Brisbane Broncos 1992

Round 19
BRISBANE 12;PENRITH 6 at Penrith Stadium

Brisbane withstood a desperate Penrith to score a grafting 12-6 win. It was tooth-and-nail struggle all the way and wasn’t decided until interchange forward Alan Cann crashed over for a try for Brisbane in the final minute of play.

Penrith knew it was most probably their final chance of making the finals and tested the Broncos with a high pressure performance. Ultimately their best wasn’t good enough, as injuries and lack of match fitness to key personnel took their toll. Brad Fittler (ankle) and Steve Carter (sinus) played on under difficult circumstances and Greg Alexanders, just two games back from a long spell, was inevitability short of condition.

Brisbane hopped to a 6-0 leadearly in the match after Test men Allan Langer, Kevin Walters and Chris Johns combined to send Willie Carne across out-wide. Amazingly the score did not change until the final 11 minutes.

Penrith hooker Brett Boyd scrambled across for a converted try in the 69[SUP]th[/SUP] minute but a Terry Matterson penalty after Alexander was penalised in front of the posts, gave the Broncos an 8-6 lead. Cann’s late try sealed the result.

Brisbane Broncos 12 (Carne, Cann tries; Matterson 2/3 goals) defeated Penrith Panthers 6 (Boyd try; Leeds 1/3 goals)

Brisbane
Julian O’Neil, Willie Carne, Steve Renouf, Chris Johns, Michael Hancock
Kevin Walters, Allan Langer
Glenn Lazarus, Kerrod Walters, Mark Hohn, Trevor Gillmeister, Andrew Gee, Terry Matterson.
Interchange: Alan Cann, Brett Plowman

Penrith
Andrew Leeds, Graham Mackay, Brad Fittler, Col Bentley, Glen Nissen
Steve Carter, Tulsen Tollett
Paul Clarke, Brett Boyd, Paul Dunn, Barry Walker, John Cartwright, Carl McNamara
Interchange: Greg Alexander, Graham Lyons, Luke Goodwin
 
Round 20
BRISBANE 22;MANLY 10 at Lang Park

Brisbane secured their first minor premiership title before the biggest Winfield Cup crowd of the season so far.

The Broncos began the match in commanding style, racing to a 10-2 lead by halftime. But when injured hooker Kerrod Walters failed to return for the second half, Brisbane lost much of their attacking thrust close to the rucks, and a superb try to Manly winger Craig Hancock and penalty goals to Michael O’Connor and Matthew Ridge helped the Sea Eagles equalise after an hour.

A penalty goal to Terry Matterson broke the deadlock after 66 minutes and provided the springboard for what turned into a convincing scoreline for the competition front-runners.

Broncos winger Michael Hancock picked up a try double to take his tally to 30 in Winfield Cup matches at Lang Park and centre Chris Johns scored a third. Matterson played one of his best games of the season for Brisbane while Johns, Hancock and skipper Allan Langer were also in great touch. Manly’s best was plucky halfback Geoff Toovey.

Brisbane Broncos 22 (Hancock 2, Johns tries; Matterson 5/6 goals) defeated Manly Sea Eagles 10 (Hancock try; O’Connor 2/2, Ridge 1/1 goals)

Brisbane
Julian O’Neil, Willie Carne, Steve Renouf, Chris Johns, Michael Hancock
Kevin Walters, Allan Langer
Glenn Lazarus, Kerrod Walters, Andrew Gee, Alan Cann, Trevor Gillmeister, Terry Matterson.
Interchange: Peter Ryan, John Plath, Jason Erba, Willie Morganson

Manly
Matthew Ridge, Craig Hancock, Michael O’Connor, Kevin Iro, Darrell Williams
Cliff Lyons, Geoff Toovey
David Hosking, David O’Donnell, Tony Mestrov, John Jones, Ian Roberts, Des Hasler
Interchange: Tony Iro, Jon Grieve
 
Round 21
BRISBANE 37; NEWCASTLE 12 at Lang Park

Brisbane turned a 12-2 deficit into a 20-12 halftime lead which launched a stunning 37-12 win over Newcastle in the Broncos’ final match at Lang Park. The Knights had taken up the early running and shocked the competition leaders with tries to Mark Sargent and Matthew Rodwell in the space of three minutes midway through the half.

But soon after, Rodwell and Marc Glanville were dispatched to the sin bin by referee Bill Harrigan and Brisbane hit back. The first of three tries to Kevin Walters came two minutes after Glanville left the field and the Broncos were in again soon after Rodwell was ordered off.

The match had its share of controversies, with first the sin-binnings and then a try scored by Walters which should not have been allowed. Newcastle were penalised 10-2 in the first half, with four of these penalties awarded for off-side.

Once Brisbane hit their straps there was no stopping them and the second half turned into one-way traffic. Fullback Julian O’Neil created history for the Broncos when he kicked the first field goal ever by a Brisbane player in first grade, in the 69[SUP]th[/SUP] minute. Walters and lock Terry Matterson were the pick of the Broncos in a rampaging performance.

