Match Preview: Broncos v Wests Tigers

The winless Wests Tigers head to Brisbane on Saturday night with few people giving them a chance but memories of an upset victory over the Broncos in Round 20 last year will give Tim Sheens' men a flicker of hope.

Reeling at the bottom of the NRL ladder, nobody was tipping the Tigers to defeat the red-hot Broncos in 2022 and few will be backing them this week but there were signs of improvement against the Storm and Sheens will look to build on those.

New recruits John Bateman and Api Koroisau did their best to lift Wests Tigers back from the Storm's early lead on Friday but errors in possession errors and some poor defence consigned them to a fourth straight loss.

The Broncos, meanwhile, are flying high after defeating the Dolphins 18-12 in the inaugural battle of Brisbane on Friday night and will be looking forward to an arguably easier run in the weeks ahead with games against the Wests Tigers, Raiders and Titans. 

With Adam Reynolds, Patrick Carrigan, Payne Haas and Reece Walsh in rare form the Broncos are well on track for a finals appearance after the disappointment of last year's fadeout.

Haas leads the NRL in post-contact metres with 344 while the electric Walsh sits atop the line break assists tally with seven.

Team News
Broncos: Coach Kevin Walters has named the same 17 that snuck past the Dolphins in a classic at Suncorp Stadium in Round 4. The run-on team was unchanged in the 24-hour update, with Kobe Hetherington dropping out of the extended squad after returning from a pre-season biceps injury via the Hostplus Cup last week. 

Wests Tigers: Brent Naden dropped out of the squad on Friday night, with Starford To'a taking his place at centre, after originally being named on the bench. Back-rower Shawn Blore is the new addition to the interchange. Adam Doueihi has retained the job at fullback, with Daine Laurie dropping out of the squad for Round 5, while Brandon Wakeham keeps the No.6 jersey. 

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Story first published by: NRL.com

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NRL.com