The Broncos seemed to have the game in the bag, leading 12-0 for the first 50 minutes, but the Sea Eagles mounted a late comeback with two tries. Just when things looked shaky, Madden, the understudy halfback, stepped up and sealed Brisbane’s fourth Magic Round win over the Sea Eagles.
The game-winning moment came after a miraculous return by star prop Payne Haas, who had been helped off the field earlier with a toe injury but defied the odds to come back.
The Broncos started strong, with fill-in halfback Madden making an early impact by setting up Brendan Piakura with a perfect pass. The Sea Eagles’ Taniela Pasieka was sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle on Selwyn Cobbo, and Brisbane wasted no time capitalizing, with Deine Mariner scoring in the right corner. Kotoni Staggs converted, giving the Broncos a 12-0 lead.
Despite several chances in the attacking zone, the Sea Eagles couldn’t break through Brisbane’s solid defense, and the Broncos maintained their 12-point lead going into halftime.
The second half was a tense back-and-forth battle, with the crowd breaking into “Sweet Caroline” to keep spirits high. But the Sea Eagles silenced the stadium when Haumole Olakau’atu set up Reuben Garrick, bringing the score to 12-6.
With 10 minutes left, a Broncos offside penalty gave Manly a repeat set, and debutant Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega scored in the corner. Garrick’s sideline conversion tied the game at 12-12.
As the clock ticked down, the Broncos surged upfield thanks to a Jaxson Paulo high tackle, setting the stage for Madden to slot the decisive one-pointer, clinching a heart-stopping Magic Round victory for Brisbane.
