Fresh from producing a resounding and historic win against the Storm, forward Thomas Flegler said the Broncos still had another gear in them in an ominous warning for their preliminary final opponents.
After keeping an opponent scoreless in a final for the first time in the club’s history, Flegler said the Broncos would be keen to perform even better next week in their aim to make their first grand final since 2015.
“Going into last week we knew it was going to be one of our biggest tests of the year so far and we conquered that,” Flegler said.
“(It was) good to celebrate that win over the weekend and now we've got a bigger task ahead … we have got to wait and see who we're going to face in two weeks’ time [the winner of the Warriors v Newcastle match].
“(But) to go further on into the season – there's definitely one game left, hopefully two – I think we do need to go to another gear, and I believe we've got that in this team.”
Match: Broncos v Warriors
Finals Week 3 -
home Team
Broncos
2nd Position
away Team
Warriors
4th Position
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
For Flegler, those improvements would need to come across the board.
“(We can improve) on both sides of the ball, both defence and attack,” Flegler said.
“Like they say, the bigger the game, the simpler the game has to be. Those big games are won on defence and those effort areas, so that’s there we’ll be looking to improve.
The Broncos deny Coates
“Definitely in those big games, you have got to be physical, and the big games are won in the middle of the field and I feel as though we did that on the weekend and it showed on the scoreboard.”
Enjoying a standout season for the Broncos, Flegler is one of three players confirmed to be leaving the club at the end of the year, with the Maroons forward committed to doing all he can to finish with a premiership before he begins life at the Dolphins in 2024.
“It’s going to be really special considering how long we've been here for and what we've been through to get to where we are now," Flegler said.
"Couldn't have scripted it any better, so I will be really happy and really excited to get out there in the preliminary final.
“I think the tough years we had – and there's a core group of us here that came through the 20s together – it's been spoken about many times, but just the camaraderie, the mateship we have off the field and on the field is really starting to pay off.
Jordan Riki Try
“Obviously, I'd love to finish on a high here and so far, we're doing that.
“I'm not really focused on next year at the moment, I haven't even thought about it.
“Hopefully I have got two more games here left and that's all I'm focusing on at the moment.”
