TOP TWO THE GOAL BUT TRAVEL HOLDS NO FEAR FOR BRONCOS

The Broncos remain in the hunt for the minor premiership – or at the very least a top-two finish – but if they fall just short, the club should hold no fear if travelling south is required. Brisbane can close out their regular season as high as first or as low as third on the Telstra Premiership ladder, but finishing in the top two would give them the opportunity to play two finals games at home before the decider in Sydney. The Broncos have only left Queensland six times so far this season, with their upcoming trip to Canberra on Saturday just their seventh foray away from the sunshine state after the Sea Eagles and Rabbitohs hosted home games north. They have also played all three Queensland teams twice each, with the Titans the only side able to take a game off them in Round 17. However, when required, they have shown they don’t mind travelling, winning all but one of their away matches so far in 2023. Successful trips have included wins against the Warriors in Napier during the Origin period and victory against the Eels in Darwin. Of their trips to Sydney, all three have been successful, with the side beating the Panthers at Penrith to launch their season, Cronulla at PointsBet Stadium and the Bulldogs in Belmore. Their only slip-up on the road so far has been against the Storm at AAMI Park in Melbourne, while their four other losses this season have all come at Suncorp Stadium. Broncos forward Jordan Riki emphasised the importance of making the most of playing well at home, particularly as they prepare to host their rivals during the finals series. “We will be at Suncorp on the last round game against Melbourne next Thursday, so that'll be awesome to be back at home; nothing beats a packed-out Suncorp,” Riki said. “Playing at the Gabba was awesome and thank you to those guys for hosting us; but I'm very excited to get back to Suncorp and just run out to a packed crowd, especially in front of Brisbane fans, nothing beats it.

The Broncos have won seven of their past eight finals games at Suncorp Stadium since 2009 when the club hosted a final, with just one finals defeat at home. Having missed the eight last year, it has been a remarkable turnaround for the club from last season to now and an even bigger contrast from when Riki made his NRL debut against the Raiders in 2020. After making a successful return from a plantar fascia injury in Round 23, with the forced break leaving him feeling “a lot more refreshed”, Riki said excitement was building around the club ahead of the first finals campaign for the majority of the playing group. “I was actually having a conversation with my mum the other day about it, it (will be) my first finals coming up, I'm really excited to get in there,” Riki said. “We just missed out last year and I know that burns us, especially me and a lot of the boys as well, we just missed out – we came ninth last year – so we really want to rip in and hopefully take it out this year. “I really do believe that we got the team to do it and the belief. "I think we've all just got one big picture and that's to win the grand final, that's the main thing for us at the moment.” Source; NRL.Com