1990s
In 1990, in order to increase the Broncos' success in the Winfield Cup, Wayne Bennett controversially sacked Wally Lewis as club captain and gave the role to centre Gene Miles. Miles had retired from representative football, and Bennett hoped he could remove the team's reliance on Lewis, who was said not to be a strong club man or a good trainer for the Broncos.
The Balmain Tigers were the last team the Broncos had failed to beat, until their victory in Round 18 of the 1990 season. Brisbane finished the regular season in second position, qualifying for their first finals campaign. In the Preliminary Final against the Canberra Raiders, the Broncos were knocked out 30-2, so finished the regular season in third place. Canberra then went on to win the competition. At the end of the season, Wally Lewis parted company with the Broncos, moving to the Gold Coast Seagulls.
In their fourth season, the Broncos won the pre-season 1991 Panasonic Cup competition. In round 16 of NSWRL season 1991, they were kept scoreless for the first time ever by the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. Steve Renouf became the first Bronco to score four tries in a match in round 20. The club finished the season in seventh place, missing the finals, despite winning their last five games consecutively.
Read more about this topic: History Of The Brisbane Broncos