The Broncos are almost unrecognisable from the team which won just 10 games across the past two seasons, kicking off 2022 with tight and tough victories over the Rabbitohs and Bulldogs.
The arrival of Adam Reynolds and Kurt Capewell has the Broncos buzzing and their influence has been clear for all to see in the first two games.
Further north and the Cowboys have their own star recruits in Chad Townsend and Peta Hiku, two experienced campaigners who bring composure and class to a proud club crying out for a return to the glory days of 2015 and the gutsy days of 2017.
There is no better setting than Suncorp Stadium on a Sunday afternoon for the latest instalment in a rivalry which has been going strong since 1995 and rarely fails to deliver.
The Rundown
Team news
Broncos: A change on Saturday for Kevin Walters with Corey Jensen promoted from the reserves list to the interchange bench in a swap with TC Robati.
The Broncos are chasing three straight wins for the first time since round 9-11, 2019.
Cowboys: No changes to the squad in Saturday's 24-hour update.
Reuben Cotter joins the bench in place of Mitchell Dunn, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Raiders. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown (knee) was listed among the reserves on Tuesday but was one of those omitted on Saturday when the squad was cut to 19.
Key match-up
Adam Reynolds v Chad Townsend: Hard to go past the battle of the two wily playmakers as the most pivotal contest in this one. Reynolds needed just 80 minutes in Broncos colours to prove that he is worth every cent they are paying him and then some, while Townsend found his groove in his second game as a Cowboy with a line break, a try assist and 269 kicking metres in the win over Canberra. The 2014 premiership-winning No.7 matching wits with the 2016 premiership-winning No.7 should be worth the price of admission alone as these two great Queensland rivals go in search of early-season braging rights.
Stat attack
Since their epic showdown in the 2015 grand final, the Broncos and Cowboys have met on 13 occasions with Brisbane holding a slender 7-6 advantage. Four of those games were decided by a single point and the average winning margin across the 13 clashes is just seven points.
Story first published on NRL.com