The Brisbane Broncos return to the Thursday night stage when they head south to ANZ Stadium and meet the South Sydney Rabbitohs to kick off round eight action in the NRL.
Usually, for these match previews I try to find something, anything, that can help to buy into the contest, to understand what’s at stake, to take a look at the history and maybe any bad blood between the sides.
For the life of me though, I can’t find the hook for this one. Wait, hang on a second – apparently these teams swapped coaches in October last year? Why didn’t someone say something?
Bad jokes aside, this game has been unavoidable for weeks if not months as the press blow it up into a ‘grudge match’. It’s the first meeting of the job swappers, former Rabbitoh coach Anthony Seibold and legendary Broncos mentor Wayne Bennett.
Brisbane have won the last seven against the Bunnies and accordingly have a seven-three lead in the last ten games between these clubs.
So yes, you know what that means – Anthony Seibold is 0-2 against Wayne Bennett after Bennett’s former team did the 2018 double over Seibold’s former team. Can we move on now?
It’s important to push past the overwhelming hype and hysteria whipped up for the Bennett vs Seibold mega super jumbo grudge clash battle and be realistic about what we’re facing with this game.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Brisbane sits tenth with two wins from seven matches. Souths are third with six wins. Souths run onto the field with the NRL’s third-stingiest defence (115 points conceded) and second most potent attack (164 points scored).
The teams are one and two for ineffective tackles and neither give away a stack of penalties, but no one does this year, do they?
Both teams won last week – Brisbane’s came against a weakened Cronulla outfit who on top of a swathe of missing players, lost Josh Dugan in the warmup and then Shaun Johnson early in the game. Souths won a titanic battle in Penrith against a desperate Panthers who are fighting for their season and carry undoubted quality in the lineup.
Souths named an unchanged side and why not? The forwards are rumbling, Damien Cook is still a handful for anyone and they keep the errors low with 36, third fewest in the league.
The Bunnies have no problem taking on defences through Cook, Cody Walker and Adam Reynolds and there’s willing support from Cameron Murray, Campbell Graham (six tries) and Sam Burgess (four tries). Burgess is a little dinged up after a head knock against Penrith, but he’s expected to be right to play.
The battle of the forward packs will be fun to watch. Broncos Payne Haas and Matthew Lodge will be busy trying to contain George and Tom Burgess and Tevita Pangai Junior and Alex Glenn can’t afford to relax for a second against Murray, Sam Burgess and John Sutton.
(AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)
Brisbane also have some depth in the forwards with David Fifita and Joe Ofahengaue coming off the bench.
Broncos halfback Kodi Nikorima was ruled out during the week with a ‘calf injury.’ I assume in this case ‘calf’ means ‘catching a long flight.’
With Nikorima ‘injured’, the Broncos are handing the number seven jersey to 18-year-old first-gamer Tom Dearden. Brisbane’s halves combination has been under pressure all season and it’ll be interesting to see if Anthony Milford is still empowered to take on the defensive line in his role.
Winger Corey Oates shares the lead for tries scored with Souths’ Cody Walker, they’ve both crossed seven times.
It’s also Darius Boyd’s 300th game and for all his tryless travails in 2019, you’d have to have blackness in your heart to deny that his career has been anything but sensational. Boyd’s been a star at the highest levels of the game for a long, long time and in the grinder of rugby league, bringing up a triple century of first-grade games is an incredible achievement.
Prediction
I hope I’m wrong, but this is unlikely to be a barn burner full of angst and spite in front of thousands of rabid fans. ANZ stadium won’t be packed with Rabbitohs fans baying for blood and the Broncos just aren’t in good enough form to make a strong case for the win.
Even though Bennett’s team have been a little unconvincing in their wins, their defence and application is making sure they still get the work done. Brisbane can’t say the same.
Souths by 8.
Teams
Rabbitohs: 1. Alex Johnston 2. Corey Allen 3. Kyle Turner 4. Dane Gagai 5. Campbell Graham 6. Cody Walker 7. Adam Reynolds 8. George Burgess 9. Damien Cook 10. Thomas Burgess 11. John Sutton 12. Sam Burgess 13. Cameron Murray. Interchange: 14. Tevita Tatola 15. Mark Nicholls 16. Ethan Lowe 17. Liam Knight. Reserves: 20. Dean Britt 21. Mawene Hiroti
Broncos: 1. Darius Boyd 2. Corey Oates 3. James Roberts 4. Jack Bird 5. Jamayne Isaako 6. Anthony Milford 7. Tom Dearden 8. Matthew Lodge 9. Andrew McCullough 10. Payne Haas 11. Alex Glenn 12. Matt Gillett 13. Tevita Pangai. Interchange: 14. Kotoni Staggs 15. David Fifita 16. Thomas Flegler 17. Joe Ofahengaue. Reserves: 18. Patty Carrigan 19. Gehamat Shibasaki
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Rellum
Roar Guru
Moon was a 5/8 though wasn't he. That is another long list of failures. At least we have had three great 5/8th's play for the club.
