Round 24: Broncos v Eels preview
Broncos host Eels in top eight Suncorp shootout.
Two weeks out from finals footy and there's still plenty of jostling for positions to be done and this match is no different, ensuring the atmosphere at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night should be just as electric as it was in last weekend's thrilling encounter when the Broncos narrowly went down to the Rabbitohs.
That loss left Anthony Siebold's men clinging to eighth spot on the premiership ladder only one point clear of the chasing pack. As it stands now, Brisbane's finals destiny is in their own hands but another loss would mean them sweating on other results over the next two rounds.
Siebold has shown faith in the 17 men that ran out last weekend and will be looking for their young forwards to lead the way against a very consistent Parramatta pack.
Meanwhile, Eels Coach Brad Arthur has received mixed news on the team list front as they look to bounce back from a shock loss to the Canterbury Bulldogs last Thursday night.
During that loss, Lock forward Nathan Brown lost his marbles momentarily after flying out of the line with a dangerous shoulder charge that collected the head of Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and has consequently lost the right to play for the next two weeks after taking an early guilty play with the judiciary.
Off-setting the loss of Brown somewhat is the welcome edition of Origin hero Blake Ferguson who is returning from a knee injury and infection that has kept him sidelined for the past six weeks.
Ferguson will line up on his customary right flank - pushing Brad Takairangi back to the bench where he will be joined by Peni Terepo who comes into the 17 for Tepai Moeroa.
Currently sitting comfortably entrenched in the eight in sixth position, the Eels are still within striking distance of a top four finish if they win their remaining games and other results fall their way. On the flipside, if they were to lose both games, the Sharks could jump them for sixth spot and ultimately the right to host a home semi-final.
Last meeting: Round 14 2019 - Eels 38 Broncos 10
Who to watch: One of the hottest young forward products in the game today, David Fifita took it upon himself to keep his side in the fight last weekend with a rampaging two try performance. The Maroons rookie from this year also busted a mammoth 17 tackles and will no doubt be trying to isolate Mitchell Moses in the Parramatta defensive line in this contest.
Standing alongside Moses in the Eels defensive line, Manu Ma'u has been in fairly damaging form himself in recent weeks and should thrive on the prospect of going toe to toe with the young Bronco. Leaving the Eels at the end of 2019, the damaging back-rower is thriving in his combination running off Moses and has set up three tries of his own in the last two weeks with his ability to bust the first tackler and get his right arm free for an offload.
The favourite: Despite sitting lower on the ladder, the Broncos are favoured to get the job done in front of their parochial home crowd.
My tip: Losing their forward leader is a big blow to an Eels team coming up against the potential in this Broncos pack. They also haven't played a top 8 team since going down to Manly six weeks ago and haven't beaten a top eight team since downing the Raiders in Darwin back in Round 15. Expecting the Suncorp faithful to play a big hand in this one. Broncos by 6.
