LeagueNews.co | Cooper McEnroe
The Brisbane Broncos have suffered a tough defeat at the hands of the Panthers, going down 34-12 in a hard-fought battle at BlueBet Stadium.
The Broncos, missing key players like Captain Adam Reynolds and Payne Haas, were dealt another blow early on when fullback Reece Walsh was forced off the field with a nasty facial cut.
Despite this setback, the Broncos managed to take an early lead through a penalty goal from Kotoni Staggs.
However, the Panthers capitalized on the Broncos' defensive woes, scoring three of their four first-half tries on the side that had been weakened by injuries.
The home team surged ahead in the 13th minute with a try from winger Sunia Turuva, giving them a 4-2 lead.
Penalties and missed tackles proved costly for the Broncos, as the Panthers extended their lead with tries from Izack Tago and Mitch Kenny, making it 16-2 after 26 minutes.
Overall, it was a disappointing result for the Broncos, who will need to regroup and bounce back stronger in their next game.
In the words of legendary coach Wayne Bennett, "It's not about how hard you hit.
It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward."