anything about Penrith's comeback.

2. Jesse Arthars - 7.5

One of the better games of Arthars' career to date. Very strong under pressure in fielding kicks all night long and ran hard, finishing up with 171 metres and a quartet of tackle busts.

3. Kotoni Staggs - 6.5

Staggs was another of Brisbane's brigade who had what could be described as a mixed night. Looked very dangerous in attack at times, but missed a couple of tackles and came up with an error at one point.

4. Herbie Farnworth - 7

The only real mistake the Englishman made during the game was in the first try when, instead of catching a short dropout, he attempted to tap it back towards his own goalline. Other than that, he ran hard, cracked 150 metres and was excellent in defence, particularly during the first half.

5. Selwyn Cobbo - 5

Had some okay moments under pressure in catching high balls, but otherwise had very little influence on the game. An early handling error put his side under pressure and he didn't really come in for much work.

6. Ezra Mam - 9.5

If Brisbane won, he would have been one of the players in contention for the Clive Churchill Medal. His hat-trick and explosion on the left edge in the second half at one stage looked like it would take Brisbane to victory. It didn't, but he has done his next contract value no harm by the way he played.

7. Adam Reynolds - 7

Reynolds started the game quite well and had more moments throughout, but his kicking game seemed to be just a little bit off after being injured during the first half. Still, marks for bravery as he played through the pain barrier.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 01: Adam Reynolds of the Broncos is helped by team doctors during the 2023 NRL Grand Final match between Penrith Panthers and Brisbane Broncos at Accor Stadium on October 01, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

8. Thomas Flegler - 8.5

Flegler was excellent in his final game as a Bronco. Busted the Penrith defence up the middle for their opening try and while he only finished with 93 metres, all of them felt impactful.

9. Billy Walters - 6

A starting dummy half must find ways to run the footy and be involved in the game. Ultimately, Walters finished with a grand total of zero metres. His 40/20 and some strong defence keep him above the average though.

10. Payne Haas - 9

Outside of Mam, Haas would have been the other contender for the Clive Churchill if Brisbane had won. Did everything and more to keep his side on the front foot, finishing the contest with 150 metres from 14 carries which included six tackle breaks.

11. Kurt Capewell - 5.5

Just a stock standard performance from Capewell. Brisbane needed his leadership far more than what they wound up with during the game despite defending well and having some solid carries.

12. Jordan Riki - 6

Got involved strongly in defence and picked off some tough kicks out of mid-air with great reflex catches. Didn't do enough in attack to justify a higher mark though.

13. Patrick Carrigan - 9

Carrigan just doesn't slow down. Every game you know what to expect, and the Queensland lock just delivers. In a battle against his Origin counterpart who also played well, the Brisbane star won the points decision, with over 150 metres and almost 40 tackles.

14. Tyson Smoothy - 6

Was solid off the bench. Had two runs of the footy and came up with one of the try assists for Flegler. He also defended strongly.

15. Brendan Piakura - 3

Only 20 minutes. Had two runs and missed three tackles. Not much to write home about for the young second-rower.

16. Kobe Hetherington - 4

Similar boat to Piakura. Only four runs, a couple of missed tackles and less than 20 minutes on the park.

17. Keenan Palasia - 8

For the limited impact off the bench from the other two forwards, Palasia made up for it. He finished with 150 metres from 14 runs and a strong defensive performance. Great effort from the Titans forward.

Total: 113/170

Published by
Scott Pryde