Brisbane Broncos are in the midst of the most catastrophic premiership defence of the NRL era – and among the worst in the competition’s history.
Already out of finals contention – the first premiers to miss the playoffs in 21 years – the star-studded Broncs have won just six of their 19 games. They sit 15th with five rounds remaining and are on track for the lowest ladder finish ever for a reigning champion.
This week we look back at other teams down the years who endured an immediate, ungracious fall from rugby league’s summit.
Western Suburbs (1953)
A controversial 22-12 win over South Sydney in the 1952 grand final delivered Wests their last premiership, but the club created unwanted history the following season by becoming the first defending premiers to collect a wooden spoon.
The Magpies, steered around by Test halves Keith Holman and Frank Stanmore, won four of their first six games before spiralling down the NSWRL ladder via a nine-match losing streak.
After several seasons in the doldrums, Western Suburbs made a string of big-name acquisitions and featured in grand finals against the St George juggernaut in 1959 and 1961-63.
Balmain Tigers (1970)
Balmain snapped a 22-year premiership drought in unforgettable fashion in 1969. Rookie coach Leo Nosworthy directed the Tigers as they pipped Manly in the preliminary final with a last-minute try, then pulled off arguably the greatest grand final upset of all time to beat South Sydney 11-2.
But the black-and-golds struggled to reproduce the same magic in 1970, winning just four of their first 11 games. A 44-10 loss to the Sea Eagles in Round 1 set the tone. Winning eight of their last 10 games was not enough for the Tigers, who became the first defending champs to miss the finals in 17 years.
It proved a harbinger for the decade ahead, with the Tigers reaching the finals just once in the following 12 seasons before become a force again in the mid-1980s.
St George Dragons (1978)
After winning the maiden grand final replay – pummelling Parramatta 22-0 following the teams’ 9-all draw in the 1977 decider – St George tumbled out of playoffs contention in 1978.
‘Bath’s Babes’ endured a horror 1-6 start that a midyear resurgence could not rescue. Five losses from the last seven rounds consigned the Dragons to an eighth-place finish, but they would bounce back to win another premiership (their last as a standalone club) in 1979.
Manly Sea Eagles (1979)
Manly’s iconic, controversial sudden-death run to win the 1978 premiership – playing five do-or-die matches in the space of 17 days – and contributing seven players to the subsequent Kangaroo Tour evidently took a toll.
The Sea Eagles struggled for momentum throughout 1979, failing to win more than three games in a row, and finished seventh.
Canterbury Bulldogs (1981)
For the third time in four seasons, the defending premiers failed to reach the playoffs in 1981.
Coached by Ted Glossop, Canterbury-Bankstown won its first title in 38 years in 1980 – but ‘The Entertainers’ finished a dismal 10th the following season with just eight wins.
Lengthy injury absences for skipper George Peponis, Chris Anderson, Mark Hughes and Geoff Robinson proved damaging as the Bulldogs notched back-to-back wins just twice. It would prove a recurring theme after Bulldogs grand final wins over the next quarter century.
Parramatta Eels (1987)
Parramatta dominated the premiership during the 1980s under Jack Gibson and then John Monie, featuring in five grand finals six years and carrying off the title in 1981-83 and 1986. Despite the retirement of legendary duo Ray Price and Mick Cronin, few envisaged the Eels’ dramatic decline.
The Eels lost their first three games in 1987 and never really recovered, while a four-match losing streak during the second half of the year scuppered their finals hopes. The heavyweights eventually landed seventh after a late flurry.
Peter Sterling won the Dally M Medal-Rothmans Medal double, but Brett Kenny, Steve Ella, Eric Grothe, Paul Taylor and star recruit Bob Lindner all missed 10-plus games. The Eels would not feature in the playoffs again until 1997.
Canterbury Bulldogs (1989)
Rookie coach Phil Gould created history in 1988 by guiding Canterbury to grand final glory at just 30 years of age – but he would cut ties with the club just 12 months later after a disastrous premiership defence.
The Bulldogs won their first three games of 1989 but would chalk up just seven more victories to finish ninth.
Premiership captain Peter Tunks was replaced by Paul Langmack midseason, the halfback spot proved problematic following the departure of Steve Mortimer and Michael Hagan, and chronic in-fighting and politicking plagued the Bulldogs off the field.
Chris Anderson took over the following season, belatedly steering the Bulldogs back to the finals in 1993.
Canterbury Bulldogs (1996)
The Bulldogs pulled off one of the most remarkable and unlikely premiership triumphs of all time in 1995, charging from sixth spot in the inaugural eight-team finals series and shocking dominant Manly 17-4 in the grand final – despite being torn asunder by the Super League war.