Brisbane Broncos 37 (Kevin Walters 3, O’Neil, Renouf, Savage tries; Matterson 6/7 goals; O’Neil 1/1 field goal) defeated Newcastle Knights 12 (Rodwell, Sargent tries; Schuster 2/2 goals)

Brisbane
Julian O’Neil, Willie Carne, Steve Renouf, Chris Johns, Michael Hancock
Kevin Walters, Allan Langer
Glenn Lazarus, Mark Hohn, Gavin Allen, Alan Cann, Trevor Gillmeister, Terry Matterson.
Interchange: Andrew Gee, Pat Savage, John Plath, Willie Morganson

Newcastle
Brad Godden, Robbie O’Davis, John Schuster, Adrian Brunker, Tony Herman
Michael Hagan, Matthew Rodwell
Mark Sargent, Robbie McCormack, Paul Harragon, Glenn Miller, David Mullane, Marc Glanville
Interchange: Rodney Howe, Ashley Gordon, Tony Butterfield
 
Round 22
BRISBANE 15;ILLAWARRA 8 at Steelers Stadium

Brisbane were given further encouragement in their quest for a maiden premiership title when an understrength outfit downed Illawarra 15-8 at Steelers Stadium. Kerrod Walters, Willie Carne, Michael Hancock, Steve Renouf and Mark Hohn were all missing from the Broncos’ outfit, but their replacements made it seem like business as usual for the Broncos, as they finished the preliminary rounds with their 18[SUP]th[/SUP] win of the season.

With both sides assured of semi-final berths, there was little riding on the match and Illawarra too, could afford to rest players with niggling injuries. The Steelers went into the match without centres Paul McGregor and Brett Rodwell, winger Alan McIndoe and second-rower Craig Izzard.

More criticism of match officials followed an in-goal judge’s decision to give the green light to a try to Illawarra prop Bill Dunn which was clearly a knock-on and the touch judges’ approval of Rod Wishart’s conversion attempt which missed the posts by more than a metre.

Brisbane finished the match strongle and a barrage of pressure finally caused the Steelers to submit, with tries to centre Willie Morganson and replacement forward John Plath. Allan Langer kicked the Broncos’ second-ever field goal to put the match beyond Illawarra’s reach in the 76[SUP]th[/SUP] minute. It followed Julian O’Neill’s maiden field goal a week earlier.

Brisbane Broncos 15 (Johns, Morganson, Plath tries; Matterson ½, O’Neil 0/1 goals; Langer field goal) defeated Illawarra Steelers 8 (Dunn try; Wishart 2/2 goals)

Brisbane
Julian O’Neil, Pat Savage, Willie Morganson, Chris Johns, Tony Currie
Kevin Walters, Allan Langer
Glenn Lazarus, Trevor Gillmeister, Gavin Allen, Alan Cann, Andrew Gee, Terry Matterson.
Interchange: John Plath, Peter Ryan, Abraham Fatnowna

Illawarra
David Riolo, Rod Wishart, Dale Fritz, Ryan Girdler, Andrew Pauls
John Simon, Michael Neil
Steve Waddell, Dean Schifilliti, Bill Dunn, Brett Goldspink, Neil Piccininelli, John Cross
Interchange: Les Morrissey, Jonathan Britten, David Walsh
 
MAJOR SEMI FINAL
BRISBANE 22;ILLAWARRA 12

A vintage display by classy halfback Allan Langer helped Brisbane qualify for their first grand final when they defeated Illawarra 22-12 in the major semi-final.

After a slow start by Langer and his team, the Broncos found their form and completely outplayed the Steelers for a long period of the match. Brisbane made a welter of mistakes early in the match and Illawarra were quick to take advantage. After winger Michael Hancock lost the ball in a tackle near his line in the eighth minute, Illawarra went into full attacking mode. From a Steelers scrum win, fullback David Riolo injected himself into the backline and sliced through an opening to score the first try.

Brisbane continued to squander possession but there were no signs of panic. When centre Steve Renouf ran into open space in the 22[SUP]nd[/SUP] minute he set the Broncos’ attacking machine into full throttle. Three minutes later Kevin Walters was in for Brisbane’s first try when he finished a move which had involved classy fullback Julian O’Neill and Test winger Willie Carne. Lock Terry Matterson kicked a superb conversion in difficult wind conditions to level at 6-all.

Illawarra scrambled well to hold Brisbane out after the opening Bronco charge but Langer assured his side would go to halftime with a psychological edge when he stepped past Riolo to score for 12-6.

It took Brisbane 18 minutes of the second half to add to their account, but there never seemed much doubt that they would. It was Langer again who scored, when he jinked and stepped past Steelers prop Craig Teitzel to touch down in the 58[SUP]th[/SUP] minute. Matterson’s conversion gave the Broncos a resounding lead of 18-6.

