Broncos legend Justin Hodges has implored his former club to return to their ‘old school values’ in order to get their season back on track.
Critics have pointed to several factors as to why the Broncos are struggling, but Hodges says it’s a basic principle that is letting Wayne Bennett’s men down.
“The hardest thing at the moment is they’re just not playing as a team.
“The Broncos need to go back to how they used to play. Stick by each other, trust each other, that’s always worked for them,” said Hodges.
Hodges took aim at the Broncos defence, which was once a cornerstone of their success.
Brisbane suffered a record 48-6 NRL thrashing by Melbourne at Suncorp Stadium. (AAP) Source: AAP
The side leaked points against the Penrith Panthers on Friday night and Hodges said players had gone away from the defensive structure that made the Broncos formidable.
“You can see how they played at the weekend. The whole defensive line, which we built over the last two-three years, we defended as a line.
"On the weekend players would come out of the line and Penrith found them out behind the ruck".
Hodges also said there was no guarantee the Broncos would return to winning ways against the Roosters this weekend, despite the Sydney club currently languishing towards the bottom of the NRL ladder.
Matt Gillett has been named to make an early NRL comeback from a shoulder injury for Brisbane. (AAP) Source: AAP
“The Roosters are going to be very difficult to beat. They have so many of their good players back and plenty of teams are going to find it hard against the Roosters in the next few weeks,” said Hodges.
