Broncos coach Kevin Walters has reportedly made a huge call to rest all three of his Origin stars to freshen them up for the run to the finals, opting to take an understrength team to Auckland for a crucial game against the Warriors.
After a strong start to the season, Brisbane have slipped over the last six weeks and now have a tenuous grip on a top eight spot.
Last year’s grand finalists currently sit seventh on 18 points. They sit in the middle of a congested group of teams, with the Roosters in fourth (20 points) separated by just two wins from the Knights in 12th spot (16 points).
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Between them are the Dolphins (20), Bulldogs (18), Broncos (18), Cowboys (18), Dragons (18), Raiders (18), and Sea Eagles (17).
Maroons star Reece Walsh runs the ball against the Blues in State of Origin II, 2024. Getty
At this stage of the season it appears that the Broncos are vying with eight other teams for five spots in the finals. They can ill afford any slip ups against lower ranked teams, yet Walters has decided to roll the dice against the 13th placed Warriors, who are still licking their wounds after their mauling at the hands of the Titans last week.
According to a News Corp report, Walters will not call on Payne Haas, Patrick Carrigan or Reece Walsh for the trip to Auckland, with his non Origin players well rested after a bye in round 16.
The Broncos do not have their final bye of the season until round 24, with Walters clearly deciding that his Origin representatives need a freshen up before then, with a tough run of matches against the Panthers, Dragons, Knights and Bulldogs to follow this Saturday’s road trip.
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Despite the Warriors’ heavy and embarrassing 66-6 loss to the Titans, they have firmed into favouritism against the Broncos, with bookmakers reeling in their price to $1.83 after Friday’s team news began to spread.
While the bookies are against the Broncos, most of Nine’s expert tipsters are sticking with them to do the job against a Warriors team without the services of Shaun Johnson, who has been left out of the side to deal with a debilitating Achilles injury.
Scroll below for the current leaderboard and Round 17 tips by all Nine’s expert tipsters!
Nine’s NRL tipping leaderboard. Nine
Andrew Johns: Sharks, Broncos, Knights, Storm, Dragons, Panthers, Roosters
Darren Lockyer: Sharks, Broncos, Knights, Storm, Dragons, Panthers, Roosters
Paul Gallen: Sharks, Warriors, Eels, Storm, Dragons, Panthers, Roosters
Allana Ferguson: Sharks, Broncos, Eels, Storm, Dolphins, Panthers, Roosters
Mat Thompson: Sharks, Broncos, Knights, Storm, Dragons, Panthers, Roosters
Peter Psaltis: Bulldogs, Broncos, Eels, Storm, Dolphins, Panthers, Roosters
David Middleton: Bulldogs, Broncos, Eels, Storm, Dragons, Panthers, Roosters
Ben Glover: Sharks, Warriors, Eels, Storm, Dolphins, Panthers, Roosters