At that point there seemed little doubt the Broncos would be the first team to qualify for the Winfield Cup decider. Only nine minuters later, Langer broke away from attempted tackles by halfback Michael Neil and hooker Dean Schifilliti to send Carne away for a simple try.

The Steelers refused to lie down and capitilised on some lax Brisbane defence in the closing stages to post their second try – scored by Test winger Rod Wishart.

Again Langer dominated the player awards for Brisbane, but he received excellent support from centre Renouf, and forwards Kerrod Walters, Trevor GIllmeister and Matterson. Coach Wayne Bennett was concerned at the Broncos’ poor start and had no explanation for it.

“I’ll have to look and see why that happened,” he said. “It’s not something I’d like to see happen in two weeks.”

Best for the Steelers were Bill Dunn and John Cross. Illawarra were not disgraced but it was clear they would need injured stars Dale Fritz and Ian Russell back if they were to defeat St George and earn another crack at the Broncos.

Brisbane Broncos 22 (Langer 2, Carne, Kevin Walters tries; Matterson ¾ goals) defeated Illawarra Steelers 12 (Riolo, Wishart tries; Wishart 2/4 goals)

Brisbane
Julian O’Neil, Michael Hancock, Steve Renouf, Chris Johns, Willie Carne
Kevin Walters, Allan Langer
Glenn Lazarus, Kerrod Walters, Gavin Allen, Trevor Gillmeister, Alan Cann, Terry Matterson.
Interchange: Tony Currie, John Plath, Andrew Gee, Mark Hohn

Illawarra
David Riolo, Rod Wishart, Brett Rodwell, Paul McGregor, Alan McIndoe
John Simon, Michael Neil
Steve Waddell, Dean Schifilliti, Craig Teitzel, Bill Dunn, Neil Piccininelli, John Cross
Interchange: Ryan Girdler, David Walsh, Craig Izzard
 
GRAND FINAL
BRISBANE 28;ST GEORGE 8

A Brisbane victory on grand final day always seemed likely, despite the fact the Broncos led just 6-4 at halftime. The class, strength and teamwork of Wayne Bennett’s men always looked like overcoming St George’s brave challenge, and that’s just how the match panned out. After being forced to tackle for long periods of the first half, St George ultimately ran out of steam, allowing the Broncos to cut loose.

Saints competed well for the first 40 minutes, throwing their conservative semi-final approach out the window in an attempt to match Brisbane’s attacking brilliance. They caused the Broncos some anxious moments, but Brisbane always seemed to have Saints’ measure. The Broncos dominated possession which meant St George were forced to expend more energy on defence than they would have liked.

Brisbane opened the scoring with a superb effort from Allan Langer, who threw an inside pass to prop Gavin Allen on the sixth tackle, and was on hand to collect Allen’s pass, which bounced off Mick Potter’s head. But Saints responded quickly when second-rower Scott Gourley offloaded magnificently for Michael Beattie. Beattie found Peter Coyne in support for the looping pass sent Ricky Walford over in the corner.

St George tested Brisbane fullback Julian O’Neil under the high ball and found him out on a couple of occasions. Saints delaying tactics slowed Brisbane’s attack effectively in the first half and the teams went to the break with just two points between them.

Brisbane poured the pressure on from the outset of the second half. Ian Herron saved a dangerous situation after Potter failed to cover a rolling ball and minutes later Potter was forced into touch by Kevin Walters and Willie Carne from his own in-goal. Two plays after the scrum, Langer darted from dummy-half and scored a critical Brisbane try. He cleverly used the referee as a foil and carried a defender over the line with him.

Four minutes later Brisbane were in again, Trevor Gillmeister sending second row partner Alan Cann away for the try that effectively wrapped the match up for the Broncos. But at 18-4, Brisbane were hungry for more. Langer sent centre Steve Renouf away on a 98-metre dash to the tryline in the 61[SUP]st[/SUP] minute and Cann stepped past Saints’ prop Neil Tienery to score his second try just five minutes later.

To Saints credit, they didn’t throw in the towel and Gourley was rewarded for a superb display in a losing side by crashing over for a try in the final minute.

Langer was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal and became the first player to claim the Rothmans-Churchill Medal double. Kerrod Walters, Gillmeister, Renouf, Cann, Terry Matterson and Glenn Lazarus played significant roles in Brisbane’s victory, and during the match Matterson kicked his way to a club record 156 points for the season, beating the mark he set in 1988 of 150. Gourley and Noel Goldthorpe were Saints’ finest performers.

