Broncos’ double disaster with Adam Reynolds, Ezra Mam suffering hamstring injuries in the same play in loss to Storm

On a night of Broncos carnage, coach Michael Maguire rued a split-second of heartbreak when star halves Reynolds and Mam broke down as Brisbane’s season went from promising to painfully grim in the blink of an eye.

This was madness. Has any team in premiership history lost a grand-final scrumbase pairing in a matter of seconds?

But that was the head-spinning fate that befell the Broncos when Reynolds and Mam - Brisbane’s 2023 grand-final halves - both collapsed in the 21st minute in pursuit of runaway Storm flyer Xavier Coates.

With Brisbane leading 2-0, Maguire watched on in horror as Mam injured his hamstring attempting to tackle Coates, before Reynolds pulled up lame two seconds later in the Storm ace’s 80-metre dash.

Winger Cobbo halted Coates with a magnificent trysaver, only to later be carried off in the dying minutes by Broncos trainers.

The big-name triumvirate will have scans on Friday and if they are sidelined for an extended period, the Broncos’ premiership hopes will be on life support.

“Their season is on a knife’s edge,” said Fox League expert Michael Ennis.

“If they lose Mam and Reynolds, it’s hard to see Brisbane doing any damage in the finals.”

Sixth-placed Brisbane could finish the weekend in eighth spot and their top-four hopes are fading ahead of next Saturday’s derby blockbuster against the Dolphins.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Amid the Reynolds-Mam melodrama, it was a slick performance from the Storm, who claimed a 12-2 half-time lead before Coates’ double in the final quarter buried the battered Broncos.

The Broncos were up for the arm wrestle, but when Reynolds and Mam departed, the Storm pounced via two tries to Tyran Wishart (29th) and Ryan Papenhuyzen (38th) in a drama-charged nine-minute window.

In the absence of Brisbane’s starting halves, hooker Ben Hunt shifted to halfback, while centre Kotoni Staggs, fullback Reece Walsh and super-sub Billy Walters tried to stem the bleeding at second receiver.

BRAVEHEART BRONCOS

Given the twin ructions, it was a gutsy effort from Brisbane. They could have imploded and lost by 30. Instead, they fought gamely and rattled Melbourne’s cage.

Brisbane went set for set with a Storm side missing star halfback Jahrome Hughes and peppered Melbourne’s red zone in the opening 15 minutes of the second stanza.

But without the polish of Reynolds and Mam, Walsh was again guilty of trying too hard to work miracles in a desperate bid to lift a Broncos side whose structures were in disarray.

Walsh’s forward pass in the 58th minute, metres out from the Storm line, completed Brisbane’s frustration as miserly Melbourne turned the screws.

WILD ABOUT HARRY

Melbourne skipper Harry Grant was magnificent in his 100th game for the Storm.

Buoyed by his milestone match, the Queensland Origin hooker was in the mood from the opening seconds, slicing and dicing the Broncos around the rucks.

With Grant in complete control, the Storm always looked more likely and he was ably assisted by champion pivot Cameron Munster.

HUNGRY HAAS

Brisbane’s superstar prop Payne Haas erased any concerns about his lower back injury with an inspirational display.

Returning from a skin infection, Haas produced a series of blockbusting charges, amassing 134 metres, four offloads, two tackle busts and 35 tackles in a typically tireless display.

But no amount of Haas brilliance will save the Broncos without Reynolds and Mam, whose seasons hang by a thread.

Originally published as Broncos’ double disaster with Adam Reynolds, Ezra Mam suffering hamstring injuries in the same play in loss to Storm