Round 6: Broncos v Raiders preview
The top of the table Broncos are in strong form to keep their winning run, not just in 2023, but also at home against the Raiders, going strong, when the two sides meet in Round 6.
The Raiders have won just 9 games from 33 visits to Brisbane in their entire history, but even worse is that they've only had 3 regular season wins from 17 games against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.
The Broncos are enjoying their best start to a season while the Raiders are enduring one of their worst, this being just the seventh time in their 42 seasons that they have recorded 1 or less wins after their opening 5 games of a season.
The Broncos big men in the middle are boring holes in every opposition defensive line, racking up over 3000 post contact metres, over 200 more than the next best side (Parramatta) and on average, 100 metres more per game than the Raiders.
The Raiders are the second worst side for missing tackles as well as being one of the top 7 sides for conceding penalties. These areas all need to be improved markedly for the Raiders if they are to compete for the full 80 minutes against this impressive Broncos outfit.
Brisbane showed last week that they can score tries rapidly but they also do tend to push passes or get a little panicky/ahead of themselves when on the attack and can sense that they might be able to score. The bombed a few tries against the Wests Tigers last weekend due to this.
The Broncos come into this game with their squad unchanged from last week while the Raiders welcome back Jarrod Croker at centre and Brad Schneider at five-eighth, with Harley Smith-Shields and Matt Frawley both dropping out of the 17.
Last meeting: Round 14 2022 - Broncos 24 Raiders 18
Who to watch: Payne Haas has been unstoppable so far this season and he will be given opportunities to run wider of the ruck where the Raiders defence has been flimsy so far this year. If he doesn't get through the line, he has a magnificent offloading ability which is starting to find Reece Walsh more regular, as the young fullback is getting better at knowing who to hang off and when.
Adam Reynolds has been putting on an absolute masterclass in 2023 with his kicking game alone, while his calm head and game management is as good as it's ever been. This is allowing Ezra Mam to be free to play his natural game.
For the Raiders, Corey Horsburgh has been playing strong on the edge and has been getting more frequently involved in attacking raids.
The Raiders big men on the bench - Corey Harawira-Naera, Emre Guler and Pasami Saulo have the size, power and ability to match it with these Broncos forwards and they are vital to the Raiders chances in this game.
The favourite: The top of the table and undefeated Broncos will be the favourites here, especially at home against an out-of-sorts Raiders side.
My tip: The Raiders defence is a worry and this Broncos side changed up a gear last week. Brisbane to win comfortably, by 24 points.