Brisbane Broncos 28 (Langer 2, Cann 2, Renouf tries; Matterson 4/5 goals) defeated St George 8 (Gourley, Walford tries; Herron 0/2 goals)

Brisbane
Julian O’Neil, Michael Hancock, Steve Renouf, Chris Johns, Willie Carne
Kevin Walters, Allan Langer
Glenn Lazarus, Kerrod Walters, Gavin Allen, Trevor Gillmeister, Alan Cann, Terry Matterson.
Interchange: Tony Currie, Mark Hohn, John Plath, Andrew Gee

St George
Michael Potter, Ricky Walford, Mark Coyne, Michael Beattie, Ian Herron
Peter Coyne, Noel Goldthorpe
Tony Priddle, Wayne Collins, Neil Tierney, David Barnhill, Scott Gourley, Jeff Hardy
Interchange: Brad Mackay, Tony Smith, Rex Terp, Matthew Elliott
 
World Cup Final
AUSTRALIA 10; GREAT BRITAIN 6 at Wembley Stadium

Australia broke a long drought at London’s famous Wembley Stadium and emerged with the World Cup after downing Great Britain 10-6, in a desperately fought final before a world record crowd.

One try sealed it for Australia, a dazzling effort concocted by the Brisbane Broncos combination of Kevin Walters and Steve Renouf, 12 minutes before fulltime. Walters moved to the blind side and threw a long cut-out pass to Renouf, who got around John Devereux to score out wide and give Australia the lead for the first time in the match. From the sideline, world record pointscorer Mal Meninga proved once again what a magnificent performer he is under pressure by landing the conversion for a 10-6 lead.

Walters and Renouf had practised the move repeatedly and their combination became instinctive as the pressure mounted late in the final.

The final was one of the most gruelling internationals in years. Great Britain never looked like cracking Australia’s brick-wall defence and Renouf’s try was one of the rare breaks made by Australia in the match. Deryck Fox kept Great Britain in a winning position with three exceptional penalty goals, but Australia having been stung by defeat at Wembley in 1990, were on a mission.

Britain went close to scoring in the opening minutes when Tim Brasher spilt a towering bomb but Steve Renouf pounced on the ball, conceding a penalty in the process for offside. Fox’s goal made it 2-0 but Meninga equalised soon after when Bradley Clyde was held in a tackle. Meninga had the chance to kick Australia to a lead in the 15[SUP]th[/SUP] minute after Brad Fittler was felled by a blatant elbow by Great Britain hooker Martin Dermott. Fittler’s cheekbone was fractured by the blow but after consultation with team doctor Nathan Gibbs, he played on and was one of Australia’s stars, Meninga’s kick missed.

Fox and Meninga traded goals after referee Dennis Hale penalised both sides for play the ball infringements and then Fox made it 6-4 after Steve Walters was penalised for a deliberate forward pass.

It was 6-4 at the break and there was no further score until Renouf’s effort in the 68[SUP]th[/SUP] minute. Earlier Willie Carne had had a try disallowed following a forward pass from Meninga. Great Britain threatened Australia’s line in the final five minutes of play, but the World Championshions defence was equal to the British charges.

“They didn’t make a clean break against us, and that is the first time I can remember that happening against Great Britain,” said Australian coach Bob Fulton.

Steve Walters won the official man-of-the-match award for a brilliant performance at dummy-half. He made the most of some slack British marker defence and was a constant menace close to the rucks. Big Glenn Lazarus was again a commanding figure in the Australian front-row, second-rower Bob Lindner recaptured his form of the 1990 Kangaroo tour and youngsters Fittler and Brasher were outstanding, the Balmain fullback recovering superbly from his early blemish to be among Australia’s best.

Great Britain were best served by centre Gary Connelly, whose defence was a feature of the match until he was replaced with a thigh injury, and prop Andy Platt.

Australia 10 (Renouf try; Meninga ¾ goals) defeated Great Britain 6 (Fox ¾ goals)

Australia
Tim Brasher, Michael Hancock, Steve Renouf, Mal Meninga, Willie Carne
Brad Fittler, Allan Langer
Glenn Lazarus, Steve Walters, Mark Sargent, Paul Sironen, Bob Lidner, Brad Clyde
Interchange: David Gillespie, Kevin Walters, John Cartwright

Great Britain
Joe Lydon, Martin Offiah, Garry Schofield, Gary Connolly, Alan Hunte
Shaun Edwards, Deryck Fox
Kevin Ward, Martin Dermott, Andy Platt, Denis Betts, Phil Clarke, Ellery Hanley
Interchange: John Devereux, Alan Tait, Kelvin Skerrett, Richie Eyres
 
WORLD CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP
BRISBANE 22;WIGAN 8 at Central Park, Wigan

Brisbane added instant credibility to the concept of the World Club Challenge when they became the first Australian club side to defeat a British team in a Challenge match. More than a month after winning their inaugural Winfield Cup, the Broncos became world beaters when they downed Wigan 22-8 at Central Park.

In a match that was at time fiery, the Broncos showed far better organisation in attack and more discipline in defence against a Wigan side laced with 11 internationals. The game began in a heavy fog, created by a fireworks display and a still Wigan night. And the fireworks weren’t confined to the pre-game entertainment, with most players from both sides engaged in a violent brawl in the opening minutes of play. Broncos prop Andrew Gee was cautioned for his part in the drama.

