Round 20: Bulldogs v Broncos preview
The Broncos travel down south looking to continue to consolidate a top four position, whilst the Bulldogs are doing everything to stay out of last place.
After an embarrassing Round 18 loss to the Knights, the Bulldogs managed to string together an upset win against the depleted South Sydney side last week, which lifted them four points/two wins clear of the wooden spoon position.
Josh Addo-Carr was named to back up from Origin, however he was ruled out on Friday with last week's debutant Jeral Skelton coming in. Rookie winger Blake Wilson holds his place on the right wing after scoring three tries against the Rabbitohs last week. This change sees Jacob Kiraz being moved to centre, forcing Ethan Quai-Ward out of the starting 17 after making his NRL debut just last week. Due to his neck injury last round Ryan Sutton will not be playing, with Raymond Faitala-Mariner taking his place and Corey Waddell moving into the lock position.
Brisbane are fresh off of their second bye of the season, after coming away from a good win against the Dolphins in the second "Battle of Brisbane". They will be looking to continue to keep the heat on Penrith, where both teams are currently even on the same number of wins, with for/against the only thing keeping them apart.
The Broncos have named forward leader Pat Carrigan among the reserves, waiting to see whether he will be fit after playing Game III of Origin, as of right now Kobe Hethrington has been named to take his place on the starting side. Payne Haas is still out due to his ankle injury, which sees Corey Jensen move into the starting side and Jesse Arthars join the bench. Kurt Capewell also makes his return after missing two games due to a quad injury.
The Bulldogs do not have history on their side for this match, with the Broncos winning their past four matchups and the Bulldogs also having only won two of their last ten games at Belmore.
Canterbury have conceded 180 points in their last four games, and if they wish to have any chance against Brisbane, they will have to intensify their defence. The Broncos also lead the competition in tackle breaks sitting at 685, whilst the Bulldogs come in at spot 14 with 494, which highlights the difference in level of attack of both these teams who sit at opposite ends of the ladder.
Last meeting: Round 7 2022 - Broncos 34 Bulldogs 14
Who to watch: Matt Burton had one of his best games of the season last week, where he made 13 runs for 161 metres, along with two try assists. Playing his first game for the season since Round 7 at five-eighth, as well as playing alongside new Bulldogs signing, Toby Sexton, Burton has had the opportunity to regain some confidence in himself and his playing game. I'm exciting to see what he brings to the table Saturday afternoon, it being his second game in the halves combination with Sexton.
Having scored 14 tries in 15 games so far this season, including two hat tricks and a double, Selwyn Cobbo is a superstar who is just getting his career started. Although Cobbo is often a freak in attack for the Broncos, he is quite often a contributor to negative plays, so as he continues to learn and play, I would love to see a reduction in these plays both for himself and for the Broncos side. Hopefully, we'll see him score another try or two in this Saturday afternoon clash.
Favourite: Brisbane are favoured to claim victory against the Bulldogs, to cement them in their top two position for another round.
My tip: The Broncos have had some struggles in both attack and defence recently, alongside varying injuries, suspensions and Origin duties. However, I believe that although Canterbury had a resurgence and good game last week, it won't be enough to cause an upset to the Broncos side, especially with the high number of points they have leaked over the past month. Brisbane will manage to add another win to their tally, although I do think it won't be a blowout score line. Brisbane by 16.
