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The Gold Coasts controversial surge from $151 outsiders to unlikely finalists is being attributed to the conviction of coach Neil Henry, who has been rewarded for a stellar 2016 campaign with a one-year contract extension.Already signed for next year, an option has been activated following the clubs top eight finish that will keep Henry on Queenslands glitterstrip until at least the end of 2018.Ahead of their first finals appearance since 2010 against Brisbane on Friday, co-captain Nathan Friend has paid tribute to the man known as King.While a chorus of knockers began the year writing off the side, Friend said the former Raiders and Cowboys coach had turned the organisation around.He said Henrys strength of character in moving some players on he thought werent pulling their weight and attracting Jarryd Hayne, Nathan Peats and Konrad Hurrell had been pivotal.Hes moved in and hes got rid of the guys he thought werent worthy of the club and may have inhibited the performance on the field, Friend said.And hes recruited really well. He knew what he wanted to get out of the squad and hes got a group of young guys more than capable this year and beyond.I see nothing but good going forward.The Titans began the season teetering on the edge after a string of blows including players in court over a cocaine scandal, the loss of star three-quarter James Roberts to a contract bungle and the departures of playmaker Aidan Sezer and State of Origin prop Nate Myles.The clubs depth was also tested with young halfback Kane Elgey suffering a season-ending knee injury on the first day of pre-season.Friend said they were now taking pride in proving people wrong.The so-called experts thought we were no chance and thought wed be at the bottom of the table, Friend said.Weve proven to ourselves, not anyone else, that the effort we put in through the season has amounted to this.The young guys weve got there can lift another level come Friday.While Henry acknowledged the clubs difficulties, he deflected praise to his playing group.Its been a bit difficult in context of our ownership model too and what we had to do around training facilities, movement, players on contract and moving players as well, Henry said.Its all evolving I suppose to try and change the roster, its not always easy.All season theyve been willing to work hard for each other. 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This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. DENVER -- Unlike a year ago, Denvers dazzling defense cant hide all the warts on offense or special teams.These Broncos are actually surrendering fewer points per game (18.4) than last years version (18.5) that brought home the Lombardi Trophy .They limited Tom Brady to 16 completions and the Patriots to 16 points on Sunday, but their sputtering offense and atrocious special teams again couldnt match the effort.Denvers 16-3 loss to the Patriots (12-2) put the Broncos (8-6) in danger of missing the playoffs a year after winning Super Bowl 50.I cant sit here and tell you what all the scenarios are, but if we dont find a way to win 10 games, were not going to have an opportunity, Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said said.That means the Broncos are going to have to win on Christmas Night at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, where theyre 3-16 in December. Then, theyll have to beat Oakland at home, where the Raiders won last year.Even beating the Chiefs (10-4) and Raiders (11-3) wont guarantee Denver a ticket to the postseason party.Theyre in this precarious position because of a season-long ineptitude on offense, shaky special teams and debatable coaching decisions, all of which were on display as Brady won for just the third time in 10 trips to Denver.After watching rookie speedster Kalif Raymond post good punt returns in the two weeks since his promotion following Jordan Norwoods two costly muffs on punt returns against Kansas City, Kubiak went back to Norwood on Sunday.Norwood promptly let his first punt go through his arms and legs for a key turnover after Denver held Brady to three-and-out to start the game.Just a short punt, think it was a bad punt on the punters part. Tried to get up there and fair catch it and save us a lot of field position, Norwood said. Tough play that Ive got to make.Asked why he made the switch, Kubiak said the offensive game plan and its no-huddle and three-receiver sets, was better suited for Norwood.But Norwood caught just one pass, in the games closing seconds, and he fumbled away the football after a 15-yard gain.He wasnt the only goat by any means. The Broncos porous O-line couldnt keep Trevor Siemian upright enough, and Siemian made two uncharacteristic bad decisions, one of which resulted in a red-zone interception and another which pushed Denver out of field goal range.Demaryius Thomas, Virgil Green and A.J. Derby once again had huge drops that thwarted any building momentum.When you kill yourselves with two early turnovers, and youre not putting up points, its hard to win games, Denver safety T.J. Ward said. Thats point-blank, period. Thats what weve been doing the last twoo weeks and have two Ls on that side of the column.dddddddddddd.Last week, the Broncos limited Marcus Mariota to six completions for 88 yards and lost 13-10 at Tennessee.Three weeks ago, Aqib Talib shoved Norwood after one of his muffs, prompting Kubiak to remind them they fight together, not each other.What about now?Thats not going to take us nowhere, being frustrated and beefing with the offense, Talib said. Thats going to get us nowhere. Were going to ride and stick together.Still, theres clearly budding friction, but Von Miller said hell be the peace-keeper if necessary.Theres not going to be any friction, Miller promised. Im the partition.Other takeaways from the Patriots win in which they improved to 7-0 on the road:DIVISION DOMINANCE: The Patriots passed out AFC East Champion caps after becoming the first NFL team to win eight consecutive division titles. This is never old hat, noted Julian Edelman, who said, Its an honor to play here and experience eight of them.Coach Bill Belichicks 14th division title broke a tie with Don Shula and Tom Landry for most ever.RUN STUFFED: The Broncos again struggled on the ground -- after a promising start, too. Denver had 46 of its 58 yards in the first half, but finished 2 of 12 on third downs after going. Theyre now 6 for 36 on third downs in December.We have to block better, run better and catch better in those situations, running back Justin Forsett said. Then well be able to run the ball more.MISSING MARSHALL: With Brandon Marshall (hamstring) missing his second straight game, inside linebackers Corey Nelson and Todd Davis each collected 13 tackles. Still, the Patriots gained 136 yards on 39 carries, keeping Brady from having to test Denvers No Fly Zone secondary.They really didnt have to take a lot of chances, cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said. They didnt have to throw the ball too much, and its hard to make plays when you dont get that many targets.GOOD BYE: With the win, New England earned a first-round bye in the playoffs for a seventh straight season. The Patriots lead the NFL with 12 first-round byes since the current playoff format began in 1990. The next best is Denver, Pittsburgh and San Francisco with eight.We still got a job to do, so well continue to work for our ultimate goal, defensive lineman Trey Flowers said.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---AP Sports Writer Pat Graham contributed.---Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton ' ' '