Broncos vs Roosters, Friday night footy tips for May 18

7.55pm Friday May 18, 2018, at Suncorp Stadium

Two of the hardest to read teams lock horns on Friday night in a match that could be the catalyst for the victor’s surge up the ladder.

The Brisbane Broncos were stunned last week by the Sea Eagles in a match that typified exactly where the Queenslanders are currently at.

Looking to back up their narrow win over the Canterbury Bulldogs from the week before, the Broncos incredibly went down by 14 points to one of the worst teams in the NRL at Suncorp Stadium.

Their Friday opponents by contrast displayed why they were the pre-season fancies for the NRL Grand Final.

The Sydney Roosters put together their finest win of the season with a 32 point smashing of the New Zealand Warriors across the Tasman.

The Tricolours stunned the competition by keeping the prolific Kiwis scoreless in a rout that put the rest of the competition on notice. The big question now is, can the Chooks string some consistency together?

Players to watch – Broncos v Roosters

Broncos – James Roberts: The electric Roberts has one of the shining lights for the Broncos throughout their stop-start season, and they’ll need the man they call “The Jet” to be at his best to win this one. One of the more dynamic players in the NRL, Roberts should be at his line-breaking best on Friday.

Roosters – Latrell Mitchell: Mitchell has cemented his position as one of the NRL’s must-watch players this season, finding consistency for a team that has struggled to string together good patches of footy week-to-week. Mitchell is a constant try scoring threat and will be one of the main attacking options on Friday night.

Broncos team

1 Darius Boyd (c), 2 Corey Oates, 3 James Roberts, 4 Tom Opacic, 5 Jamayne Isaako, 6 Anthony Milford, 7 Kodi Nikorima, 8 Matthew Lodge, 9 Andrew McCullough, 10 Sam Thaiday, 11 Tevita Pangai jnr, 12 Jaydn Su’A, 13 Joe Ofahengaue

Interchange: 14 Sam Tagataese, 15 Gehamat Shibasaki, 16 Korbin Sims, 17 Patrick Mago

Roosters team

1 James Tedesco, 2 Joseph Manu, 3 Latrell Mitchell, 4 Mitchell Aubusson, 5 Blake Ferguson, 6 Luke Keary, 7 Cooper Cronk, 8 Siosiua Taukeiaho, 9 Jake Friend (c), 10 Dylan Napa, 11 Boyd Cordner (c), 12 Ryan Matterson, 13 Isaac Liu

Interchange: 14 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, 15 Zane Tetevano, 16 Kurt Baptiste, 17 Victory Radley

Broncos v Roosters – who will win?

Many labeled the Roosters’ win against the Warriors last week as the turning point of their season and we cannot help but agree. It was a hammering of epic proportions against a team that was beginning to look like a genuine premiership threat.

Conversely, the Brisbane Broncos were abysmal against a Sea Eagles outfit that had been listless in the games prior. What Brisbane team will show up on Friday night is anyone’s guess, and that’s never a good thing.

We’ve said it multiple times this season, but it’s truly time for the Roosters to string some wins together. We think they’ll have no trouble in dispatching the Broncos at Suncorp.

Tip:Penrith Panthers by 1-12 points ($3 with Sportsbet)