Broncos vs Titans NRL Round 8 betting tips – April 30, 2021

A Queensland Derby is the headline act for Friday Night Footy as the Gold Coast Titans travel north to take on the Brisbane Broncos in round eight of the 2021 NRL Premiership.

The Broncos have faced enormous backlash after another insipid loss away from home, with club legends and pundits speaking out strongly about their demise and how it may continue to get worse this year. The Titans are still in the top eight, but they’ll feel they missed an enormous chance up 24-10 against Souths to solidify their place as a genuine finals side for 2021.

With the news of Tom Deardon’s departure from Brisbane at season’s end, will Kevin Walters look to change his halves combination again to look towards the future? Can David Fifita continue his path of destruction when he takes on his old club at Suncorp Stadium for the first time? It may look like a mismatch on paper, but there is going to be plenty of drama in the Queensland capital on Friday night.

Broncos vs Titans match analysis

The away form of the Brisbane Broncos for some time now has been horrendous, but so far in 2021 they have had a chance to win every game they’ve played at Suncorp Stadium. Eight-point losses to both Parramatta and Penrith as well as a big win over the Bulldogs should give fans some hope that they’ll make a huge go of this.

The Titans have also been bad away from home this year, so the +12.5 line for the Broncos has to be thought about long and hard. Roll that in with a Xavier Coates try and you could have an incredible start to your weekend.

To be considered a good team, you have to start winning games away from home regularly, and the Titans need to view a quick trip up to Brisbane as the perfect place to get a vital two points. They did score 44 points in Townsville against the Cowboys, but since then they’ve only managed to score four points across their next two away fixtures. This week we might learn if it’s an interstate travel issue or whether it goes beyond the Queensland border.

A 1-12 Gold Coast win at $3.50 is terrific value when you consider the home form of Brisbane so far this year, so that number should be the place punters start for this game. David Fifita will no doubt score at least one try, but do not be shocked if he just unleashes again and bags a double.

Key matchup: Tevita Pangai Jr vs David Fifita

David Fifita is currently on pace to score 30 tries for the season as a forward, which would shatter Frank Burge’s mark of 24 in the 1919 season for Glebe as well as Steve Menzies’ 22-try haul for the 1995 season. Just how on earth are Brisbane going to stop him? Do they get Tevita Pangai Jr to run the ball continuously at him like they did in the second half of the round two clash to nullify his impact? It feels as though that is the only way you can limit him, by forcing him to make plenty of decisions and get his tackle count above 30, which is well above the 23 per game he currently averages. Both men possess super-human strength, and the whole footy public would love nothing more than to see these two lock horns at every possible chance on Friday night in front of a good crowd at The Cauldron.

Broncos vs Titans betting tips

Gold Coast Titans to win by 1-12 points

The Gold Coast Titans will get the win, but the Broncos will make them earn it. Something along the lines of a 28-18 scoreline would make for a fun Friday night.

Same game multi: 3 legs @ $11.75

Titans 1-12 with David Fifita and Xavier Coates to score at any time pays $11.75 at Sportsbet.