The Dragons fell out of the eight on the back a loss to the Roosters and now head to Brisbane to face a desperate Broncos outfit searching for the form that carried them all the way to last year’s decider.
Both sides will be weakened by the absence of Origin stars, with the Dragons missing Ben Hunt, Zac Lomax and Jaydn Su’A and the Broncos without Payne Haas, Pat Carrigan and Reece Walsh.
A hamstring injury to halfback Jock Madden has further complicated matters for the Broncos, who have dropped five on the trot to plummet from fifth on the ladder after Round 11 to 11th going into Round 19.
They could welcome Kotoni Staggs and Jordan Riki back this weekend in a boost to their chances while Jack Bird looks set to slot back in for the Red V after making a comeback from an ankle injury in NSW Cup on Sunday.
With matches against the Panthers and Storm to follow their Round 20 bye, it’s imperative the Dragons chalk up a win at Suncorp Stadium to stay in touch with the eight and give themselves a realistic shot at a first finals berth since 2018.
Stat Attack
- The Broncos have won only one of their past five games at Suncorp Stadium.
- The Dragons have won six of their past eight games against the Broncos.
- Broncos centre Kotoni Staggs has scored five tries in his past four games against the Dragons.
- The Dragons have won only one of their past 11 games without Ben Hunt.
- The Broncos have averaged less than 12 points per game since Round 14.
Stats supplied by David Middleton, League Information Services, author of the official annual of the NRL.