Check out the match preview and prediction for the final round clash between the Brisbane Broncos and the Melbourne Storm.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Brisbane Broncos Vs Melbourne Storm
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Date: Thursday September 5, 7:50pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Broncos: 1. Tristan Sailor, 2. Corey Oates, 3. Selwyn Cobbo, 4. Deine Mariner, 5. Jesse Arthars, 6. Joshua Rogers, 7. Adam Reynolds, 8. Corey Jensen, 9. Billy Walters, 10. Fletcher Baker, 11. Jaiyden Hunt, 12. Jordan Riki, 13. Patrick Carrigan, 14. Blake Mozer, 15. Kobe Hetherington, 16. Benjamin Te Kura, 17. Martin Taupau, 18. Josiah Karapani, 19. Cory Paix, 20. Reece Walsh, 21. Vaa Semu
Storm: 1. Sualauvi Faalogo, 2. William Warbrick, 3. Jack Howarth, 4. Nick Meaney, 5. Grant Anderson, 6. Cameron Munster, 7. Jahrome Hughes, 8. Nelson Asofa-Solomona, 9. Harry Grant, 10. Josh King, 11. Shawn Blore, 12. Eliesa Katoa, 13. Trent Loiero, 14. Tyran Wishart, 15. Christian Welch, 16. Tui Kamikamica, 17. Alec MacDonald, 18. Kane Bradley, 19. Joe Chan, 20. Lazarus Vaalepu, 21. Ativalu Lisati, 22. Xavier Coates
Referee: Todd Smith
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
When these two sides played way back in round 5, they were considered to be on fairly level terms.
Brisbane had begun the year with two wins and two losses, and had no reason to think they wouldn’t be able to kick on and emulate the success they’d had in 2023. Melbourne had two wins and one loss, and wanted to claim a home scalp against one of the most highly-rated teams in the competition. But this Thursday paints a very different picture.
A week after Kevin Walters defiantly insisted that his side “will make finals”, the Broncos are out of contention completely. Their 40-6 loss against crosstown rivals the Dolphins was nothing short of embarrasing, particularly for a side with so much quality, and so much to play for.
Their season was on the line, and they failed to show up. That raises concerns to me as to whether they’ll be motivated to show up to a dead rubber game between themselves and a well-rested Storm, but they owe a duty to their fans to do so. After what has been an abysmal year at Red Hill, the Broncos fans at least deserve to head into their early off-season with a positive taste in their mouths.
That being said, they’ll have to pull off a substantial upset to make that happen. Kotoni Staggs, Payne Haas, and Brendan Piakura are all out through injury, while Xavier Willison is out through suspension. Among the players replacing them is veteran winger Corey Oates, who reportedly won’t be extended into next season, and is therefore likely playing his final game at the Broncos. Reece Walsh also lines up in the reserves.
Meanwhile for the Storm, this game presents a chance to blow out the cobwebs one last time before the finals. It’s been yet another season of consistent dominance for the Melbourne outfit, despite battling a substantial injury tally throughout the year. Craig Bellamy has once again managed to get the absolute best out of role players like Nick Meaney, Tyran Wishart, and Josh King, and it’s brought them to premiership favouritism once again.
Bellamy elected to rest the majority of his squad last week once they had the minor premiership wrapped up. Those players now return, joined by Xavier Coates who may play his first game since round 17. Sua Fa’alogo lines up in the fullback jersey, to cover for the injured Ryan Papenhuyzen, in the only forced change to their side.
It may sound strange, but this game for both sides is about momentum. Obviously the Storm are looking to carry their winning momentum through to the finals series. But the Broncos will want to prove to themselves that they do still have what it takes to beat the best. They’ll want to carry that belief into their preparations next year, and it’s that psychological factor that means that this ‘dead rubber’ does in fact carry a heap of weight.
Head-to-head stats can be found at Number Crunch Stats.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Check out all the NRL Predictions here.
Storm by 18 points.
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