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The over/under: NRL Round 1 Friday night

Sam Thaiday is one of three current players who appeared in a classic Souths vs Broncos match in 2004. (AAP Image/Action Photographics/Colin Whelan)
Roar Pro
6th March, 2014
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With the NRL kicking off last night, it’s time to look ahead to tonight’s game. Each week I’ll make predictions based on the lines as to the result of each game.

Broncos (+4.5) over Bulldogs (Canterbury home game)
The NRL loves opening week storylines and Ben Barba challenging his old team in Friday Night Football is one of their best.

These teams should be in the fight for the top eight this year, which means every point counts. Even early clashes like this can be vital when Round 26 comes around.

All eyes will be on the clash at fullback, where Barba faces off against his replacement Sam Perrett.

The lethargic attack of Brisbane should get a significant boost from the addition of Barba with his impressive big play ability and return skills.

Perrett is a definite downgrade but all the Bulldogs need from him for now is competency and consistency.

To put it simply, neither team has a great backline. Both backlines struggled at times last year, particularly in their defensive duties, and no major improvement should be expected.

There are a lot of big names but outside of Josh Morris, those stars haven’t performed as well as in the past.

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Look for the Broncos’ Daniel Vidot to have a fairly good game while Lachlan Maranta, an admittedly odd selection, could emerge as a weak link.

The interesting move was seeing Josh Hoffman given the five-eighth role. He’s a talented back but it places a lot of pressure on Ben Hunt to perform and lead this squad.

Hunt has looked pretty average so far in his career which isn’t encouraging for Brisbane in 2014.

On the opposite side, the job of Trent Hodkinson could quietly be in trouble. Josh Reynolds has emerged as an effective playmaker in attack, which has lessened any pressure on his halfback. Any early troubles for the Bulldogs could shine the light back on their fairly uninspiring halfback.

With their impressive duo at prop – Aiden Tolman and James Graham – Canterbury could dominate the Brisbane forwards and take pressure off their backs. But the Dally M lock of 2013 plays for Brisbane and new co-captain Corey Parker can direct the team in minimising the threat of the Bulldogs’ forwards.

Something to watch will be the position of Sam Thaiday. If he spends more time in his preferred spot in the back-row, rather than the forwards, the Broncos will perform better.

Watching Michael Ennis in his first NRL game under the new captaincy rules should provide some fun. At the least he’ll perform better than his opposite Andrew McCullough, who is playing for a starting job in 2014.

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The Broncos need to stifle Ennis in order to combat the threat of the Canterbury forwards.

In a result that comes as somewhat of a surprise, the Broncos start the new season off on the right foot with a win away from home.

Bulldogs fans will be out in force but they’ll go home empty-handed as Brisbane escapes the game with two points.

Still, the Canterbury fans should have more hope for the season ahead, no matter the result.

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