SNAPSHOT OF THE BRISBANE V WARRIORS NRL PRELIMINARY FINAL
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* Result: Brisbane beat the Warriors 42-12 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane in front of 52,273 fans.
* Key moment: Reece Walsh's forward pass for Selwyn Cobbo. At 24-12 down Andrew Webster's men needed everything to go their way. Instead with 25 minutes to play Walsh ran down the right edge, threw a ball two metres forward for Cobbo, who busted downfield and put Jordan Riki over. Brisbane were the better team by far but this will leave a sour aftertaste for Warriors fans.
* Key stat: Brisbane threw 23 offloads for the night, with all of their first-half tries coming off the back of them. Before Saturday night, the Warriors had conceded less than eight offloads per game.
* Quote of the day: "It is a great thing making grand finals, but it is even better winning them." - Broncos halfback Adam Reynolds, who won a premiership with South Sydney in 2014 before being beaten by Penrith in the 2021 decider.
* Injuries and suspensions: Brisbane have largely got through the game unscathed, with the only minor concern being a Tom Flegler crusher tackle. It's likely it will attract a fine. The Warriors had bigger challenges, with Dylan Walker and Wayde Egan both needing to pass head injury assessments during the match and Shaun Johnson battling a finger injury from earlier in the first half.
* What's next? Brisbane have a shot at breaking their 17-year drought in next Sunday's decider against Penrith. The Broncos will enter as rank outsiders, but have beaten the Panthers in the opening round of this year. For the Warriors, their fairytale run is over.
Australian Associated Press
