Brisbane Broncos 2025 season review
- Overview
- Highs
- Lows
- 2025 RLB Player of the Year – Reece Walsh
- Reasons to be positive in 2026
- My 2025 prediction – 4th
- Final 2025 position – 4th
Overview
Champions. That’s all that matters when it comes down to it, as the Broncos secured a first Premiership since 2006.
In the regular season they finished 4th, and were closer in points to 9th than 1st, but none of that mattered on Grand Final night when they overturned a 22-12 half-time deficit to beat the Storm, 26-22.
In fact, they turned around double digit deficits in all three Finals matches this year, as their resilience and ability to go for the full 80 minutes came to the fore.
New coach Michael Maguire copped plenty of criticism in the pre-season for his army-style boot camps, but it clearly did the trick when it mattered.
Highs
Grand Final night, obviously. That was just one of a number of impressive comeback victories, but arguably none were more remarkable than the Broncos’ 29-28 win over the Raiders in week one of the Finals.
Canberra led by 16 points with just 15 minutes to go, then Reece Walsh almost single-handedly dragged the Broncos back into the game before Ben Hunt kicked the winning field goal in the 93rd-minute. This barely tells the story, but there’s not enough space to write about everything that took place in that final 30 minutes or so.
If the comeback over the Raiders in week one was dramatic, then the comeback against the Panthers in week three just showed the Broncos’ character. A 14-0 half-time deficit against a side who hadn’t given up a 10-point lead for 99 games would usually mean curtains for most sides, and Brisbane could have held their heads up high at a great effort in 2025. No chance though. A stirring second half comeback saw Deine Mariner cross with five minutes to go and Adam Reynolds kick the goal to nudge the Broncos in front.
And yet, there was still one more comeback to go. A 22-12 half-time deficit in the Grand Final was turned into a 26-22 win over Melbourne that will go down as one of the greatest Grand Finals of all time.
I haven’t even mentioned the regular season yet, but 50 points against the Roosters, 60 points against the Rabbitohs and 42 points against the Bulldogs all spring to mind when I think back to individual games.
Lows
It wasn’t all plain sailing for the eventual Premiers in 2025. Michael Maguire’s hardline approach in pre-season appeared to rub a few players up the wrong way, and a four-game losing streak between Rounds 9 and 13 had some suggesting the players weren’t all in harmony woth their coach.
There were injuries to contend with too, such as the double blow of losing halves Ezra Mam and Adam Reynolds in the same play against Melbourne in Round 23. Thankfully, both made it back in time to play their part in the Finals charge. The same couldn’t be said for Billy Walters, whose ACL injury kept him out at the business end of the year and will likely rule him out for most of 2026 as well.
2025 RLB Player of the Year – Reece Walsh
Who else? Consistency-wise, there are probably a few names I’d put ahead of him, but in terms of impact there’s no contender. The 23-year-old is the best fullback in the world right now, and arguably the best player, full stop. Without him, they wouldn’t have beaten the Raiders in the Finals, let alone got past Melbourne in the Grand Final, where he put in one of the most impressive individual displays you’ll ever see.
Reasons to be positive in 2026
Seriously? The Broncos will head into 2026 as champions, so they’re at the top of the tree. The likes of Walsh are only going to get better, while there’s still plenty more to come from other 20-somethings like Deine Mariner – another player who stepped up when it mattered most.
My 2025 prediction – 4th
Final 2025 position – 4th
It feels great to get one spot on, and I had a feeling Michael Maguire would get the Broncos back into contention. I’ll be honest, I thought this year would be a bit soon to actually win a Premiership, but they got the job done and they look a top-four certainty for 2026 as it stands.
