Brisbane's 2024 NRL horror show has reached new depths, battered 46-18 by a rampant Gold Coast in front of a sell-out crowd at CBUS Super Stadium.
Leading 18-10 at halftime, the visitors were blown away by their southeast Queensland rivals in a one-sided second half as the Titans racked up seven unanswered tries to record their second win over the Broncos this season.
Adding to Brisbane's woes, Payne Haas appears to have suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury, Ezra Mam was taken off before halftime with a busted ankle and a trio of players (Corey Jensen, Brendan Piakura and Kotoni Staggs) were placed on report.
The Broncos' eighth defeat in their past nine games means last year's grand finalists are now next to no chance of even making this year's finals and scrambling for answers for their dramatic slide.
"The eight's the furthest thing from my mind at the moment," Broncos coach Kevin Walters said.
"We've got more issues than making the eight - not issues - but that's disappointing there today, particularly the second 40."
Saturday actually began brightly for Walters and his team, charging to an early 12-0 lead on the back of two individual bits of brilliance from Reece Walsh.
Walsh's double and Koby Hetherington's first of the season meant the Broncos went in at halftime leading despite the losses of Haas and Mam.
It was all one-way traffic in the second 40 though. Titans winger Jojo Fifita scored a hat-trick in the nine-tries-to-three rout as young fullback Keano Kini also scored two and set up two in an eye-catching performance which gives coach Des Hasler a headache with AJ Brimson pushing for a return from injury.
Walters refused to use the loss of Haas and Mam as an excuse for a second-half fadeout similar to last weekend's big loss to Canterbury at Suncorp Stadium.
"We had bodies on the field that are playing in the NRL and they need to do their job," he said.
The result lifts Gold Coast above the Broncos on the ladder and still dreaming of sneaking into the finals, with even the normally understated Hasler happy to dare to dream.
"They've shown some real growth in being able to really focus and stay at the task and because they've done that we now find ourselves still in the fight," Hasler said.
"We're a long way to go yet. We've got some real good sides, quality sides, that we're going to play in the next month but it's good to know that those sides are going to get a game of footy."
The Titans also had an injury concern with Sam Verrills (ankle) coming off late while Brian Kelly was placed on report in the first half following a late tackle on Walsh.
