Broncos coach Kevin Walters has refused to blame the uncertainty surrounding travel due to Queensland's COVID lockdown for his side's 40-6 loss to Melbourne on Friday night.
The Broncos were forced to relocate from Brisbane to Sydney early in the week because of a small outbreak in their home state and weren't even sure they would be able to fly to Melbourne to face the Storm on Good Friday.
But Walters put on a brave face after the 34-point loss and said the unsettled lead-up to the game played no part in the disjointed performance against the reigning premiers.
"I thought we had a good preparation leaving Brisbane early,” Walters said.
"We got together and trained and I thought that helped us rather than hindered us, so I did come into the game thinking that would help us.”
Match Highlights: Storm v Broncos
Big man Payne Haas was one of the Broncos' best against the Storm, getting through 70 minutes in his first match of the season and churning out 14 runs for 151 metres.
"I thought he was outstanding,” Walters said.
"It was good to have him back and I thought he was our best player. We've got him back now so we have got to work on it.
"Tonight we lost our way defensively. It was pretty tight early, we scored and then they got on that roll and the game was up."
The Broncos were quickly brought back to earth after breaking their duck in round three against the Bulldogs and have six days to prepare for a Thursday night clash with another of the competition heavyweights Souths in round five.
Coates and Addo-Carr open up inside five minutes
