Mark Barnes previews the Suncorp Stadium clash between the Brisbane Broncos and Wests Tigers.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Brisbane Broncos Vs Wests Tigers
Venue: Suncorp Stadium
Date: Saturday July 30, 7:35pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Related: NRL Team List Tuesday
Embed from Getty ImagesBroncos: 1. Tesi Niu 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Deine Mariner 5. Delouise Hoeter 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Thomas Flegler 9. Billy Walters 10. Payne Haas 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan 14. Cory Paix 15. Kobe Hetherington 16. Corey Jensen 17. Keenan Palasia 18. Te Maire Martin 19. Zac Hosking 20. Jake Turpin 21. Brenko Lee 22. Xavier Willison
Delouise Hoeter replaces Jordan Pereira on the wing, Deine Mariner will make his debut at centre, while Billy Walters replaces Jake Turpin at hooker.
Embed from Getty ImagesTigers: 1. Daine Laurie 2. Brent Naden 3. Starford To’a 4. Asu Kepaoa 5. Ken Maumalo 6. Adam Doueihi 7. Luke Brooks 8. James Tamou 9. Fa’amanu Brown 10. Joe Ofahengaue 11. Alex Seyfarth 12. Kelma Tuilagi 13. Jackson Hastings 14. Fonua Pole 15. Zane Musgrove 16. Austin Dias 17. Tyrone Peachey 18. Jock Madden 19. Junior Tupou 20. Brandon Tumeth 21. James Roberts 22. Thomas Freebairn
Tigers have lost Luke Garner, with Alex Seyfarth joining the back row but otherwise line up unchanged from round 19. Luke Brooks is currently in doubt and may miss the clash despite being named.
Referee: Adam Gee
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
This clash will see two teams sitting at opposite ends of the ladders needing a win for starkly different reasons.
The Broncos currently sit in fourth spot however they have 3 teams with a game to come this weekend who are only two points away.
So, a loss could see them move out of the top four coming into next round if they don’t get the two points against the Tigers this week.
The Broncos are coming off an impressive 36-14 win over the Parramatta Eels away from home in round 19 and come into this round in fine form. Payne Haas played 65 minutes last week and after declaring he is back to 100% fitness scored a rare try and looked ready for a big run into the finals.
Corey Oates fine form has also continued scoring another double vs the Eels last week which is remarkably his third consecutive game with two tries now. Reynolds has continued to steer the Broncos well, adding another two try assists, six goals and a try himself in another dominant number 7 performance.
The Broncos appear to be ready for a big run to end the season and it would be a huge upset if they were to not put away the struggling Tigers.
Meanwhile the Tigers need a win desperately after remaining in last place courtesy of a controversial game winning penalty goal after the siren that lifted the Cowboys to victory in round 19 whilst handing the Tigers their 15th loss of the year.
What could’ve been a rare celebration for the Tigers and their loyal fans fast turned into more disappointment after seemingly stealing the game from the far more fancied Cowboys team.
The hangover from round 19 should go a long way in determining the Tigers performance this week. Heartbreaking losses like that the Tigers had to endure in round 19 can either bring a team together, hunger for a victory this week, or it can emotionally and mentally scar a team who’s struggled for wins all year.
Playing at Suncorp makes the task even harder and despite a remarkable shift to thirteen over the past two weeks from Jackson Hastings and some sprinkles of Adam Doueihi magic, a win seems unlikely in round 20.
Embed from Getty ImagesINTERESTING FACT
Corey Oates has now scored a double in three consecutive matches. The Tigers have actually won the last three encounters with the Broncos including the last matchup at Suncorp Stadium.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Broncos by 14
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