The Broncos and Storm collide at Suncorp Stadium in Round 27 with every chance both sides could meet again in Week 1 of the finals after locking in top four finishes for 2023.
Brisbane is on track for their first minor premiership in 23 years with victory over the Storm guaranteeing top spot on the Telstra Premiership ladder after the Panthers surrendered a game against Parramatta last week.
The most likely scenario is two matches between the clubs in the next fortnight, presenting an intriguing situation for both coaches to ponder who to play and what sort of tactics to use in the final round.
Team news
Broncos: Josh Rogers and Blake Mozer will make their NRL debuts while Tristan Sailor plays his fourth game of the season at fullback and Jordan Pereira makes his first appearance for 2023 on the wing. Coach Kevin Walters has named three hookers in his 17-man side, with Cory Paix an option to spend time in the middle after the club confirmed no late changes in Wednesday’s 24-hour team update.
Storm: More changes for the Storm with Will Warbrick and Eliesa Katoa both ruled out. Grant Anderson will come on to the wing while Joe Chan will make his NRL debut in the back row. Exciting youngsters Sualauvi Faalogo and Jack Howarth also make their debuts off the bench alongside Alec MacDonald and Aaron Pene.
Stat Attack
- The Storm have won their past 13 matches against the Broncos dating back to 2017 while the Broncos have not defeated the Storm at Suncorp Stadium since 2009.
- The Broncos have won only two of their past six games at Suncorp.
- The Broncos will play their 900th game since entering the premiership in 1988.
- The Broncos’ winning percentage since 1988 stands at 59.5 (535 wins from 899 games). Only the Storm (66.4 per cent) have a higher historical winning record.