The top-four Raiders face their biggest test of the season when they head to Suncorp to take on the Broncos.
Match details
- Who: Brisbane Broncos vs Canberra Raiders
- When: Saturday 20 April, 7:35pm AEDT
- Where: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
- Weather: min 17, max 26
- Click here for tickets.
- Head-to-head record (1988-now): Played 56. Raiders 23 wins. Broncos 32 wins. 1 draw.
Team lists
| RAIDERS | BRONCOS | |
| Chevy Stewart | 1 | Reece Walsh |
| James Schiller | 2 | Corey Oates |
| Matt Timoko | 3 | Kotoni Staggs |
| Sebastian Kris | 4 | Selwyn Cobbo |
| Xavier Savage | 5 | Jesse Arthars |
| Ethan Strange | 6 | Ezra Mam |
| Jamal Fogarty | 7 | Jock Madden |
| Josh Papali’i | 8 | Corey Jensen |
| Danny Levi | 9 | Billy Walters |
| Joseph Tapine | 10 | Fletcher Baker |
| Hudson Young | 11 | Jaiyden Hunt |
| Ata Mariota | 12 | Jordan Riki |
| Morgan Smithies | 13 | Patrick Carrigan |
| BENCH | ||
| Tom Starling | 14 | Tyson Smoothy |
| Simi Sasagi | 15 | Xavier Willison |
| Trey Mooney | 16 | Kobe Hetherington |
| Pasami Saulo | 17 | Tristan Sailor |
| RESERVES | ||
| Kaeo Weekes | 18 | Martin Taupau |
| Emre Guler | 19 | Benjamin Te Kura |
| Zac Woolford | 20 | Jordan Pereira |
| Nick Cotric | 21 | Blake Mozer |
| Peter Hola | 22 | Josiah Karapani |
The Raiders have lost Zac Hosking to a shoulder injury that could potentially end his season if he requires surgery. Mariota moves into the second row with Sasagi back onto the 17 on the bench.
The Broncos are unchanged from last week’s victory over the Dolphins.
Referee: Chris Butler
Season so far
Raiders: 3rd (4-2)| 154 points for, 86 points against | WWLLW
Now in the top four, the Raiders escaped with a narrow victory against the winless Titans, claiming a golden point win after controlling possession and territory throughout the match.
Canberra did a lot right during the game and dominated a lot of the stats. However, after looking so threatening with the ball the week before against Parramatta, the Raiders’ attack looked pedestrian at best, while defensively, they struggled to keep the Titans out whenever they got near the try line.
Given how even the competition is this year, you take every win you can get. If you had offered Raiders’ fans a 4-2 start at the beginning of the season, they would have gladly taken it
Broncos: 10th (3-3) | 148 points for, 132 points against | WLWLW
The Broncos have copped a nasty run of injuries to start the year, with stars Walsh, Payne Haas and Adam Reynolds all sidelined at various points.
Their best is still clearly one of the best in the competition and they are one of the top premiership chances, but the injuries combined with losing a number of players over the offseason has left them a little vulnerable.
Walsh coming back in last week made a huge difference and if they can keep ticking over the wins before Haas and Reynolds come back, they should be in a good position to make a charge at the end of the year.
Last 5 meetings and history at Suncorp Stadium
- 2023 round 26: Raiders 18 – 29 Broncos at GIO Stadium, Canberra
- 2023 round 6: Broncos 14 – 20 Raiders at Suncorp Stadium
- 2022 round 14: Broncos 24 – 18 Raiders at Suncorp Stadium
- 2021 round 14: Raiders 38 – 16 Broncos at GIO Stadium
- 2020 round 14: Raiders 36 – Broncos 8 at GIO Stadium
It’s been reasonably even between the sides in recent meetings, with the Raiders winning four of their last six against the Broncos.
Both matchups in 2023 were good contests that made for good viewing. The Raiders were struggling big time when they played the Broncos in round 6 and pulled off one of the big upsets of the season. Brisbane then came down to Canberra and knocked off the Raiders late in the season.
The Raiders have a horrible all-time record in Brisbane, with the Broncos holding a 20-5 edge. The Raiders have beat the Broncos at Suncorp just twice since 2005, although one of them was last year.
Players to watch
Raiders – Jamal Fogarty: With Jack Wighton leaving, there is now no doubt about who calls the shots for the Raiders and Fogarty is doing a great job in the role. His kicking game has been exceptional all season and he’s allowed Strange to purely focus on being a dangerous ball runner. The Raiders will need Fogarty’ to continue his strong form and lead his team around to ‘s kicking game to be on point once again if they are to upset the Broncos.
Broncos – Patrick Carrigan: The Queensland star just hardly plays a poor game and is one of Brisbane’s most important players. With Flegler leaving the club and Haas injured, Carrigan has shouldered a big load in the middle of the field and he’s done a great job. They may wear different jersey numbers, but his battle with Tapine in the middle of the field should be a cracking contest.
Pre match predictions
Centre-stage:Â Timoko and Cobbo to both score a try in a terrific duel between two gun young centres. Raiders by 2.
Fly me to the Moon: Trey Mooney to announce himself in the NRL against a depleted Broncos front row, running for 150+ metres. Broncos by 6. – Denholm Samaras
Have any predictions of your own? Let us know in the comments below.
Other match details
The NRL match will be broadcast live on Fox League channel 502 and is also available to stream on Kayo. Overseas fans can watch via Watch NRL.
You can listen to the match on Raiders on Mix (Mix106.3 FM), Rad