Wigan five-eighth Frano Botica landed a sixth-minute penalty goal for a 2-0 lead, but it was the Broncos who posted the first try. Exciting Brisbane fullback Julian O’Neill ran into the backline from a scrum win in the 17[SUP]th[/SUP] minute, beat oppose fullback Andre Soop and crossed out wide. Lock Terry Matterson converted from the sideline.

Brisbane were in again just six minutes later when Matterson beat Phil Clarke with a dummy and linked with Steve Renouf, who stepped infield, passed to Mark Hohn, who sent Kerrod Walters on a 25-metre charge to the tryline. The two tries in double-quick time gave Brisbane the confidence they needed to control the match and they never looked likely to relax their grip from that point.

Two minutes before the break, Michael Hancock looked set to increase his team’s lead but a desperate tackle from Stoop forced Hancock into touch. But the Test winger wasn’t to be denied. He scored six minutes after halftime, with Matterson again the creative force. Matterson put Kevin Walters into a gap and Renouf handled before Hancock crossed.

Wigan hit back midway through the second half when halfback Shaun Edwards scored a determined try after chasing firstly Martin Dermott’s kick and then his own, to beat O’Neill to the ball. But Brisbane sealed their historic victory eight minutes from the end when Hancock scored his second try after good lead-up from Willie Carne and Wembley hero Renouf.

The Broncos succeeded where other Australian clubs, Manly, Canberra and Penrith had failed, being able to lift themselves again after the grand final climax.

“Games like these are always difficult,” coach Wayne Bennett told Rugby League Week. “There is a lot at stake in some ways, but for us it was an anti-climax to the events of September. I know how professional we are, and that we’d give it our all. But how our combination and condition would be after such a long lay off was my biggest fear, I thought tonight we were terrific – absolutely terrific.”

Brisbane 22 (Hancock 2, O’Neil, Walters tries; Matterson 3 goals) defeated Wigan (Edwards try, Botica 2 goals)

Brisbane
Julian O’Neil, Michael Hancock, Steve Renouf, Chris Johns, Willie Carne
Kevin Walters, Allan Langer
Glenn Lazarus, Kerrod Walters, Andrew Gee, Trevor Gillmeister, Mark Hohn, Terry Matterson.
Interchange: John Plath, Tony Currie, Brett Plowman, Peter Ryan

Wigan
Andre Stoop, Jason Robinson, Dean Bell, Andrew Farrar, Martin Offiah
Frano Botica, Shaun Edwards
Kelvin Skerrett, Martin Dermott, Andy Platts, Denis Betts, Billy McGinty, Phil Clarke
Interchange: Ian Lucas, Neil Cowie, Sam Panapa, Martin Crompton
 
Thank you so much for these great memories. That year it just felt inevitable that the Broncos would win. I also remember going to the test at Lang Park and it was a brutal battle in the middle. Somewhere else I posted a story about the first Broncos game that I went to and it was a preseason game against Cronulla but I wasn't sure of the year. Reading these stories I am pretty sure it was 1992. In your research did you see if we played a preseason game against Cronulla that year?
 
Sirlee oldman said:
Thank you so much for these great memories. That year it just felt inevitable that the Broncos would win. I also remember going to the test at Lang Park and it was a brutal battle in the middle. Somewhere else I posted a story about the first Broncos game that I went to and it was a preseason game against Cronulla but I wasn't sure of the year. Reading these stories I am pretty sure it was 1992. In your research did you see if we played a preseason game against Cronulla that year?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I haven't read anything about that game. I believe the Tooheys Cup competition was apart of the pre-season so unless the Broncos played some extra games, I don't believe it was 1992.

I just had a quick flip through the other books and couldn't read anything on a Broncos v Sharks pre-season game. Hopefully somebody on here knows what you're talking about and can give you a concrete date.

I'm glad you're enjoying the transcripts Sirlee, I'll hopefully have them all up by the end of the season.
 
Looked in my NSWRL 1992-1993 book by David Middleton, shows results of the Seven's and the Toohey's Cup but nothing of any trials I'm afraid.
 
Thanks for trying. I don't think it was part of any recognised competition because I honestly got to stand right on the sideline for much of the game and was shoulder to rib with the great man Arthur Beetson for a while. I also remember that we were going to play Cronulla again for real in a few weeks which is why I am leaning towards it being 1992.
 
Well Beetson did coach them in 1992 and we did play them in 1992 straight up round 1, it's quite possible.
 
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ALLAN LANGER
Brisbane

About the same time Allan Langer held aloft the World Club Challenge trophy at a cold Central Park in Wigan late in October he was hailed the world’s best player. World’s best is a title bandied around more often than it perhaps should, but no player could lay greater claim to it in 1992 than Langer, the captain of the premiership-winning Brisbane Broncos and the incumbent Australian Test halfback.

