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The 2015 NRL Season is finally here! In the first game of the season, the Brisbane Broncos host the South Sydney Rabbitohs from what is expected to be a near-capacity Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Join The Roar for our live coverage of the game from 7:30pm (AEDT).
The Broncos have made some pretty big changes to their squad. First and foremost, they have changed coach, as Wayne Bennett returns home. They have also signed young, talented playmaker Anthony Milford, who will form a combination with Ben Hunt in the halves.
Another new signing, Adam Blair, will start the game in the front row, while an international second row of Alex Glenn and Sam Thaiday will meet the Rabbitohs. Pressure will be on Blair to perform, as Matt Gillett is coming off the bench for the Broncos and any of Thaiday or Parker could replace Blair in the front row to make room for Gillett in the starting side.
Jordan Kahu lines up at fullback, after looking like he would be nowhere near that position in the pre–season.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs might have lost Sam Burgess and Ben Te’o but they still are going to provide formidable opposition for any team in the 2015 season. New captain Greg Inglis will have a pivotal role to play at the back and a lot of this team looks and feels like the grand final team of 2014.
The Rabbitohs have named a squad of 20 players. Joel Reddy comes onto the wing vacated by the retired Lote Tiquiri, while Glenn Stewat and Ben Lowe replace the departed Burgess and Te’o. Dave Tyrell grabs the one front row spot, alongside George Burgess, while new recruit Tim Grant could miss out on a spot on the bench with three to be omitted from the seven-man bench and Grant wearing number 18.
This game will be a battle of the playmakers. The Rabbitohs have Adam Reynolds, Luke Keary, hooker Issac Luke along with fullback Inglis, while the Broncos have the aforementioned halves pairing of Milford and Hunt, with Andrew McCullogh at hooker.
Another major factor in the result will be the crowd at a packed Suncorp, which could create an Origin-like atmosphere.
Both of these sides travelled to England for the World Club Series a couple of weekends ago. The Broncos were back in Australia the day before the Rabbioths, but overall had a much more bruising and close clash against Wigan than the Rabbitohs’ walk-over of Saint Helens. However the Broncos left a fair few players in Australia for the series, so may be fresher.
Prediction
With new coach Wayne Bennett and the home crowd behind them, I’ll tip the Broncos to get the job done in a close one.
Either way it should be a cracker to open the NRL Season, so join The Roar from 7:30pm (AEDT) to follow our live coverage, and remember to leave your comments as the game progresses.