Brisbane endured a brutal night at Suncorp Stadium, held scoreless for an hour before going down 40-6 to the Warriors in a Round 24 performance that went badly wrong early and never recovered.
The Broncos conceded seven tries on Saturday, 15 August, and trailed 20-0 at halftime before the deficit blew out to 36 points.
Xavier Willison finally broke through in the 61st minute, but Brisbane’s only try came long after the contest had slipped away.
Broncos Let an Opening Go Begging
Brisbane were under pressure early, with Jacob Laban, Chanel Harris-Tavita and Alofiana Khan-Pereira crossing as the Warriors raced to a 14-0 lead.
The Broncos were then handed a chance to respond when Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was sin-binned and placed on report following a hip-drop penalty in the 18th minute.
They couldn’t take it.
Brisbane failed to score against 12 men and the Warriors emerged from the sin-bin period with their lead intact. Two Harris-Tavita penalty goals later pushed the halftime margin to 20-0.
Any Hope Disappears After the Break
Brisbane needed the first points of the second half. Instead, the Warriors effectively put the game away.
Nicoll-Klokstad crossed in the 46th minute, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak followed in the 52nd and Ali Leiataua scored four minutes later.
By the time Harris-Tavita converted Leiataua’s try, Brisbane were staring at a 36-0 deficit.
Willison finally gave the home crowd something to cheer about when he broke through in the 61st minute, with Thomas Duffy converting to make it 36-6.
The Broncos couldn’t build on it. Leka Halasima added the Warriors’ seventh try in the 78th minute to complete the 40-6 result.
Brisbane Pay for a Night of Missed Chances
The Broncos had openings but couldn’t turn them into sustained pressure.
They failed to score during Nicoll-Klokstad’s sin-bin period and a Blake Mozer linebreak in the 70th minute also came to nothing. Errors further disrupted Brisbane’s attempts to work their way back into the contest.
The Warriors made mistakes of their own, but Brisbane never punished them heavily enough to change the direction of the match.
Willison’s try at least prevented the Broncos from being held scoreless, but it was scant consolation after a night in which Brisbane trailed from the ninth minute to full-time.
For the 38,916 at Suncorp Stadium, the final scoreboard made grim reading: Warriors 40, Broncos 6.
Match details
Brisbane Broncos 6 (Xavier Willison try; Thomas Duffy goal)
New Zealand Warriors 40 (Jacob Laban, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Alofiana Khan-Pereira, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Ali Leiataua, Leka Halasima tries; Luke Metcalf 2 goals; Chanel Harris-Tavita 2 goals, 2 penalty goals)
Round 24 — Saturday, 15 August 2026
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Attendance: 38,916
Published 15-August-2026
