Hoodoos and history are often brought up in football. It's usually not too hard for journalists or commentators to dredge up something from the past to weave into discussion of a game.

Sometimes, such as tonight's Dragons vs Broncos game, they seem to rise up themselves, like zombies. And no amount of ignoring will make them go away.

On the hoodoo front tonight are a couple of real doozies Brisbane's 0-6 finals record at Suncorp Stadium and their 1-6 record in games there against the Dragons, dating back to 2003. These statistics are remarkable because this is the Broncos' home ground, which is supposed to give them an advantage in these big games.

But Brisbane coach Ivan Henjak picked those stats up and dumped them right at the feet of his rival Wayne Bennett yesterday, who spent 20 years with the Broncos before joining St George-Illawarra this year.

''In [all] six of those losses, Wayne was the coach,'' Henjak said. ''The Broncos haven't won, but neither has Wayne.''

Bennett said history, his and his old club's, would have no bearing on tonight's winner.

''It's a bit like finishing first and becoming the first [minor premiers] not to go on it's all immaterial,'' he said.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times