The Dolphins lost a wealth of attacking spark once Tabuai-Fidow – who had already scored five tries and made five linebreaks in their opening four games this year – left the field, and despite a pair of late tries to wingers Jack Bostock and Jamayne Isaako, they will need to come up with a solution ahead of a huge clash with Parramatta next Friday.

Oates’ night of mixed fortune

At last, veteran flyer Oates got his chance on the wing to prove he still had plenty to offer as an NRL winger.

Unfortunately for the fan favourite, it simply wasn’t his night.

The 29-year-old had a tough night under the high ball, coughing up two early errors – one of which directly led to the Dolphins’ opening try through Jarrod Wallace.

A long ball from Reece Walsh shortly afterwards threatened to orchestrate a break down the left-hand side, but Oates was unable to reel it in.

But after committing three errors in the opening half, he had his redemption moment within the first five minutes of the second half.

A brilliant cutout pass from Ezra Mam landed safe in Oates’ hands, touching down to extend the Broncos lead and take him to equal third on the club’s all-time leading try-scorers tally with 120 – alongside Steve Renouf and just two behind Darren Lockyer.

He was only brought into the side in the absence of rookie speedster Deine Mariner, who suffered a fracture in his back against the Melbourne Storm and is expected to remain out for at least a month.

It means Oates – who finished with 154 running metres and three linebreaks – will have further opportunities to prove his worth, particularly as he comes off contract once again at season’s end, but he will need to find greater consistency in his performances to do so.

Ironman Carrigan finds a new gear

Despite the importance of Adam Reynolds and Payne Haas to this Broncos side, Pat Carrigan may just be the finest beneficiary of their injury absence.

While already a core member of this squad, and the State of Origin arena, the star lock has taken his game to a new level with the pair on the sidelines and found an even greater gear on Friday night.

By halftime, Carrigan had run for 132m and made 30 tackles for no misses. Only rival prop Mark Nicholls had reached the three-figure run metre mark by the break (101m).

The Maroons champion proved two years ago when he served a lengthy suspension how crucial he was to their cause, his loss coinciding with a slide from the top four to missing the finals altogether.

But his ability to keep this Brisbane side together without their biggest stars – especially given they only gained back marquee fullback Reece Walsh on Friday – has been monumental.

Carrigan was one of the best on the field in the emphatic win over the Cowboys, while he was once again enormous in the heartbreaking two-point loss to the Melbourne Storm.

His output has screamed future captaincy material, and the fact that at just 26 years of age he has displayed these qualities – finishing with 213m and 45 tackles – speaks volumes to where his career could end up.

Errors galore offset by scramble defence

Coaches Kevin Walters and Wayne Bennett will no doubt be imploring their respective teams to remember the fundamentals of the game after a plethora of errors cost both sides throughout the contest.

The difference? Walters’ Broncos were able to scramble, defend and, courtesy of a length-of-the-field run from Walsh, capitalise.

A mistake on a Dolphins attacking bomb trailing by six landed in Jock Madden’s hands, who offloaded for Jesse Arthars, who found Walsh to race 80 metres and extend Brisbane’s lead to 16-4 owing to his own conversion.

Loading

The superstar fullback had been kept extremely quiet by his own lofty standards in what was his return from a facial fracture, but the moment epitomised everything that he represents to the Brisbane club: game-changing.

From the very next set, the Broncos scored again, as Kodi Nikorima was unable to reel in a Madden bomb, with Jordan Riki’s deft touch off the boot ending up in Selwyn Cobbo’s hands to score.

Cobbo would race down field shortly after, making the most of another Dolphins mistake in attacking territory to take the margin beyond 20 points.

By the end of the contest, the error count read 17 Broncos’ errors to the Dolphins’ 16. Brisbane were also tackled 17 times inside the Dolphins’ 20-metre zone, compared to their opponent’s 34.

Bennett will no doubt be furious with his Dolphins for the way in which they imploded with ball in hand, while Walters will be wary that despite his team’s sensational attack, they will need to ensure they do not show the same fatalities against a resurgent Wests Tigers next week.

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.