In 1991, Langer re-established himself as the country’s top halfback after a disappointing tour to England and France in 1990. In brilliant ’91 season, Langer defied the considerable challenges of Canberra’s Ricky Stuart and Penrith’s Greg Alexander to win back his Test jersey and star in the State of Origin series and the three Tests against New Zealand.

But in ’92 he set a series of career bests that will take some topping.

From the earliest days of the competition, Langer was in menacing form. He helped the Broncos to the final of the rich Nissan World Sevens and then the final of the Tooheys Challenge knockout. His team was beaten on both occasions, but there was never a hint of panic. Langer knew there were bigger things ahead.

Assuming the Broncos captaincy from Gene Miles, Langer was the modeal leader. An unshakable conviction that Brisbane were the best team in the competition quickly rubbed off on his colleagues and the doubts and inconsistencies that appeared in the club’s previous four seasons never surfaced.

During the period of heaviest commitment through out May, June and July, Langer’s resolve never wavered. In the State of Origin and the Test series, Langer was brilliant. He scored Queensland’s only try in the first Origin match at the Sydney Football Stadium, kicked the first field goal of his career to give the Maroons a last-minute victory at Lang Park and was one of Queensland’s best in a losing series-decider at the Football Stadium. And in the series against Great Britain, Langer was an integral part of Australia’s Ashes defence.

But it was with Brisbane that Langer was at his best. The linchpin in a marvellously skilled backline, Langer created opportunities, finished others off and kicked thoughtfully in open play. It was little wonder he was rewarded with the Rothmans Medal at Sydney’s Sheraton Wentworth Hotel in September, and then the Clive Churchill Medal at the Football Stadium later in the same month. Langer stamped his name on the grand final in the same indelible fashion he had in so many other matches for the Broncos throughout 1992. He scored two tries and was involved in almost every attacking sortie his team launched.

Langer and his team-mates flew out of Sydney on grand final night with the Winfield Cup strapped safetly into seat 1A. of their Ansett jet. That night they celebrated wildly. They shaved their heads and partied. But for Langer and the rest of them there was unfinished business. There was the World Cup final and then the World Club Challenge.

Opportunities were scarce for Langer in the World Cup final before 73,000 fans at Wembley. With memories of his below-par performances in the First Test of the 1990 Ashes series lingering in his mind, he admitted being petrified of leaving the world famous arena a loser once-again. But Australia did enough to sneak home on the back of a Steve Renouf try and a 10-6 result, changing forever Langer’s impression of Wembley Stadium.

To Central Park for the World Club Challenge and the most difficult assignment of Langer’s season – meeting Wigan on home soil, a month after Brisbane’s grand final win over St George. Langer carried a painful sternum injury into the match but still managed to cause the Wiganers a welter of problems with his jinking footwork and skilful kick-placement. By fulltime, the Broncos were on top of the world, winners by 22-8, and Langer was the captain of the first Australian team to win the World Club Challenge.

When Langer beaten his big-time career the age of 20, in 1987, there were doubts his diminutive stature would survive the rigours of State of Origin football. A man-of-the-match performance in the deciding match of that series changed his critics’ perceptions forever and won him universal respect.

Langer hails from Ipswich, one of Queensland’s most powerful league nurseries, and learned much from former NSW and Australian halfback Tommy Raudonikis, who coached him for three seasons from 1985. Since 1987, Langer has become the darling of the Brisbane crowds and has earned widespread interest for endorsements and personal appearances. He has unquestionably become the new king of Queensland football.
 
GLENN LAZARUS
Brisbane

If there was a big match on in 1992, chances are Glenn Lazarus was ploughing his way upfield, driving opposition defences backwards with his forceful charges or stopping them in their tracks with a crushing tackle.

And chances are, Lazarus was on the winning side.

Lazarus’ season was the stuff of which dreams are made. He played the final of the Nissan Sevens, the final of the Tooheys Challenge, the City-Country match, the State of Origin series, the Ashes series, the Test against Papua New Guinea, the grand final, the World Cup final and the World Club challenge.

In all but the Sevens and the Tooheys Challenge he emerged a winner. It is doubtful if any player in the history of the game has tasted so much success in the space of one season. Counting all matches, including the Sevens, Lazarus played 43 matches in 1992. He won 35 of them. He played in four losing Winfield Cup matches, the finals of the Sevens and the Tooheys Challenge, a State of Origin match for NSW and a Test against Great Britain.

Ironically, Lazarus’ decision, following the 1991 season to join the Broncos caused plenty of heartache. Effectively a victim of Canberra’s salary cap excesses, Lazarus walked out on the Raiders after they had delayed making him an offer. It caused bad blood in the national capital and added to the pressure he faced in Brisbane, where he was seen as the Broncos’ “hired gun”.

