Round 24 of the 2022 NRL season kicks off Thursday night with the Brisbane Broncos (8th 13-9) up against the Parramatta Eels (5th 14-8). With just two rounds left in the regular season, it’s a desperate game for both sides who want to play a part in finals action.
Greg Davis is back again with his preview and NRL tips for the Broncos vs Eels!
Brisbane Broncos vs Parramatta Eels Preview & Betting Tips
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Thursday 7:50pm AEST
Squads
Brisbane Broncos
1. Te Maire Martin 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Brenko Lee 5. Selwyn Cobbo 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Thomas Flegler 9. Jake Turpin 10. Payne Haas 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Jordan Riki 13. Ryan James 14. Billy Walters 15. Kobe Hetherington 16. Corey Jensen 17. Rhys Kennedy 18. Delouise Hoeter 19. Jordan Pereira 20. Tyson Gamble 21. Keenan Palasia 22. Zac Hosking
Parramatta Eels
1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Tom Opacic 5. Waqa Blake 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Isaiah Papali’i 13. Ryan Matterson 14. Makahesi Makatoa 15. Jakob Arthur 16. Oregon Kaufusi 17. Marata Niukore 18. Ofahiki Ogden 19. Bailey Simonsson 20. Bryce Cartwright 21. Sean Russell 22. Ky Rodwell
Match Preview
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
And for the Brisbane Broncos those desperate measures would include little things like catching and tackling when they host Parramatta at Suncorp Stadium this Thursday night.
Brisbane were blown off the old Lang Park last Friday night by the marauding Melbourne Storm who ran in 10 tries on the way to a 60-12 thrashing of the Broncos.
The result leaves Brisbane in a very precarious position in terms of playing finals football with Canberra just two points behind the Broncos on the ladder with just two rounds remaining in the regular season.
The Raiders play Manly and the Wests Tigers in their last two outings which should be two wins. So, Brisbane need to beat Parramatta or St George Illawarra in Round 25 to return to September action.
You would be forgiven for thinking the Broncos will be no chance against the Eels who comfortably accounted for the Bulldogs last week. The market for this match certainly reflects that with the Eels warm favourites in head-to-head betting.
But go back a fortnight and Parra were pummelled by Souths, 26-0.
In Round 19, Brisbane pumped the Eels to the tune of 36-14 at Parramatta in one of the most complete performances of the year from Kevin Walters’ men.
Brisbane’s best has been good enough to compete with the best sides in the competition and the humbling score line against the Storm was an outlier amongst a much-improved campaign that has had them inside the top eight for most of the season.
They are better than the 60-12 result and they know it. It stunned and shocked them and it may just sting them into action against the Eels.
Parramatta looked better with the return of Mitchell Moses and they need to keep winning to keep hopes of a top four berth alive. So, the Broncos do not have a mortgage on motivation.
Brisbane should be desperate to atone for the loss to Melbourne and desperate to win to clinch a finals berth. There are no excuses for the home team. Mentally, they need to write-off the Melbourne mauling as an aberration and find the form that put the Eels to the sword in July. It is a must.
Stranger things have happened in rugby league. Much stranger. It’s not like the Eels are renowned for their consistency.
Broncos to win this at home. But only just.
Prop: Anytime Try Scorer: Kurt Capewell - $4.90 at Ladbrokes
Broncos Win By 1-12 Points
$3.40 (1.5 Units)
