Elinya Chenery previews the Friday Night clash between the Broncos and the Titans
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Brisbane Broncos Vs Gold Coast Titans
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Home of the Yuggera & Turrbal Peoples
Date: Friday May 27, 7:55pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Related: NRL Team List Tuesday
Embed from Getty ImagesBroncos: 1. Te Maire Martin 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Selwyn Cobbo 6. Tyson Gamble 7. Ezra Mam 8. Corey Jensen 9. Billy Walters 10. Payne Haas 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan 14. Cory Paix 15. Kobe Hetherington 16. Thomas Flegler 17. Keenan Palasia 18. Brenko Lee 19. TC Robati 20. Rhys Kennedy 21. Delouise Hoeter 22. Jordan Pereira 23. Xavier Willison 24. David Mead
The Broncos side remains unchanged from the team that beat Newcastle last week with Ezra Mam holding his starting position as Adam Reynolds is still sidelined due to a groin injury. A good news inclusion comes in the form of Xavier Willison joining the extended bench after a long recovery from a ruptured ACL sustained in round 22 last season.
Embed from Getty ImagesTitans: 1. Jayden Campbell 2. Corey Thompson 3. Brian Kelly 4. Esan Marsters 5. Jamayne Isaako 6. AJ Brimson 7. Toby Sexton 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Erin Clark 10. Jarrod Wallace 11. Isaac Liu 12. Beau Fermor 13. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 14. Tanah Boyd 15. Jaimin Jolliffe 16. Sam McIntyre 17. Sam Lisone 18. Paul Turner 19. Herman Ese’ese 20. Greg Marzhew 21. Aaron Booth 22. Alofiana Khan-Pereira 23. David Fifita 24. Patrick Herbert
Phillip Sami comes out of the side after sustaining a knee injury in the Titans loss to the Sharks last week, with Brian Kelly named as his replacement after recovering from the flu. Patrick Herbert returns to the extended bench after a stint in rehab with a calf injury, along with David Fifita being named in the reserves, hopeful to make a return from a Grade 2 MCL sprain picked up four weeks ago. After a standout performance for the Burleigh Bears reserve grade squad last week, Jaimin Jolliffe has been given the call up to the interchange bench, pushing Herman Ese’ese to the reserves.
Referee: Gerard Sutton
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
This match shapes up as the first South East Queensland derby since round 8 of last season, all the way back in April of 2021. In that meeting the then 15th placed Broncos came away with the two points after a tightly contested upset win against the then 7th placed Titans, with the score sitting at 36-28. The roles are essentially reversed heading into Friday night’s clash, with the Broncos sitting in 5th place – which is the same number of games they have been victorious in consecutively, for the first time since 2017, whilst the Titans are treading water at 13th and coming off the back of a tight loss. This local derby always has feeling in it after first being played in 2007 when the Titans joined the competition, with both teams vying for bragging rights around the south-east.
As previously mentioned, the home team comes into this match up on a hot streak. With the likes of Kotoni Staggs, Payne Haas and Kurt Capewell all looking to solidify their State of Origin positions, this Brisbane team is on the warpath. Add to this halfback Ezra Mam playing his first NRL game at the Broncos home ground, and the Brisbane outfit looking primed for a big game against their local rivals. The Titans are now running on a record of three and eight, desperately seeking a win to kickstart a run of consistent form. Coming off the back of a two try performance, prop Jarrod Wallace will be pivotal if the Gold Coast based squad wish to force an upset.
With the Titans combining for a total of 34 missed tackles last week, more than double that of the Broncos at 15, fixing up their defence is crucial if the Gold Coast wish to trouble the red-hot Broncos. With attacking options available across the park in Campbell, Wallace, Brimson and Isaako to name a few, the Titans need to focus on their defensive structure, especially with a relatively inexperienced fullback in Jayden Campbell.
It is important to remember the significance of the round for the Indigenous players on both teams, as they are representing a strong culture and aiming to make their family and mob proud. Brisbane centre Staggs expressed at the Broncos jersey launch last week “I want to leave everything out on the field, the Indigenous round is special to all of us”, expect impassioned performances from both sides First Nations players.
INTERESTING FACT
These two clubs have met a total of 31 times and have never had a game result in a 90-minute draw. Twice in this time a game between these sides has gone to Golden Point, with both games being played at Suncorp stadium, and both times resulting in a Broncos victory. Will we see history repeat on Friday night?
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Broncos by 8.
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