By Scott Bailey in Sydney

ALI Brigginshaw has breathed life back into Brisbane’s NRLW season before suffering a suspected broken nose in the Broncos’ crucial 40-8 win over Canberra at Langlands Park.

Teetering outside the top four and at risk of missing the finals for the second straight season, Brigginshaw stood up to help Brisbane to their third win of the year.

The win kept Brisbane fifth on the ladder, two points outside the top-four with three rounds to play.

And it was Brigginshaw who came up with the big moments against a Raiders side who had won four straight games before Sunday.

After Canberra led 8-0 early through two unconverted tries, Brigginshaw swung the momentum of the match when she took it upon herself to run the ball in the halves.

The Brisbane veteran dummied and stepped her way through from 35 metres out, before sending Shenae Ciesiolka over to reduce the margin to two.

And after Brisbane took the lead through the fit-again Julia Robinson just before halftime, it was Brigginshaw who again stood up after the break.

The 33-year-old got into dummy-half and forced her way over in the 42nd minute, giving the Broncos a 16-8 lead, an advantage they never surrendered.

The only concern for Brigginshaw and the hosts was a head clash with seven minutes to play.

The Jillaroos co-captain passed a head injury assessment but will now need to overcome her nose injury to face sixth-placed Cronulla next Saturday.

“We have our backs to the wall,” Broncos coach Scott Prince said.

“We had two choices. Stand there or do something about it.

“We’re going to get that all through the season. We have to win. We put ourselves in a position and we have to get ourselves out of it.”

Winger Lauren Dam also bagged a second-half double in the win, while five-eighth Gayle Broughton scored one try and had a hand in another with a long cut-out pass.

News all day, every day at CityNews.com.au.