Live: Broncos score ‘one of the tries of the season’ to win classic Battle of Brisbane

When it was 14-14 at half-time, I think we were all expecting a classic arm wrestle in that second half, but instead it turned into a shootout.

After Trai Fuller’s try in the opening set of the second half and Jeremy Marshall-King’s dummy-half sneak, it looked like the Broncos might be shot.

But then, from Reece Walsh’s clutch 40/20 onwards, Brisbane scored four straight phenomenal tries, with Josiah Karapani’s dubbed “one of the tries of the season”, to get the win.

“That’s one of the best games of rugby league I’ve seen from an entertainment point of view,” ABC Sport expert commentator Billy Moore says.

The Broncos briefly dropped outside the top eight on the live ladder early in the second stanza, but have now surely locked in a place in the finals and will keep pushing for a top-four spot.

The Broncos concede an intentional scrum penalty so they don’t have to face a scrumbase play. Referee Wyatt Raymond warns Pat Carrigan if it happens again someone will be sin-binned.

Regardless, the Dolphins still have the Broncos shot to bits as Isaiya Katoa shows, shows and goes. He hits Jake Averillo after creating the overlap, but Averillo can’t handle, and that will be the Dolphins done tonight.

Payne Haas’s offload unleashes Jordan Riki down the right. Deine Mariner calls for the pass out wide, but Riki wants Mariner to come back in behind him.

Ultimately they run into a dead end and Riki’s pass trickles over the sideline.

Mariner gives him a bake. And Riki doesn’t appreciate it too much.

The bomb is allowed to bounce and looks destined for the dead-ball line, but it hangs up just half a metre inside the in-goal.

Walsh has to play at it, and he jogs out before diving in a surrender tackle.

The Dolphins are trying to isolate speed demon Jake Averillo on Gehamat Shibasaki. It’s yielding some results but the Broncos are scrambling.

They aim up in defence to stop the Dolphins making even 30 metres in their set, then hand the ball back to them a metre out from their tryline.

I’m sorry for all the exclamation marks but what can you do when a game like this is unfolding in front of your eyes?

The Broncos’ attacking set comes down to a crossfield kick towards that contest between Kotoni Staggs and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.

This time it’s in the air and Staggs, not a renowned high-flyer, takes a miraculous leaping mark above his head and Hammer’s hands.

Walsh converts and the Broncos lead 38-28 with 11 minutes left.

It was a tough shot from 35 metres out near the sideline, but he made sure to kick it dead, so the Broncos get possession back.

Gehamat Shibasaki fumbles a Billy Walters pass on a left-side shift, then Jamayne Isaako just drops a ball as he tries to play it.

To make matters worse, Kodi Nikorima is penalised and put on report for a crusher tackle.

Reece Walsh will aim for two points.

Kobe Hetherington can’t handle Tyson Smoothy’s dummy-half pass, gifting the Dolphins possession after two tackles off the kick-off.

The Dolphins spin it left and Tevita Naufahu does well to fling a pass back infield as he’s hurled into touch, but the Broncos come up with it.

Brisbane spins it left on the last and Ben Hunt spies some space behind the defence.

He dinks in the grubber and rookie prop Ben Talty is the only player for miles, diving in to score his third try from his first five games.

Reece Walsh converts and the Broncos lead 32-28.

The Broncos will get the ball back 30 metres out as Jaiyden Hunt smacks Jamayne Isaako hard enough to force the error.

Payne Haas carries four players over the line and is held up. The broncos reload.

The Broncos run it down the blindside through Reece Walsh on the last. He unleashes Kotoni Staggs, who storms through a few tackles, offloads to Tyson Smoothy, who finds Billy Walters in the middle of the field.

There’s nothing around him, but he spies Josiah Karapani in acres of space on the left wing, so he hooks across his body and the winger catches and score completely untouched.

Mick Ennis on Fox dubs it “one of the tries of the season” and I can’t argue, although it’s an incredibly hot field this year.

Off Walsh’s 40/20, the Broncos spin it right and Ben Hunt narrowly avoids an obstruction, turning backwards to find Deine Mariner on the right wing.

He brushes Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and dives over.

Reece Walsh nails the curving conversion from out wide and it’s still 28-20 to the Dolphins, but the Broncos aren’t lying down.

Incredibly intentional move from Reece Walsh, skipping into first receiver on the fourth and, even though the dummy-half pass isn’t the best, he hooks across his body and it skids low over the touchline for a 40/20.

The Broncos have forgotten to come out after half-time, as evidenced by Jeremy Marshall-King just diving over from dummy half right under the posts as Jaiyden Hunt and Ben Talty fall asleep on the tryline.

He tries to land it on Kodi Nikorima in the back left corner, but the little five-eighth plants a foot on the sideline and catches to heap more pain on the Broncos.

Kotoni Staggs slips up too high on Connelly Lemuelu and he’s penalised and put on report.

To make matters worse, Jamayne Isaako pots a penalty goal from 35 metres out to put the Dolphins up 22-14.

Two strong runs off the kick-off and Trai Fuller takes advantage.

In his first game of the year, the Dolphins fullback fends off Pat Carrigan, watches Ben Hunt slip over, breezes past Jordan Riki, and sells Reece Walsh the dummy to go 75 metres and dive in under the posts.

Not yet three tackles into the second half, the Dolphins lead 20-14.

Can the second live up to the standard set by the first?