Brisbane 18 Cronulla 12

IF LAST week's victory over the Cowboys was "rubbish", what does Wayne Bennett call this?

The Broncos and their constellation of stars responded to heavy criticism from their coach with an unpolished yet stirring six-point win over the Sharks before 27,905 fans at Suncorp Stadium last night.

A try to man-of-the-match Greg Eastwood with seven minutes remaining assured the result, which keeps the Broncos embedded in the top eight.

But it may have come at a cost, with captain Darren Lockyer taking a heavy head knock that left him looking dazed after the game.

And it could be an expensive loss for the Sharks, who will stay in the top four but may lose captain Paul Gallen, who was placed on report for a high tackle on Broncos forward David Stagg.

Stagg left the field groggily following the 55th-minute incident. Gallen, who has a list of prior offences and was suspended for three matches earlier this season for a gruesome face rub on Titans forward Anthony Laffranchi, dropped his head when referee Shayne Hayne put him on report.

Maybe coach Ricky Stuart's harsh words about discipline directly after Origin III were echoing in his ears.

The Broncos looked to have gained the ascendancy in the 58th minute when back-rower Sam Thaiday latched onto a ball squeezed out the back by hooker Michael Ennis and charged over to push his side out to a 14-0 lead. But the Sharks refused to surrender, as is their mindset.

Fullback Brett Kearney finished off a sweeping movement when he reached out and planted a try in the 67th minute to bring his side within eight points.

He appeared to have bounced it but Hayne was well placed to award the try. Replays showed he was spot on.

A try to Sharks back-rower Grant Millington with less than three minutes to go and a Luke Covell conversion that bounced off the left upright gave the Sharks one last hope - but the Broncos repelled the late surge.

Sharks back-rower and devout Morman Fraser Anderson summed up the first half when he dropped the magic f-word after coughing up possession. The word must have been on the lips of the crowd with the Broncos maintaining a 2-0 lead for most of the half before their winger Denan Kemp scored from a deft Eastwood kick.

Indeed, there must have been something in the air at Suncorp Stadium. Before the match, one photographer followed Dragons coach Nathan Brown's directive to headbutt with more vigour when he allegedly delivered one to another snapper in the countdown to kick-off.

The other pre-match talking point was news that Sharks five-eighth Greg Bird would not be playing because of a lingering knee complaint, even though he had travelled to Brisbane and the Broncos had prepared all week convinced he was a certain starter.

The match could've used him, especially with further evidence Broncos captain Darren Lockyer is still taking baby steps in his comeback from the knee injury that has cruelled his season.

If Broncos centre Justin Hodges was looking to repay his side in his return from a six-week suspension for a dangerous throw on Parramatta hooker Mark Riddell on this same patch of turf, he wasn't trying hard enough: he conceded two penalties in the first 15 minutes.

In fact, the highlight for most of the first period was a bell-ringing tackle from veteran Broncos lock Tonie Carroll, who lined up former teammate and Sharks five-eighth Brett Seymour and knocked him into the middle of next week.

Ten minutes later, Seymour returned the favour - with interest - on Broncos fullback Karmichael Hunt.

Broncos winger Kaine Manihera finally looked like scoring the opening try in the 28th minute when he was on the end of a typically slick Broncos back-line movement. Pity his opposite, Misi Taulapapa, managed to wriggle his frame underneath him to prevent the try.

The four-pointer the crowd and Broncos had craved came seven minutes before the break when the Sharks failed to contest a bomb and the pigskin fell in the hands of Stagg.

He passed it back to Eastwood, who momentarily looked like a rabbit in the headlights, unsure what to do.

But the rabbit is a cunning little creature: he looked right, saw Kemp unmarked, produced a pinpoint kick for his winger ... Finally, something to smile about.

BRISBANE 18 (G Eastwood D Kemp S Thaiday tries M Ennis 3 goals) bt CRONULLA 12 (B Kearney G Millington tries L Covell 2 goals) at Suncorp Stadium. Referee: S Hayne. Crowd: 27,905.