Brisbane Broncos boss Kevin Walters was left “really inspired” by the understrength Penrith Panthers’ performance on Thursday as his side overcame the absence of a star trio to beat the Cowboys.
The Broncos prevailed 38-12 over their Queensland rivals at Suncorp Stadium as the return of skipper Adam Reynolds helped inspire a needed victory in wet conditions.
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Walters was without superstar Reece Walsh for the first time this season after the flashy fullback sustained a facial fracture in last week’s defeat to the Panthers as he joined Brendan Piakura and Payne Haas in the casualty ward at Red Hill.
However, the Broncos rolled their sleeves up and didn’t let up, piling on three tries in each half to earn the win.
It followed a similar effort from Penrith, who beat the high-flying Roosters without talismanic halfback Nathan Cleary as well as barnstorming forwards James Fisher-Harris and Scott Sorensen.
Walters loved what he saw from the Panthers and was delighted his own side took a leaf out of their premiership rivals’ book against the Cowboys.
“I got really inspired by last night, by Penrith and their attitude around everything,” Walters said in his post-match press conference.
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“That’s all it was tonight. A little shift in attitude from everyone.
“And defensively it’s been our best performance of the year, which makes me even more excited.”
When quizzed on what exactly it was about Penrith’s performance that “inspired” Walters, the Broncos boss revealed it was how the defending champs rose in the face of significant adversity to secure a crucial win.
“They had some of their key players not playing and they just rolled Penrith out,” Walters said.
“We’ve had some disruptions to our team, but we rolled the Broncos out tonight.
“Regardless of who was in the jerseys or who was playing, that’s the Broncos. That’s what I’m most pleased about.”
Source Agencies
