Broncos v Bulldogs preview

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Brisbane Broncos v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Thursday 7:50pm at Suncorp Stadium, Milton / Yuggera-Turrbal

Round eight starts off with the game of the round, as the fortress that is Suncorp Stadium awaits the Brisbane Broncos and the ladder-leading Canterbury Bulldogs on Thursday night. 

Having struggled for the last two weeks against arguably inferior opposition, the Broncos will have to bring their best as the Bulldogs head north of the border for the first time in 2025.

The Broncos failed to get the job done against the Warriors in Auckland last Friday, going down by two points in a cracking game at Go Media Stadium. Whilst Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan were admirable as ever leading the forward pack, the attacking flair that has won the Broncos games this season failed to shine on a wet Saturday night.

Compounded by the fact that Reece Walsh was not at 100% for the best part of 78 minutes, the Broncos attacked ended up getting bullied to the point that Michael Maguire ended up shifting Billy Walters to the halves and Ben Hunt to hooker for the last 15 minutes. That can not happen this week as they take on the competition leader.

Calling Canterbury the competition leaders after two months is not what a lot of fans had on their bingo cards - but that is what will happen come the start of May. A four point gap at the top of the ladder, thanks in large to a brutal defense, has Cameron Ciraldo's men sitting pretty as they head to Brisbane.

The Bulldogs, yet again, held a team to nothing as they  routed the Rabbitohs 32-0 in front of a record crowd at Accor Stadium last weekend. The Bulldogs have not conceded in over two and a half games and while one expects that said record will cease at some point on Thursday, the strength that the Dogs have in defense will pose plenty of problems against a stuttering Broncos attack.

The Broncos has lost Reece Walsh to the knee complaint that saw the star move to the wing for the last 20 minutes of the second half. That sees Selwyn Cobbo move to fullback and Deine Mariner come onto the wing. Brendan Piakura slides back into the team via the bench after serving a suspension, with Tyson Smoothy dropping back to 18th man.

The Bulldogs have lost club favourite Jack Todd to yet another broken arm for the luckless pup, with Harry Hayes coming onto the bench. Daniel Suluka-Fifita remains as 18th man after being a gameday omission for Viliame Kikau.

Last time out - Bulldogs 41-16, Round 21, 2024 @ Suncorp Stadium

Who to Watch

Selwyn Cobbo will have his first chance of the season at the back of the Broncos attack with the loss of Reece Walsh. It's his spot to secure over the coming weeks, with no other obvious option in the Broncos line-up. Cobbo has started two games in the role, oddly enough, both games being 13-12 wins. Safe as houses at the back and with a powerful running game, Cobbo will need everything at his disposal to ensure the attack is flawless against the Dogs.

On the other side of the coin, Matt Burton will be looking to make the night of Selwyn Cobbo's a miserable one with a barrage of torpedos hailing from the rainy sky. His return on Sunday allowed Connor Tracey to roam around without the pressure of playing as a third half, guiding the team as if he never left. Expect Burton to use his kicking game to pressure the back five of the Broncos, while Toby Sexton threatens with a cheeky running game to break through the middle of the Broncos pack.

Favourite: Canterbury's undefeated streak has them better backed to win this one.

My Tip: It's fifth against first to start the weekend, with the Bulldogs looking to go three games clear at the top of the ladder, even if for 24 hours. The loss of Reece Walsh compounds the Broncos issues in attack, whilst the likely rain at kick off means that Brisbane can't expand their attack as they would want to. It will be a fiery first 15 minutes, but once the dusts settles, the Bulldogs bite will be stronger than the Broncos buck. Bulldogs by 8.

1. Selwyn Cobbo 2. Deine Mariner 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Gehamat Shibasaki 5. Jesse Arthars 6. Ben Hunt 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Patrick Carrigan 9. Billy Walters 10. Payne Haas 11. Xavier Willison 16. Brendan Piakura 13. Kobe Hetherington 14. Cory Paix 15. Corey Jensen 17. Jaiyden Hunt 18. Tyson Smoothy 19. Martin Taupau 21. Josiah Karapani

1. Connor Tracey 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Matt Burton 7. Toby Sexton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Josh Curran 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Jacob Preston 13. Jaeman Salmon 14. Kurt Mann 15. Sitili Tupouniua 16. Harry Hayes 17. Bailey Hayward 19. Daniel Suluka-Fifita 20. Blake Wilson 21. Blake Taaffe 22. Lipoi Hopoi 23. Luke Smith

Referees: Gerard Sutton; Sideline Officials: Chris Sutton, Nick Pelgrave; Video Referees: Adam Gee;