Round 11: Broncos v Dragons preview
Both the Broncos and Dragons will be gunning to arrest concerning form slumps when they face off on Sunday afternoon at Suncorp Stadium.
For Brisbane, the 2023 grand finalists looked to be in control early against South Sydney but floundered late, with the 22-14 loss compounded by a serious injury to Ben Hunt.
That sees Ezra Mam named to play his first game in the NRL this season.
While the Broncos are currently only on a two-game losing streak, they have still dropped four of their past five games, and at the moment look far too inconsistent to be a genuine premiership threat.
The blowout win over the Bulldogs remains proof of what Michael Maguire's team is capable of, but also stands in stark contrast to what they have dished up in the past fortnight.
As for the Dragons, that upset win over the Storm earlier in the year seems so long ago, with Shane Flanagan's on a three-game losing skid.
The latest came at the hands of the in-form Warriors and while it was a defensive improvement on the combined 80 points they had conceded in the two weeks prior, it still did little to suggest the Red V are a real chance of competing for a top-eight spot.
In team news, Toby Couchman (shoulder) is out, seeing Jack de Belin join the starting side with Blake Lawrie on the bench.
If there is one thing working in the Dragons' favour this week it is recent form against the Broncos, having won seven of their past nine against the Brisbane club.
Last meeting: Round 19 2024 - Broncos 26 Dragons 30
Who to watch: Who else? All eyes will be on Ezra Mam in his return to the NRL, having served his suspension and starred in his comeback game in Queensland Cup. The Broncos could use his spark in the halves, although defensive lapses and a general lack of effort a fortnight ago against Penrith won't be solved by Mam's return. Nonetheless, Mam almost inspired Brisbane to grand final glory two years ago and is still an incredibly talented player when he is taking the line on and playing at his confident best. There may be rust early on Sunday, but as long as the fundamentals are there this could be the start of Mam reminding the Broncos what they've missed, and leaving Maguire with a headache when Hunt returns.
It is going to be a challenge taking on a motivated Broncos pack that has been kept in check for two-straight weeks, so the Dragons may have to turn to - checks notes - a one-game rookie? Well, that's just a reflection of how good Loko Pasifiki Tonga was in his NRL debut last week. He more than matched it with a big Warriors pack and provided an instant impact when he was injected into the game, punching out over 100 metres in 30 minutes. The Dragons have plenty of toilers and workman-like forwards, but they desperately needed some juice and firepower. Pasifiki Tonga brings just that and shapes as a potential X-factor off the bench, should the Broncos have not already opened up a handy lead by the time he comes on.
Favourite: Back at home, the Broncos are well-backed to return to their winning ways.
My tip: The Broncos may be inconsistent this season but the highs of their 2025 campaign have been far more impressive than that of the Dragons and so you have to feel better about Brisbane putting it all together in front of a Sunday afternoon crowd at Suncorp.
