Bulldogs turn Entertainers to stun Broncos

Canterbury revived memories of The Entertainers to stun Brisbane with a razzle dazzle 41-16 win at Suncorp Stadium that leaves the Broncos finals hopes in tatters.

The Bulldogs put aside the loss of captain Stephen Crichton before kick-off and a 42,213 Brisbane crowd to pile on seven tries to three as they aim for a top four berth, while the Broncos have now lost seven of their last eight matches.

After making last year's grand final, the Broncos must now win all six remaining matches to have any chance of playing in the finals as they four points outside the top eight.

Cameron Ciraldo's men went into the match with the second-best defence in the NRL after the Panthers but ranked 14th for points scored so they spent their recent bye week working on attack and it was evident for all to see.

Bronson Xerri opened the scoring in the 10th minute after hooker Reed Mahoney and five-eighth Matt Burton combined with fullback Connor Tracey to create an overlap for the speedster, who sprinted 30 metres to the tryline.

Tracey extended the visitor's lead to 12-0 when he raced onto a deftly placed Toby Sexton grubber behind Ezra Mam to score in the 17th minute and winger Jeral Skelton then scored one of the tries of the season.

Reviving memories of the great Canterbury teams of the early 1980s dubbed The Entertainers, the Bulldogs shifted the ball from one side of the field to the other in spectacular fashion after winger Blake Wilson batted a bouncing ball to Viliame Kikau.

The Fijian strike forward threw a long ball to Mahoney, who kicked across field for Jacob Kiraz to snatch the ball from the air and pass in the same motion to an unmarked Skelton.

Reece Walsh gave Broncos fans in the 42,213 crowd some hope when he scored from a scrum win and then produced a 40/20 kick, as the home side responded in kind to Canterbury's attacking style.

The enterprising play paid dividends when five-eighth Ezra Mam grubber kicked 20m from his own line and Kotoni Staggs sprinted onto the ball before racing the end of the field to score on the last play of the first half.

However, the Broncos had no answer to the Bulldogs in the second half, with Kikau crashing over after a backline movement in just the 42nd minute, Tracey scoring twice to finish with a hat-trick and Kiraz crossing for a try of his own.