The visit of the currently unbeaten Canterbury Bulldogs to Suncorp on Thursday night has become a “must win” for the Broncos who are looking to regain momentum after back-to-back losses.
The 20-18 loss to the Warriors last Saturday in Auckland, was the result of leaking three tries in 13 minutes of the second-half.
Paddy Carrigan with 53 tackles and Payne Haas running 219 metres were the highlights for the Broncos but the 69% completion rate against the Warriors 84% wasn’t going to get it done.
Madge Maguire’s men will be without Reece Walsh, who has a knee injury. Selwyn Cobbo will move to fullback and Deine Marriner will play on the wing. Brendan Piakura will be on the bench after his two match suspension for a high tackle charge.
The Bulldogs are aiming for their first “7 match winning streak” since 2014, and will field the same starting 13 as last week’s win against the Rabbitohs. Harry Hayes will replace Jack Todd on the bench, Todd out with a fractured arm.
After shutting out the Knights (20-0) and the Rabbitohs (32-0) in the last two games, the Bulldogs defence is building a big reputation, partly down to their strong line speed, they concede on average only 9 points per game. Their left-edge attack is their offensive edge. Second half stamina is also proving an area of dominance, having held several teams scoreless in the second stanza this year. After seven years straight of missing the playoffs, the Bulldogs broke that run last year and in 2025 have taken their performance to a new level under Cameron Ciraldo, in his third season.
The Broncos will really need the Suncorp crowd to lift them over the line, the game kicks off at 7.50 p.m.
Published 23-April-2025
