At least we know Fifita would be a good fit...
EXCLUSIVE: The night before losing 58-0 to the Eels, the Broncos were … at the pub
Half a dozen players, including Anthony Milford and Payne Haas, were at the pub.
At least six Brisbane Broncos were spotted in a popular Sydney pub the night before their history-making 58-0 loss at the hands of Parramatta on Sunday, Foxsports.com.au can reveal.
Eyewitnesses confirmed Broncos players Matt Gillett, Andrew McCullough, Payne Haas, David Fifita, Corey Oates and Anthony Milford were all at Harpoon Harry’s hotel near Sydney’s Oxford Street until late on Saturday night.
The players congregated in the pub’s pokies room, where Fifita stayed playing the machines alone, after the rest of his teammates left the venue around 11pm.
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David Fifita was seen playing pokies by himself late on Saturday night.
There is no suggestion any of the players were drinking alcohol, but serious questions will be asked about the club’s culture and preparation the night before the most important game of their season.
Coach Anthony Seibold was unaware of his players’ nocturnal preparations, and the club was equally oblivious to the incident until contacted by Fox Sports on Tuesday.
Less than 24 hours after their visit to Harpoon Harry’s, the Broncos were handed a 58-0 thrashing by the Eels, the biggest losing margin in any final since 1908.
A pub patron who sat next to Milford as he played the pokies asked him what time he was playing the next day.
“I knew the game started at 4pm but Milford turned to me and said: ‘I think it’s at six, eh’. He wasn’t taking the piss, he was dead set,” the source said.
The players involved were among the poorest performers in a team that arrived at BankWest Stadium clearly not ready to play.
Corey Oates was among the players congregated in the pokies room.
The backrow of Fifita and Gillett managed just 103 metres between them and Fifita produced two handling errors. In contrast, Eels forward Daniel Alvaro ran for 197 metres. Tepai Moeroa, who came off the bench, ran for 156 metres and scored a try.
Seibold lambasted his team after the ‘embarrassing’ loss and promised a review of the club — which has bombed out in week one of the finals for two seasons running.
