Pat Carrigan may only have the one finals match under his belt, but that single game makes the forward one of the more experienced players in the Broncos line-up, with the squad gearing up to once again face off against the Melbourne Storm to launch this year’s final series.
That one game was a 58-0 defeat suffered at the hands of the Parramatta Eels in 2019 – but it’s a very different Broncos team and a much more composed Carrigan who will take to the field on Friday night.
“Finals experience, I don’t know what it counts for, mine, but it is what it is,” Carrigan said when asked about that game.
“Of course it does (burn). I think to be honest, I'm petty, so any time I lose, it burns and I definitely remember that (game), but in saying that, I'm a different player and a different person and this team is a different team.
“We're never going to be able to change that (result), so it is what it is.
“(We) move on … and let's get it on Friday night.”
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Although the Broncos hosted the Storm last Thursday with vastly different line-ups, the result went the way of their recent meetings, with Melbourne having won the past 14 games in a row against Brisbane.
The Broncos have also not been able to beat the Storm at Suncorp Stadium for 14 years, but Carrigan said this year’s finals provided a new opportunity to create new memories.
“They're bigger games,” Carrigan said of finals football. “I don't play 27 games a year and get flogged at Red Hill just to rock up and play one finals game.
“Melbourne are the same, every club's the same, you want to be in it to win the big games and what better way to do it (than) with 50,000 Broncs fans on Friday night.
“As a footy player, as any athlete, this is where you want to be. It's all on the line, I'm excited.”
Remarkably, Broncos captain Adam Reynolds with 21 has played more finals games than the rest of the squad combined, with Payne Haas and Thomas Flegler joining Carrigan in having played one finals match before. There are 11 other members of the team taking part in post-season NRL for the first time.
One of those players is Reece Walsh, who was looking forward to marking his mark for the team.
“It's something that I haven't experienced yet, but I'm confident and excited to get out there and keep playing the footy that we played all year,” Walsh said.
“We’ve showed that we're a genuine contender this year.
“It's a new comp that is starting and we're really excited to get into work and work hard for each other and play some good footy.”
Walsh: We'll work hard for each other and our fans
As a premiership winner with the Rabbitohs in 2014, Reynolds had been sharing his knowledge with the team, but had maintained a message of keeping things simple.
“(He has) spoken a lot (to us) as a team and just about how the bigger the game, the simpler, you know, your role becomes in the team,” Walsh said.
“I think it's just about us going out there and nailing our job and nailing our role the best we can be.
“We're in a really good spot and we've got a really good opportunity to do something special here.
“Every single person in the team and in the squad are all working hard for each other and they're working hard on their game to get better and if we can all do our jobs to the best of our ability, I'm sure that's going to reflect as a really good team performance.”
Coach Kevin Walters has made the big call to leave some of his more experienced campaigners out of the side, including Martin Taupau, who has featured in five finals and Corey Oates, whose spot on the wing has been claimed by Jesse Arthars.
Oates – who has played 11 finals with the Broncos in his career – has been hampered by injuries this year and is the last remaining player left in the squad who was part of the 2015 grand final loss to the Cowboys.
Taupau has been listed in the team's reserves for Friday night's match, with Oates the 18th player.