Broncos out of NRL playoffs, 1st time since 1991

SYDNEY (AP)—The Brisbane Broncos are out of the National Rugby League playoffs for the first time since 1991 after losing 18-16 to the Canberra Raiders in the final round of the regular season.
The Raiders won for the sixth time in a row. The Broncos needed to beat the Raiders by at least 15 points in the Friday night match before 39,000 Brisbane fans.
The loss was Broncos’ star Israel Folau’s 91st and last game of nfl throwback jerseys
rugby league — at least for the next four years. The 21-year-old Folau is switching codes to play Australian Rules football with the new Greater Western Sydney team.
Brisbane coach Ivan Henjak said it was a rebuilding year for the Broncos.
“I’ll look back on the year and there’s a lot of positives there,” said Henjak. “We’re building a footy team, that’s the way I look at it. There’s still lot of work to do.”
The Gold Coast Titans clinched a home playoff with Jaguars jersey
a 21-18 win over Wests Tigers. Wests was already guaranteed to host a game in their first playoff appearance since 2005.
At Auckland, the New Zealand Warriors beat the Parramatta Eels 26-12 for their fifth win in six matches, but won’t have home advantage in the playoffs. They will take on the Titans on the Gold Coast next Friday.
Penrith backrower Frank Pritchard scored three tries to help the Panthers clinch second place with a 50-12 win over Cronulla. Michael Jennings and Brad Tighe also scored two tries each for the winners.
The Sydney Roosters will face Wests in the opening playoff round after beating the North Queensland Cowboys 18-8.
The last-place Melbourne Storm, unable to accrue points this season due to a salary cap infringement, beat Newcastle 34-4. Greg Inglis, who will move to Brisbane next season, scored two tries for the winners.
Second rower Ben Creagh scored three first-half tries as the first-place St. George Illawarra Dragons beat South Sydney 38-24. The Rabbitohs could have taken the eighth and last playoff spot if they had beaten the Dragons by five orColts jersey
more points.
Earlier Sunday, the Bulldogs defeated Manly 30-24, leaving Souths with a chance of taking the final spot. But with the South Sydney loss, Manly advanced to a first-round playoff match next Sunday against the Dragons.