Bennett backs Brisbane to bounce back

Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett has backed his side to bounce back from their devastating 52-34 NRL loss to Parramatta at Suncorp Stadium.

Darius Boyd and his Broncos teammates.

Darius Boyd tries to rally his troops during the Broncos' NRL hammering by Parramatta in Brisbane. (AAP)

No team has ever conceded 50 points in a game and gone on to win an NRL premiership that season.

Yet Wayne Bennett backed Brisbane to overcome their 52-34 loss to Parramatta at Suncorp Stadium as the finals loom.

The Broncos' three-game winning run came to a shuddering halt on Thursday night after the Eels became just the second side to score 50 points against Brisbane at their home fortress.

Kirisome Auva'a scored the fastest try in NRL history in just 12.88 seconds and fellow Eels winger Semi Radradra bagged another four as Parramatta romped into the top four with their eighth win in nine games.

Asked if the huge loss was a concern ahead of the finals, Bennett said: "It's a concern if we carry our baggage with us.

"We did a lot of good things this season but this was our worst performance of the season.

"I hope it is not too difficult (to overcome) but the season doesn't depend on one game in the home and away stuff.

"We just have to recognise we had a bad night, don't make excuses, don't avoid it, and move forward again."

The Eels became only the second team, after the Warriors in 2013, to score 50 points against the Broncos at Suncorp after a first-half blitz.

The Eels led 24-0 after Radradra notched his hat-trick by the 20th minute and 30-10 at halftime.

It just the third time since 1999 Brisbane had conceded 30 first-half points at home.

But Bennett denied the nine tries to six rout was the wake-up call his second-placed team needed.

"I don't feel we needed a wake up call," Bennett said.

"We had poor ball control, some poor decisions in defence and it cost us dearly.

"They just self destructed more than anything else.

"It was just a bad night."

Brisbane were expected to extend their run of five wins in six games but were never in it after Auva'a's record breaking start.

Auva'a couldn't believe his luck after Brisbane prop Adam Blair tried to offload in the match's first tackle, only to drop the ball metres from the tryline. The Eels winger did the rest.

"It just snowballed from there," Bennett said.


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Source: AAP


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