Whether it was the return of the intimidating Tonie Carroll, the overdue arrival of departing young prop Dave Taylor or Langi Setu's desire to answer his critics, Brisbane's pack got its grunt back against the Warriors.
And, with the return from injury of classy representative centre Justin Hodges, Brisbane suddenly
looked premiership material again in over-running the Warriors 28-14.
That was so despite two key injuries to glamour winger Israel Folau (ankle) and prop Joel Clinton who both ended up in hospital after Friday night's win having x-rays.
Clinton, who had blood flowing from his nose and mouth, was knocked out for several minutes after a sickening head clash with Warriors centre Jerome Ropati. He was kept in hospital overnight under observation.
Brisbane will be sweating on a medical update on Folau, almost certain to miss the third Origin game on July 15, and whose season could be over if scans reveal a break.
It was difficult to know who to single out as the driving force behind Brisbane's win, which killed off a worrying four-game losing streak during which the club lost three straight by more than 40 points for the first time in its history.
But that was all forgotten on Friday night as the attention turned to Carroll's eye-catching comeback and Taylor's superb aggressive running game which has put his name in front of Queensland selectors. They now may be tempted to take Paul Vautin's advice from last year and "give the big fella a go".
Former Brisbane skipper and now South Sydney forward coach Gorden Tallis would have been rubbing his hands together at the thought of getting hold of Taylor when he heads there next season.
Brisbane have invested a lot of time and effort into the 20-year-old giant who has battled fitness and weight issues.
"I don't care where it's been hiding so long as he keeps it going," said Brisbane coach Ivan Henjak after Taylor made 17 hit-ups for 152 metres and three tackle busts, two of which led to tries.
Taylor's metres were only bettered by Hodges who, despite not having played since June 4, was close to Brisbane's best.
- AAP
