Broncos v Storm preview

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These two rival clubs will add another instalment to their history as they square off on Friday night. 

Despite the Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne Storm fielding squads that are of NRL top four standard, they enter this clash with polar opposite form.

The Broncos have been decimated by the absence and fatigue of their six Queensland State of Origin representatives as they've dropped five of their last seven games. Last week they lost to the Canterbury Bulldogs 40-14 at ANZ Stadium. It's been a major contrast to the results of last season. With a similar roster Brisbane were undefeated for all games during the origin period. Their streak even included a rare win against the Storm in Melbourne.

Last week in Sydney the forward pack of the Canterbury Bulldogs barged over the likes of a tired Matt Gillett (Seven missed tackles) and the domination has been a theme in their losing streak because their halves haven't had the opportunities to score points. 

This season the Storm, to the surprise of the competition, have enjoyed winning eight of their last nine games to place second on the ladder. The success continued against the Wests Tigers last week, winning 29-20 at AAMI Park. No longer are Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk tied to leading the Storm every round. Players such as Jesse Bromwich, Tohu Harris and Cameron Munster have been outstanding playing in key positions. They've been so consistent all of them can be counted on for a big game on Friday night; as long as Munster passes a fitness test before the game.

It was only last Wednesday night where the Storm's Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk spearheaded Queensland's origin series win at the same venue.  They backed it up with a winning performance against the Wests Tigers on Sunday and always seem to play well in Brisbane. 

Last meeting: Round 26 2015 - Broncos 8 Storm 15

Both teams were scrappy in the last round before the finals. Ben Hunt was out injured and his replacement Ashley Taylor had his NRL debut last just 30 minutes before a hand injury ended his night.

Who to watch: Last week against the Bulldogs Ben Hunt had a worrisome performance and is clearly out of form. He looked disengaged with the ball in hand, had many handling errors and a poor kicking game. His defense has suffered all season and while he's mostly matched the attacking stats so far that he produced last season, the past month has been rather dry.  How long until everything comes back together for Hunt?

One player known for bringing plenty of enthusiasm to running the ball for Melbourne is Marika Koroibete. While his teammate and winger Suliasi Vunivalu gets all the attention these days as he's scored 13 tries in nine games this season, underestimating Koroibete will be catastrophic for Brisbane as last week's length of the field try against the Wests Tigers shows he's unbeatable on the break. 

The favourite: This is tricky to say for certain. You can count on Wayne Bennett and Craig Bellamy trying to apply the underdog status to their teams in the lead up as a way to deflect pressure. Brisbane have not defeated Melbourne at Suncorp Stadium since 2009 and because of Storm's superb form the away team are favoured.

My tip: When it's time to look back on this season I think Brisbane's loss to the Bulldogs last week will be their rock bottom point of 2016. They're too talented to keep losing and with a week to rest before this game the urgency to play well at home should bring positive results. In round 15 last year we saw Brisbane win by 2 points in Melbourne with just 43 per cent of possession. Both teams will play well and it'll be Brisbane by 2 points on Friday.

1. Darius Boyd 2. Corey Oates 11. Alex Glenn 4. James Roberts 5. Lachlan Maranta 6. Anthony Milford 7. Ben Hunt 8. Josh McGuire 9. Andrew McCullough 10. Adam Blair 16. Jaydn Sua 12. Matt Gillett 13. Corey Parker
Interchange: 14. Jarrod Wallace 15. Tevita Pangai Junior 18. Jo Ofanhengaue 3. Kodi Nikorima

1. Young Tonumaipea 2. Suliasi Vunivalu 3. Cheyse Blair 4. Ryan Morgan 5. Marika Koroibete 20. Blake Green 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith 10. Jordan McLean 11. Kevin Proctor 6. Tohu Harris 13. Dale Finucane
Interchange: 14. Felise Kaufusi 15. Christian Welch 12. Kenneath Bromwich 17. Ben Hampton

Referees: Ben Cummins, Matt Noyen; Sideline Officials: Michael Wise, Chris Butler; Video Referees: Bernard Sutton, Luke Patten, Steve Chiddy