NRL: Michael Maguire’s Brisbane Broncos era off to flyer after belting Sydney Roosters

Brisbane have begun the Michael Maguire era with a bang, bashing a rudderless Sydney Roosters in a 50-14 NRL demolition.

With their families watching on from Brisbane while awaiting the arrival of Cyclone Alfred, the Broncos ensured their trip to Sydney was a worthwhile one by underlining their premiership credentials.

They had to head straight back to Queensland via charter flight after fulltime on Thursday but left Allianz Stadium having sent a resounding warning to the rest of the competition.

Maguire’s men were brutal up front, creative in attack and patient in their build-up play on Thursday.

It was everything the Roosters were not.

Trent Robinson’s side became the first this year to concede 50 points, a stat which has historically meant it is impossible to go on and win the premiership.

Robinson has insisted his side is not in a rebuilding phase and this year won’t be a slow burn.

But given they have lost 953 games of NRL experience over the off-season, and considering their trial form and this season opener, the Roosters appear in for a torrid campaign.

And they could be about to lose more experience, with Victor Radley badly concussed in the first half and having no chance to face Penrith next week.

The Roosters’ Angus Crichton was placed on report for a late shot on Brisbane’s Ben Hunt.

It looked as though pre-season talk of the Roosters’ demise had been exaggerated when they raced into a lead after just six minutes.

Young centre Rob Toia rampaged his way through the Broncos on the Roosters’ right edge before sending English Test winger Dom Young over in the corner.

But when Radley went off for a head injury assessment, things quickly unravelled.

Brisbane were quick to react, toying with the edge where Radley would have been defending to send Jesse Arthars down the touchline to set up Gehamat Shibasaki waiting on the inside.

It lit a spark inside the Broncos, as Payne Haas began to lead the charge for Maguire’s men.

The big prop racked up 145m, 11 tackle busts and three offloads - one after a bullocking run down the middle which gave hooker Cory Paix the chance to slide in.

Haas’s front-row partner Patrick Carrigan was next to turn provider, finding a hard-running Jack Gosiewski near the Roosters’ line, before an Adam Reynolds penalty made it 20-4 at halftime.

Rather than take their foot off the pedal, Brisbane found an extra gear and brutally exposed the Roosters’ shortcomings.

Too often, Robinson’s men were second to the ball.

Nobody really made an attempt to deal with kicks ahead by Deine Mariner and Reynolds as they set up Selwyn Cobbo for his first of three tries for the evening.

Reynolds was allowed space to grubber kick to the in-goal for Cobbo’s second, and on his return for the Broncos, Hunt finished a razzle-dazzle try that went through 10 sets of hands.

Sandon Smith and Young clawed back tries for the Roosters but Arthars, Reece Walsh and Cobbo - who took the Broncos beyond the 50-point mark - ensured an emphatic start at Red Hill for Maguire.