The Brisbane Broncos are looking to keep their top four hopes alive when they take on the Newcastle Knights at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Brisbane Broncos Vs Newcastle Knights
Venue: Suncorp Stadium
Date: Saturday August 13, 7:35pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Related: NRL Team List Tuesday
Embed from Getty ImagesBroncos: 1. Te Maire Martin 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Brenko Lee 5. Selwyn Cobbo 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Thomas Flegler 9. Billy Walters 10. Payne Haas 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Jordan Riki 13. Kobe Hetherington 14. Jake Turpin 15. Rhys Kennedy 16. Corey Jensen 17. Keenan Palasia 18. Cory Paix 19. Ryan James 20. Jordan Pereira 21. Delouise Hoeter 22. Zac Hosking
The Broncos are looking to end a two-game losing streak after losses to the Tigers and Roosters. Te Maire Martin returns to the fullback role for Tesi Niu while Brenko Lee replaces Deine Mariner. They remain without Pat Carrigan (suspension), with Albert Kelly and TC Robati expected back soon from injury.
Embed from Getty ImagesKnights: 1. Tex Hoy 2. Enari Tuala 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Dominic Young 6. Anthony Milford 7. Adam Clune 8. David Klemmer 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Daniel Saifiti 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Brodie Jones 13. Mathew Croker 14. Phoenix Crossland 15. Jacob Saifiti 16. Pasami Saulo 17. Simi Sasagi 18. Jack Johns 19. Sauaso Sue 20. Chris Randall 21. Edrick Lee 22. Hymel Hunt
Newcastle Knights recorded their first win since July 1 when they beat Wests Tigers last week at Campbelltown. Adam Clune is in the starting side at the expense of Jake Clifford who joins the Knights casualty ward with a fractured arm. David Klemmer returns to the side after being stood down by the club for an off-field incident. Jacob Saifiti is relegated to the interchange, with Mat Croker returning to the reserves.
Referee: Peter Gough
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
Brisbane Broncos will go in favourites to get the job done against the Newcastle Knights on Saturday evening.
In order to keep their faint top four hopes alive, they must address their defence having conceded 64 points in the last fortnight. You could excuse the suspension of Pat Carrigan for their leakage against the Roosters last week, but the week before to concede 32 against a bottom four team is a bit concerning for fans hoping for finals success.
However, in attack, points might be easy to come by with Newcastle’s defence being third worst in the 2022 competition in conceding a tad over 26 points per game. In addition, the Knights have put in some of their most unforgettable performances at Suncorp Stadium when taking on the Broncos. Five times they have conceded 40+ points in 17 matches between the two sides at the venue, including that 71-6 record loss in 2007.
Newcastle fought hard in a low-quality game against Wests Tigers last week to get the two points. Whether they can take their game to the next level against a top eight side with a month left in the regular season is doubtful. However, should they rise to the occasion they’ll be able to celebrate Jayden Brailey’s 100th game in style.
But it should be Brisbane who prove a little too strong in this clash. Should they play with composure in the Knights red zone, there should be plenty of points on offer. With Adam Reynolds controlling play and some patience in attack, the Broncos should be able to make Newcastle pay for their poor defence. It could be a night out for Corey Oates and Selwyn Cobbo if they click.
Embed from Getty ImagesINTERESTING FACT
After somewhat of a lacklustre two seasons, Corey Oates has 18 tries in 18 matches this season. This includes five doubles and a hat-trick against the Sydney Roosters in round 5. Against Newcastle, Oates has 11 tries in 13 games, scoring on each of his last three outings against the club. He scored a hat-trick in Brisbane’s 53-0 demolition of the Knights in 2016.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Broncos by 8.
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