Joe
Roar Rookie
Been flip flopping on this all week - Souths at home should win, wait Darius 300 should get the Broncos home, rookie half back starting - Souths target him and win, Broncos bench really strong with all their forward on deck...but its Inglis celebration game so they'll win it for him. In the end I'm going with the team that has been consistent so far this year - Rabbits by 4
Rob
Guest
Souths should win this because honestly the Broncos have been ordinary for a good portion of this season. However the Rabbits have been just getting over the line and certainly not putting teams away with any authority. Maybe tonight is the night the Broncos back up a good performance and the Rabbits pay for giving their opponents to much of a sniff? Broncos by 10.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
Assuming the worst do you think Kevvie Walters would be a certainty to be appointed assistant coach and then to take over if things don't improve? At the end of the day it was a ton of money and a HUGE gamble by the Broncos to hire a rookie coach just out of his first year of coaching.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
He will be there next year even if they get the wooden spoon. There is no way the Broncos board are going to pay out $3.5 million to a coach, or admit that they sh@t the bed in ditching Bennett. If they miss the finals, there will certainly be a review of the assistants and staff and more than likely additions or subtractions, but that would be standard for any decently run club.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
I think pedro, we can agree that football should be played from Friday night to Sunday evening only. The possibility of a 4 day turn around is ridiculously unfair. A 5 day turn around is already bad enough for teams to contend with as it is without robbing sides of even more time to recover and prepare for a game.
Pedro the Saint
Roar Rookie
Worst still - Monday night footy, i remember a few games in the rain where 2500 die hard supporters would show up and i genuinely felt they should have got a refund.
Pedro the Saint
Roar Rookie
Kodi now gets added to that list. The Broncs have the most potential to develop a very serious team in the next few seasons but they need to be patient with the structure. I thought Kodi was coming into his own and now Tom Dearden will have to rely on Milf for direction. Definetly looking forward to this match. . .
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
The problem as I see it though is that the Bunnies are capable of playing MUCH better but they "switch off" when they think the game is in the bag. They did it with the Roosters in round 1 just before their comeback prior to half-time, they did it against the Titans who nearly pulled their pants down and they did it against Manly when the Sea Eagles lost Tommy Turbo and Souths were up comfortably. It was that lukewarm intensity and lack of attention to detail that I believe added to Adam Reynolds missing 3 conversions (one from right in front) and a field goal that cost Souths their ONLY defeat of the season so far (that was for you PCB). ;-) I know teams can't be up for every game of the season but I am yet to see your Roosters switch off on the one percenters and invite teams back into the game when they have a comfortable lead.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
There are very few "easy games" hence it's impossible to be switched on week to week. There are a lot of teams that would like to be in Souths position at this stage. An attribute of a good side is to win games when not at their best.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
He did, but he’s still playing professionally to this day, and he’s only 32. No reason to think he wouldn’t be in the mix for an origin spot this season if he had stuck with league.
Andrew Miller
Editor
Now we're talking. Let's add fireworks that form a sparkling mosaic of Todd Greenberg's smiling face in the night.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Maybe, Barnes did have his issues with concussion didn't he? I was getting sick of Rugby poaching our players. Looks like it is going to be Rabbits and Roosters who are going to be offering money now.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
I hope so doug but after the Rabbitohs lukewarm performances and indifferent attitude so far this season their capacity to self-destruct and set themselves up for failure should not be underestimated.
Insider
Roar Rookie
It’s a better site without the pair of you, not as good as this though, by the way no one misses you or your wingman
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
Barnes and Hunt would probably both have ended up as captains of the side if they had stayed. The Broncos have lost an amazing amount of talent to Rugby over the years - Sailor, Tuquiri, Thorn, Barnes, Hunt, Folau. Even lower profile players like Ryan. No other team has had to deal with Rugby raids like the Broncos. If Barnes and Hunt had stayed at the Broncos, they probably would have won at least one more premiership since 2006.
doug
Roar Rookie
Souths will easily sail through this while Broncos will have to live with another loss.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
Bennett has been a sly old fox with some of his comments to the media in the lead up to this game. Typical passive aggressive "Papa Smurf". No direct insult but his meaning is clear. It's good to see him working the media, the referees and the opposing coaches minds over in Souths' favour for once. There won't be a bucket big enough for Seibold to empty into tonight, especially if the Broncos fall behind early. Like Souths they struggle to maintain consistency over 80 mins and switch off for periods of the match (last week's game was an anomalous result because the Sharks surrendered).
Emcie
Roar Guru
He's never undersold anything in his life...
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
Only for the media and the Bennett vs Seibold angle. As a game of football I don't anticipate it will be a great spectacle, at least not based on the performance of both teams and an equal contest full of quality. Souths have shown too many times this year that if they skip out to an early lead they tend to coast to the finish line for the rest of the match and they are either unable or unwilling to put sides to the sword like the Roosters, the Storm and at least on one occasion this year the Eels and the Dragons. Unless Souths develop a ruthless streak and an ability to close out games comfortably they won't being contending for the title this year. If Souths manage to replace Inglis with quality, cut down on their errors and lift their intensity then Game On! As Bennett has said to the media already, he is not interested in seeing Souths peak too early but would rather see continual improvement and have them reach their peak for the finals. Pethaps that's Seibold's plan as well? ;-)