Brisbane have dropped in-form centre Gehamat Shibasaki on the eve of their crucial clash with Melbourne, after the 27-year-old breached team standards in the lead-up to Thursday night’s blockbuster at Suncorp Stadium.
AAP understands Shibasaki was involved in a boozy Sunday night that impacted his ability to train the following day. Coach Michael Maguire raised the matter with CEO Dave Donaghy before the club made the call to stand down their leading try scorer.
In a statement, the Broncos confirmed:
“Gehamat Shibasaki has lost his spot in the starting line-up for Thursday night’s game against the Melbourne Storm at Suncorp Stadium. This follows a breach of Broncos team standards, which has been dealt with internally. Shibasaki has been named at 22 in the extended playing squad.”
The timing is a major blow for Brisbane, who will secure a top-four finish with victory but could slip as low as sixth if they falter. Shibasaki has enjoyed the best season of his career, scoring 15 tries in 22 games and starring on his State of Origin debut in Queensland’s 2-1 series win.
Backline Shuffle
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Jesse Arthars returns on the wing.
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Deine Mariner shifts to centre to cover Shibasaki.
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Brendan Piakura moves into the starting second row, with Jaiyden Hunt reverting to the bench.
The Broncos have historically struggled against the Storm, winning just one of their past 18 meetings. Forward Payne Haas underlined the importance of the contest, noting no team in the NRL era has won the premiership from outside the top four.
“It is crucial,” Haas said. “No team’s won the comp outside of the top four, so we know what’s at stake this week.”
For Shibasaki, the sanction is especially stinging given his recent comments about finally embracing professionalism after being handed a second chance by Brisbane.
“I am more mature now… Before, I was a young athlete and didn’t know how to be a true professional. But having the time away last year gave me that sense of gratitude,” he said last week.
Instead, he’ll now watch from the fringes as the Broncos fight to lock in their finals fate.
