In many ways, the Dragons facing the Broncos has always been a grudge match. But with Ben Hunt playing in the halves for the Dragons, Round 1 of 2018 makes the opening match of this season extra special.
St George Illawarra have had a typical preseason, winning their World Club Series match, before suffering a sixth consecutive loss to Souths in the Charity Shield.
The only obvious result of the trials will be the selection of Matt Dufty at fullback.
Brisbane’s squad were really tested in last weekend’s game against the Papua New Guinea Hunters, where after an uncharacteristically uninterested performance they were behind at halftime, before doing enough in the second stanza to win.
Matt Lodge put a strong case for his selection as starting prop, while Jamayne Isaako staking a claim for Corey Oates’ apparently vacant wing position.
In terms of next week’s clash, the Dragons are slight favourites according to the bookies, and have the home advantage. They also have the edge in the forwards with the addition of James Graham to an already strong pack.
As for Hunt, he may be seeking revenge for his demotion to reserve grade by Broncos coach Wayne Bennett. The halfback has been quiet to date, but Jason Nightingale said the Origin player provided improved ball to his wing in the Charity Shield.
Bennett has injury concerns over hooker Andrew McCullough and fullback Darius Boyd, who have made no appearance in the trials. New centre Jack Bird will also miss the first month of the competition. The coach will be relying on good performances from the ever-enthusiastic Kodi Nikorima, and Anthony Milford, who is recovering from injury and only played part of the match against the Hunters.
I am tipping the Dragons to thoroughly test out the Broncos’ halves and dominate the forward battle, leading to victory.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
The NRL's match officials announcement on Tuesday lunchtime is usually cause for little fanfare, but sparked debate this week with top ref Ashley Klein…
It had all been going so well. Canberra were by far the better side for ten minutes, with Jamal Fogarty giving the Brisbane back…
Like most clubs, the Brisbane Broncos have had their fair share of big boppers over the years, many of them legends of the game.…
Who are the hardest working big men in the NRL?
My American mate wants a Canberra Raiders jersey. If someone had told me a couple of months ago that I’d have friends in the…
Derbies are often rated on intensity rather than quality, and that was very much to the fore at Suncorp for the third Battle of…