The club’s 1996 decline, after the rebel competition was prevented from getting off the ground, was almost inevitable.
Jason Smith, Jim Dymock, Dean Pay and Jarrod McCracken left for Parramatta and Brett Dallas joined Norths, while multiple Super League defectors were forced to return to their ARL clubs rather than joining the Bulldogs.
Terry Lamb rescinded his retirement to bolster the Bulldogs’ threadbare stocks, but they won just one of their first eight games. An admirable turnaround saw them win 10 of their last 13 but that was only good enough for a 10th-place finish.
Brisbane Broncos (1999)
The Broncos surged to the inaugural NRL premiership in 1998 – their fourth title in seven seasons – in resounding fashion, scoring 114 points in their last three finals matches before having nine players selected for Australia.
But the heavyweights inexplicably won just one of their first 10 games in 1999, a run that saw champion halfback and captain Allan Langer announce his (albeit brief) retirement.
Last on the ladder, the Broncos performed a miraculous turnaround, however, going on a club record 11-match winning streak and scraping into the finals with a gritty last-round win over the Bulldogs.
The Broncos were sent packing in week one of the finals by minor premiers the Sharks, but the revival laid the foundation for a dominant run to the 2000 premiership.
Canterbury Bulldogs (2005)
Only three defending premiers missed the finals between 1988 and 2009 – and the Bulldogs were the unfortunate champions on each occasion.
The Bulldogs overcame the 2002 salary cap scandal to carry off the 2004 title in a season mired in off-field controversy.
But with captain Steve Price joining the Warriors, and stars Luke Patten, Hazem El Masri, Willie Tonga, Reni Maitua, Sonny Billy Williams and Mark O’Meley missing big chunks of the year, the Bulldogs plummeted in 2005.
The Bulldogs won just one of their first five games and finished the year on a six-match losing streak (including a 54-2 loss to the Tigers) to land 12th. They were in good company: 2004 grand final opponents Sydney Roosters also bombed out after featuring in the previous three NRL deciders.
Brisbane Broncos (2007)
Reminiscent of the spluttering start to their title defence eight years earlier, the Broncos followed up their 2006 triumph – where they upset the Storm 15-8 in the grand final – by winning just three of their first 10 games in 2007.
A midyear resurgence put their campaign back on track, but the Broncos ultimately limped into the playoffs in eighth with an 11-13 record and were crushed 68-22 by Parramatta in the final round.
The Broncos were beset by a horrendous injury toll, with a side missing Darren Lockyer, Karmichael Hunt, Brent Tate, Shaun Berrigan and Tonie Carroll promptly despatched 40-0 in the qualifying finals by Melbourne.
Manly Sea Eagles (2009)
After romping to a grand final record 40-0 rout of the Storm in 2008, the damage was done to the Sea Eagles’ title defence in the pre-season courtesy of multiple off-field incidents.
With star fullback Brett Stewart stood down for a month over legal issues (he was eventually cleared of all charges), Manly lost their first four games. Stewart returned for two games before suffering a knee injury sidelined him for more than four months.
The beleaguered champs eventually found their footing and a four-game winning streak to finish the regular season lifting them to fifth. But a 40-12 qualifying final loss to the Storm and the fickle nature of the McIntyre Finals System ended their reign in week one of the playoffs.
Melbourne Storm (2010)
Melbourne’s dynasty, which delivered four straight grand final appearances and triumphs in 2007 and 2009, came crashing down six rounds into the 2010 season after systematic and flagrant salary cap breaches were uncovered.
Controversially stripped of their two premierships, the Storm were also prevented from playing for competition points in 2010 – effectively consigning the club to the wooden spoon.
It was a mark of the character of the Storm squad and staff that they managed to win 10 of their remaining 18 games, which would have been enough for them to finish fifth.
After shedding several star players to become cap compliant, the Storm took out the minor premiership in 2011 and earned grand final redemption in 2012.
South Sydney Rabbitohs (2015)
South Sydney ended a 43-year premiership wait via an emotional, emphatic 30-6 grand final victory over Canterbury in 2014. But the seeds for a tough title defence were sown in the off-season.
John Sutton was sacked as captain after a drunken incident on an end-of-year trip to Arizona. Though the Rabbitohs thrashed St Helens in the World Club Challenge and won their first three NRL games in 2015, their campaign was marked by inconsistency.
Souths meandered to a seventh-place finish with heavy losses in the last three rounds and crashed out via a 28-12 elimination final loss to Cronulla.