Melbourne Storm v Brisbane Broncos
Vale: Terry Hill
8 hours ago | National Rugby League
Storm v Broncos preview
The Broncos travel down to Melbourne to take on the Storm for the first time in 2023.
Brisbane have had a rough history against the Storm, winning only 13 matches out of the 52 games they've played each other, however with the Broncos' current form will they manage to topple Melbourne for the first time since 2016?
The Storm have had an inconsistent season so far, sitting on 5 wins and 4 losses, not being able to put on repeat stellar performances. They will be looking to bounce back on Thursday night after suffering a 28-12 loss to the Rabbitohs in Magic Round.
The Broncos are still holding number one spot on the ladder, only having lost to the Raiders and Rabbitohs this season. They will be looking to hold onto top spot and continue to add 2 points to the board, especially after an impressive win against Manly in Magic Round where they had an excellent offensive first half and defensive second half.
Bellamy has named an unchanged starting 17 side for the Thursday night clash, with Tui Kamikamica being listed among the reserves list, after serving a two-match suspension, where he may be called into the squad closer to the game.
Similarly, Walters has also named an unchanged side to take the field, who have shown to be an impressive side. Capewell has be listed to play, despite suffering a head-knock against the Sea Eagles, which was classified as a Category 2 concussion during the match.
Last meeting: Round 23 2022 - Broncos 12 Storm 60
Who to watch: Harry Grant is a powerhouse for Melbourne, leading the team with 417 tackles for the season, as well as scoring two tries so far. Grant is an important member of the Storm's spine, and I'm excited to see what he brings to the game against the Broncos.
Currently one of the best centres in the game, Herbie Farnworth, is such an asset to the Broncos side. He has already scored six tries in the opening 10 games of the season, one of those being a double against Penrith, as well as two try assist and five linebreaks. Hopefully he'll add another 4-pointer (or two) to his 2023 count during the Thursday night clash.
Favourite: Melbourne is slightly favoured to add another 2 points to their competition tally for the season.
My tip: I believe that the Broncos have the form and strength to overpower the Storm and take victory for the first time in over 6 years. I think that Melbourne is just too sloppy and inconsistent with both their attack and defence to coherently string together a win against one of the better teams in the competition. Broncos by 10.
1. Nick Meaney 2. William Warbrick 3. Reimis Smith 4. Justin Olam 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 10. Christian Welch 9. Harry Grant 21. Tui Kamikamica 11. Trent Loiero 12. Eliesa Katoa 13. Josh King 8. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 14. Bronson Garlick 15. Aaron Pene 16. Tom Eisenhuth 17. Grant Anderson
1. Reece Walsh 2. Jesse Arthars 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Selwyn Cobbo 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Thomas Flegler 9. Billy Walters 10. Payne Haas 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan 14. Cory Paix 15. Corey Jensen 16. Kobe Hetherington 17. Martin Taupau 18. Deine Mariner
Referees: Todd Smith; Sideline Officials: Peter Gough, Chris Sutton; Video Referees: Gerard Sutton;