Brisbane Broncos

A shock loss to the Wests Tigers last start has Kevin Walters' men under pressure with the Storm and Eels level with the Broncos on 26 competition points going into round 21.

The Roosters are in eighth spot on points differential, slightly ahead of the Raiders who take on a depleted Penrith side. 

Trent Robinson labelled the side's attack in their recent win over the Sea Eagles as a bit rushed with the side coming up with 18 errors despite claiming the two points.

With Adam Doueihi playing a leading role with a try and six goals the Tigers secured just their fourth win of the season by stunning the fifth-placed Broncos.

The Tigers opened the scoring in the 12th minute when Brent Naden finished off slick work by Fa'amanu Brown, Jock Madden and Asu Kepaoa to cross in the corner. Doueihi's sideline conversion made it 6-0 to the visitors.

Midway through the half the Broncos hit back when Tesi Niu showed some dazzling footwork to stand up Kepaoa and grab his third try of the season.

Having taken one of the competition heavyweights to the wire, the Tigers should be walking that little bit taller, but the deflating nature of the loss will have left them feeling flat.

The Broncos, meanwhile, continue to march on and are now inside the top four with all their remaining matches against sides currently below them on the ladder.

Their renaissance under the astute leadership of Adam Reynolds has been remarkable and with a top-four finish at their mercy they can dare to dream of a first premiership since 2006.

Both clubs sit on 24 competition points leading into round 19 with 11 wins each and are all but bound for the finals after solid seasons so far.

The Eels have still looked a bit wobbly in patches against teams in recent weeks despite wins but remain a threat to any side in the Telstra Premiership. 

Brisbane won a hard-fought Queensland derby against the Titans last start but will want to knock off a top scalp away from home as they look to go to another level in the final weeks of the regular season. 

Mead played 171 NRL games for Broncos and Titans, scoring 75 tries since making his debut in 2009, as well as 58 Super League games for Catalans Dragons scoring 29 tries.

The popular finisher also played 15 Tests for Papua New Guinea and scored 10 tries, as well as captaining his beloved country of birth at the 2017 World Cup.

Mead said: “I’d like to say a big thank you to the Broncos, Titans, Catalans, NRL and Super league for giving me the opportunity to live out my dream since 2009.

The Titans led 12-10 until midway through the second half when Brisbane captain Adam Reynolds scored and the home side had a late try disallowed as they fell agonisingly short.

For the Broncos, the win almost guarantees them a finals berth and hope of finishing in the top four after joining the Storm and Eels on 24 points.

The Titans try line was virtually impenetrable in the first half - until the final tackle before the break when Adam Reynolds fired a long pass to put winger Delouise Hoeter over in the corner.

Brisbane chalked up their sixth straight win at home to cement their finals position in Round 17, with Tesi Niu and Kotoni Staggs putting on a masterclass performance for the fifth-placed Broncos.

The Broncos dominated the opening stages of the match and Delouise Hoeter capitalised on the advantage of an extra man created by Dragons prop Tariq Sims' sinbinning for a late tackle on Adam Reynolds to open the scoring in the third minute.

Both sides are missing key men with Payne Haas succumbing to a shoulder injury and Kurt Capewell and Selwyn Cobbo on Origin duty while Dragons skipper Ben Hunt is in Queensland camp.

Having lost two on the bounce to the Cowboys and Storm, conceding 72 points in the process, the Broncos need to tighten up their defence and return to the formula that delivered them seven straight wins between round 7-14.

Brisbane are keen on Maroons winger Cobbo getting his hands on the ball more next season, with a switch to No. 1 or No. 6 on the cards.

Cobbo burst into the NRL last year and has played 17 games on the wing and four in the centres, but the Broncos want this generational talent closer to the action.

Tries to returning winger Kyle Feldt, Reece Robson and Jeremiah Nanai within 18 minutes blew the game wide open in the second half after the Cowboys took a narrow two-point lead into the break after an absorbing opening. 

Brisbane clawed their way back in the final six minutes with two tries before Murray Taulagi got his second of the evening on fulltime. 

A dominant performance from Scott Drinkwater at fullback was among the highlights of the evening with the No.1 coming up with three try assists in the 14-point win.