Round 8: Brisbane v Gold Coast preview
Derby heats up as both teams search for form
The Brisbane Broncos and the Gold Coast Titans play out their second local derby of the 2021 season on Friday night, with both coming off back-to-back losses.
Broncos fans will be wondering where their team's spirit went, after putting up a great fight against competition leaders Penrith, before going down in a 46-6 drubbing to Parramatta the following week.
Gold Coast on the other hand, have failed to live up to a lot of expectations so far this season and are no doubt looking to turn it around after letting aa 24-6 half-time lead slip last week.
Brisbane have made a number of changes after their thrashing in Darwin last weekend. Jesse Arthurs will start at centre, replacing David Mead. Another new look halves pairing will line up for Brisbane, with Anthony Milford being recalled to the team and Tyson Gamble at halfback.
Brodie Croft is in the reserves and Tom Dearden has been dropped completely from the squad following the announcement of his signing with the Cowboys earlier during the week.
Titans coach Justin Holbrook has also made a number of changes to his team that went down to South Sydney last Friday night. Anthony Don is back in the team, with Phillip Sami going to centre and Patrick Herbert dropping out of the side completely.
Herman Ese'ese has come onto the bench for Sam Lisone, rounding out the team changes for this clash.
Last meeting: Round 2 2021 - Titans 28 Broncos 16
Who to watch: Look to see how Anthony Milford responds as he comes back into first grade for the first time since Round 5. This could really be make or break for Milford's career, so he absolutely must put in a solid performance against their local rivals.
David Fifita is up against his former club for the second time this year. This time though, the Titans are coming off two straight losses and are facing a bit of adversity. Fifita must take on a real leadership role to get the Titans over the line. He was brought to the club as a big game player and someone who can influence the team's performance tremendously. A first half hat-trick from him last week saw his side leading convincingly at half time, however they were not able to finish the job. Fifita will be a large part of making sure that does not happen again.
The favourite: The Titans are favourites to get the win over their rivals from up the highway once again.
My tip: There is a lot on the line for both sides in this one. The Broncos are trying to avoid staying in touch with Canterbury at the bottom of the ladder and potentially getting their second straight wooden spoon. There is plenty to prove also for the likes of Anthony Milford, who could be on his final chance to save his career.
The Titans are out to silence some of the critics who believe they are underperforming this season and get a win. The Broncos have shown they can be brave against Penrith, however to follow it up with a shocking performance against the Eels showed that they are still a largely struggling side.
It's hard to see them improving so dramatically from last week and the Titans are a better side. Gold Coast by 14.