The expectations on the 26-year-old prop were enormous. Broncos fans believed he would be the “missing link” in their team’s grand final jigsaw. It was a long-held belief that the Broncos had a weak under-belly, and Lazarus, the man labelled the “Brick with Eyes”, would be the player to stiffen up Brisbane’s forward pack.

From a team point of view, nothing less than grand final victory would have satisfied their fans or silenced their critics south of the border. Lazarus admitted that the fulltime siren in the grand final brought a great surge of relief for him and his team-mates.

The form of the big prop was outstanding through the long season. Consistency for a player of his size (110kg) is often a problem. But not for Lazarus, who was running as strongly in October as he was in March. After missing a large slice of the 1991 season wiith a serious sternum injury, Lazarus never took a backward step in ’92. His representative season began in the front row of winning Country Origin combination, where he was named man of the match after the 17-10 victory.

He was the tower of strength for NSW in the brutal State of Origin series woon 2-1 by the Blues, and was part of Australia’s Ashes victory against Great Britain. He retained his Test position for the one-off Test victory against Papua New Guinea and was one of the first forwards picked in Australia’s World Cup final squad in October.

Born and bred in Queanbeyan, Lazarus didn’t become a front-rower until the age of 21, when the then Canberra coach Don Furner shifted him from the second row during pre-season training in 1987. A quick apprenticeship during the ’87 season had him primed for action in 1988 and he rapidly established himself in the Raiders’ front row. Midway through that season he was selected in an Australian President’s XIII which played Great Britain, and scored a try in a memorable debut at Queanbeyan’s Seiffert Oval.

His confidence boosted, Lazarus played his way into New South Wales’ State of Origin side the next season and later that year was an integral member of the Raiders’ first grand final-winning side. By 1990 he was a Test player. He established himself in the Australian team during the 1990 Kangaroo tour and returned a seasoned international. The sternum injury ruled him out of the series against New Zealand in ’91, but Lazarus returned for the short tour to Papua New Guinea at the end of that season, and soon after transferred to Brisbane for a season he will never forget.
 
STEVE RENOUF
Brisbane

At the start of the 1992 season, Steve Renouf’s major concern was consolidating a first grade position in the Broncos’ all star backline. Surrounded by international stars, Renouf was forced to work doubly hard to keep up. But the immense natural talent Wayne Bennett spotted in Renouf as a teenager at Murgon, north of Brisbane, was always destined to carry him far.

The extra hour of dedication and commitment merely honed him into a player of extra-special abilities. By the end of the season, Renouf was a world beater. State of Origin selection, a premiership with the Broncos, the only tryscorer in the World Cup final and victory in the World Club Challenge were as impressive a list of achievements as any 22-year-old footballer could boast.

Even though his form at all levels was consistently outstanding in 1992, it is two tries for which Renouf’s season will be remembered. Midway through the second half of the grand final, Allan Langer caught St George’s defence short only metres from the Broncos’ tryline. Renouf flashed onto Langer’s pass and sprinted the length of the field to score one of the most remarkable long-distance tries in grand final history. A month later, in the final of the World Cup, Australia were headed for defeat with Great Britain leading 6-4 with only 12 minutes to play. Second-half placement, five-eighth Kevin Walters, combined with Renouf to change the course of the match and the fate of the Cup with one sparkling manoeuvre.

The Broncos pair had practicised the move hundreds of times, at training and under match conditions, regularly through-out the season. Attacking Great Britain’s territory, Walters ran blindside and threw a superb long pass to Renouf. The speedster dragged in the pass on his chest, evaded replacement centre John Devereux and sprinted 20 metres to the tryline.

“From what I can remember there were no numbers out there, but I just thought the long pass was on. It hit the spot and Steve did the rest,” said Kevin Walters of the most memorable pass of his career.

Renouf said his instinctive combination with his Broncos team-mate was the key to the World Cup-winning try.

“When you practise moves over and over again, they do become instinctive. I sensed it was on and when Kevvie moved to the blind, I knew straight away what he was up to,” Renouf said.

Renouf is the ninth of 10 Aboriginal children of the one family, from Murgon, 170km north-west of Brisbane. His father, Charlie, who died early In 1992, was a professional sprinter, who instilled in his son the importance of looking after his body, the benefits of fitness and the treatment of injuries. Broncos coach Wayne Bennett spotted Renouf playing in Murgon in 1987, and the following season the talented teenager joined Brisbane for their first season in the Winfield Cup.

From his earliest days with the Broncos he was a prolific tryscorer, and Bennett observed him as one of “the most effective gap-runners in the club.”

Renouf was always going to have his work cut out cementing a position in the Broncos’ backline, with international players such as Gene Miles, Chris Johns, Peter Jackson and Tony Currie barring his way in the early years. Even so, by the start of the 1991 season, Renouf at just 20, had managed 14 first-grade appearances – and that was after injury affected him through much of the 1990 season.

