Is this the end of an era? Bennett's Broncos hammered by Dragons

Sims brothers and finals at Suncorp Stadium haven't always been a particularly productive combination, unless your name is Tariq and you play for the other team, in this case the St George-Illawarra Dragons.

His brother Korbin will join him there next season but it's unlikely he will want to talk about Sunday's final in Brisbane, where the Dragons unceremoniously dumped the Broncos out of the finals courtesy of a 48-18 demolition in front of 47,296 stunned fans.

Retiring star: An emotional Sam Thaiday after Sunday's elimination final in Brisbane.

Retiring star: An emotional Sam Thaiday after Sunday’s elimination final in Brisbane.

While Tariq was helping himself to a first half hat-trick of tries, Korbin could barely see through the mist. Between an ill-timed strip, multiple penalties and being trampled by his own brother as he crashed over yet again, there wasn't a hole deep enough by the time he was shown some mercy and called to the bench.

Back in 2008, it was the eldest Sims, Ashton, that found himself being hammered by fans after a late dropped ball saw Melbourne knock them out of the finals series. That was Wayne Bennett's last game before he moved on. Has history repeated?

Bennett has been guaranteed his place at Red Hill next season but that's unlikely to step speculation that he may be shifted early. Already we know his contract won't be extended after 2019. Guarantees tend to be flexible in this game, especially when a team puts in a dreadful performance in their biggest game of the year.

Michael Maguire denied he had been approached to take over at Red Hill when the coaching dramas were back page news a few weeks ago. He may want to keep his phone handy as the Broncos leaked almost 50 points against a side most had written off as any sort of premiership threat.

It was a stunning capitulation and looked on the cards from the opening moments of the contest. The Red V turned up with energy not seen since before the State of Origin break. Brisbane's young pack was beaten … then broken.

Tariq Sims tore them to shreds and by the time half-time had sounded, the Broncos were down 28-10. There was the smallest hint of a comeback but in the end, the margin would be 30. The Dragons showed them zero respect and paid no attention to the hype that the Broncos had created towards the end of their regular season campaign.

Even the most diehard Dragons fan wouldn't have dreamed of this sort of result. The Broncos had enough admirers to suggest they could even pinch the title from outside the eight. That bubble didn't so much burst as get repeatedly backed over. Then set on fire.

They had looked brilliant to close out the season, taking the scalps of Souths, the Roosters and flogging Manly. But when Sunday arrived, they looked anything but a team ready for the finals. Their youth, so exciting at stages in 2018, would eventually betray them.

Blaming Sims is an easy storyline but there were any number of players that failed to produce their best when it mattered. James Roberts was one of the worst offenders, with the Blues Origin centre producing some horrid defensive reads to give away a pair of tries.

Where they can next season partly depends on the coach but the Broncos can only be better for their humbling and have most of their key talent already locked away. It's worth remembering they made it this far without Matt Gillett, Jayden Su'a, Payne Haas and on Sunday, Alex Glenn, a casualty during the week.

Jack Bird was a non-factor in 2018 but could give the Broncos something extra if he can regain some fitness next season. And in David Fifita, who scored on Sunday as Brisbane took an early lead, they have found a future captain.

The squad looks finals-bound again but which way the club's board moves on Bennett will command most of the interest. Being bounced out badly in week one of the post-season simply won't do for a club and a fan base that expect much more.

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