Broncos vs Storm NRL Rd 23 betting tips – Saturday 19/8/2022

Friday night football for round 23 wraps up in Brisbane with a blockbuster match between the Broncos and the Melbourne Storm. These two have had many incredible battles over the years, with one of their more notable clashes at Suncorp Stadium being the 2008 preliminary final that the Broncos lost in the dying minutes.

The Broncos bounced back last week after loses to the Tigers and Roosters to beat the Knights, while the Storm put in a huge defensive effort to beat the Panthers in Penrith. As it stands, both sides are as capable of finishing second on the NRL ladder as they are falling out of the top eight to miss the finals.

The Broncos have named un unchanged lineup from their win last weekend; however, this will be the Storm’s first look at a Broncos team led by Adam Reynolds, as he missed their clash earlier this season through injury. In positive injury news for the Storm, Jahrome Hughes has been named to return from his shoulder injury. Young Tonumaipea has also been named to come back into the centres for Marion Seve.

The Broncos and Storm have met on 51 occasions, with Melbourne finishing victorious in 37 of those matches. Alarmingly for the Brisbane Broncos, the Storm have a better winning rate at Suncorp than they do. However, those numbers for the Storm are skewed based on the extra games played in Brisbane during COVID lockdowns against lower-quality opposition.

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It should not be forgotten that earlier this season when the two sides met in Melbourne, the Broncos led during the first half before allowing a late try that would spur Melbourne on to victory. Reynolds would have been the difference for Brisbane that night, and will be this coming Friday, as the Storm must overcome a lot of travel to take down the Broncos. At $2.55 in head-to-head market at Marantelli Bet, the Broncos are certainly a winning chance in this match.

Selwyn Cobbo has returned from a serious concussion suffered in the third State of Origin game and looks back to his old self, scoring three tries last weekend against the Knights in what will be a massive boost for his confidence. Whether it’s through the kicking of Reynolds, or block plays inside Cobbo to create space out wide, the winger is the Broncos’ number one target. David Nofoaluma will be marking up on Cobbo, and the sheer difference in height and wingspan will make the Storm winger’s job very tough. Look for Cobbo to score at any point during the match, paying $2.05.

Given the huge travelling toll the Storm could find themselves under, and the bounce back win for the Broncos last week, it’s interesting to observe the half-time/full-time double markets. The Storm are very short odds to lead all the way and win, but the odds support the theory that if the Broncos can get out to an early lead and carry that to half-time, they’ll be hard to beat. At $3.90, it’s a solid play to back the Broncos on the HT/FT double.

Key matchup: Kotoni Staggs vs Jahrome Hughes

The clash of these two centres will be one of the defining points of the match. Kotoni Staggs has stood up against the likes of Joseph Manu and Siosifa Talakai this season, proving he is one of the most elite centres in our game. He clearly takes big matchups personally, and Friday may be the ultimate test. Some call Justin Olam one of the hardest players in the NRL to tackle, because of his size, strength and leg speed. Staggs may need to step up again to a whole other level if he is to contain Olam and the left-edge attack of the Storm.

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