At the end of the 1992, Renouf had 57 first grade appearances to his credit and an imposing tally of 29 first grade tries. He had made two appearances for Queensland in State of Origin football and played in all four of Australia’s matches in the World Cup Final tour of England.

With his abundant natural talent, the influence of an international threequarter line around him, and the ultra-professional approach of the Broncos, it was little wonder Renouf scaled the heights he did in 1992.

Renouf had the world at his feet. There appears little doubt his star will rise even higher in 1993.
 
Brisbane Broncos

Coach Wayne Bennett was convinced Brisbane’s premiership was as good as won when the Broncos downed Penrith on a cold Friday night at Penrith Stadium in August.

“Everything was against us,” Bennett said. “The crowd, travelling and playing on the Friday night, and the premiers were fired up for what was their last shot. But despite those odds, we won – and we won well. That night I believe we showed the qualities needed to win the premiership. All we had to do was finish it off.”

The Broncos “finished it off” in style. The Penrith win was their fourth in a series of nine straight victories which swept Brisbane to their maiden premiership in the Winfield Cup. They made grand final day look nothing more than a formality, brushing St George aside in a 28-8 romp. A month later they proved themselves world championships with a disdainful 22-8 thumping of Wigan in the World Club Championship match at Central Park, home of the Wigan club.

It was a season of first for the Broncos.

Their first top-grade grand final win, their first minor premiership title, their first club championship (shared with Newcastle). They became the first Australian club to win the World Club Championship and the club provided their first Rothmans Medallist and first Clive Churchill Medallist – both won by Allan Langer. Additionally the Broncos enjoyed massive representation at State of Origin level and beyond, with 10 players selected.

Brisbane figured in every major final in 1992. They went down to Wigan in the Nissan Sevens decider and Illawarra in the tryless Tooheys Challenge final at Dubbo, but from then on it was all success. Along the way, Brisbane lost only four Winfield Cup matches, to Penrith, Illawarra, Canterbury and Wests.

The Illawarra and Canterbury lossess occurred during the dreaded representative period when three Tests and three State of Origin matches intervened. So often in the Broncos’ first four years in the Winfield Cup, this period had been the club’s undoing. But in 1992, with a determined resolve and a professional attitude, the Broncos weathered the storm.

Central to the Broncos victory was prop Glenn Lazarus, who migrated from Canberra to become a cornerstone of the Broncos’ premiership challenge. Lazarus provided the size, power and authority to a forward pack that had previously lacked such characteristics. Significantly, Lazarus was also a part of Country’s first win over City in 17 years, NSW’s State of Origin win over Queensland, Australia’s Ashes victory against Great Britain and Australia’s World Cup triumph.

No man in the game’s history has achieved such results in a single season.

If Lazarus was the bricks and mortar, Langer the shimmering veneer, creating the chances that made Brisbane not only the most successful team in the game but the most attractive team to watch.

Langer led his men by example, his ferocious desire inspiring them more than any gem of wisdom from his lips. And so often he would create a chance from nothing, his jinking elusive stepping catching the opposition hopelessly wrong-footed. His 12 tries for the season made him equal top tryscorer for the club, with Steve Renouf, another who hit the heights in ’92.

Langer was fittingly awarded the Rothmans Medal as well as the Clive Churchill Medal – the awards summing up his influence on the ’92 Winfield Cup.

It took more than Lazarus and Langer to secure the trophy, though 0 and 26 other Broncos who played first grade and a committed support staff headed by coach Bennett – all played a significant part.

WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 30 defeated CRONULLA SHARKS 2
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 24 defeated GOLD COAST SEAGULLS 18
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 24 defeated CANBERRA RAIDERS 16
LOST PENRITH PANTHERS 24 defeated BRISBANE BRONCOS 10
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 28 defeated MANLY SEA EAGLES 12
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 12 defeated NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS 8
LOST ILLAWARRA STEELERS 10 defeated BRISBANE BRONCOS 8
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 20 defeated ST GEORGE DRAGONS 18
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 26 defeated SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS 18
LOST CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS 28 defeated BRISBANE BRONCOS 24
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 28 defeated NORTH SYDNEY BEARS 25
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 26 defeated BALMAIN TIGERS 10
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 20 defeated PARRAMATTA EELS 4
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 46 defeated EASTERN SUBURBS ROOSTERS 22
LOST WESTERN SUBURBS MAGPIES 25 defeated BRISBANE BRONCOS 16
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 20 defeated CRONULLA SHARKS 16
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 30 defeated GOLD COAST SEAGULLS 10
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 28 defeated CANBERRA RAIDERS 12
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 12 defeated PENRITH PANTHERS 6
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 22 defeated MANLY SEA EAGLES 10
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 37 defeated NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS 12
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 15 defeated ILLAWARRA STEELERS 8
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 22 defeated ILLAWARRA STEELERS 12
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 28 defeated ST GEORGE DRAGONS 8

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Gavin Allen
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Willie Morganson
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