I reckon the Broncos gave their supporters something very important on Thursday night. Hope...

The 20-18 loss to the Manly Sea Eagles won’t have convinced anyone that the Broncos will be doing a victory lap on grand final day this season, but the way they came back from the embarrassing loss to the Roosters the previous week showed plenty of character.

It proved that the talented young players on whom the club has gambled its future have more than just natural talent. They’ve also got a bit of backbone and pride.

After the record thrashing at the hands of the reigning premiers, even the most loyal of Broncos fans must have been wondering if the club had made a major blunder with its much-debated youth policy. The first half display against the Sea Eagles proved that there is light at the end of the tunnel. That they got run down in the second half wasn’t because of any lack of effort or commitment. It was lack of maturity, both physically and mentally, and that will only be remedied with time.

The fact that Xavier Coates – the Broncos’ best in just his fourth NRL game – came within a few centimetres of snatching a win in the dying seconds of the match says a lot.

After a week of brutal public scrutiny, Coates and fellow youngsters  Payne Haas, Joe Ofahenagaue, Pat Carrigan and Thomas Flegler showed that they have the right stuff to take the club back to the top, and I reckon that is as good as a win any day.

What do YOU reckon?