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The second NRL Preliminary Final will see the Broncos hosting the Warriors at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night, with the winner progressing to the 2023 NRL Grand Final. The Broncos won the only previous meeting between the pair this season, and they’ll be looking to put an end to the ‘Up the Wahs’ catch cry, that so many have gotten behind. 

This should be a cracking contest, and what better way to take it all in than with Draftstars who have a $15,000 guaranteed contest for the Broncos and Warriors, with several other contests available, there’s something for everyone, so get involved and make this game even more exciting!

Team News

The Broncos have made zero changes to the 17 who shut the Storm out in week 1 of the finals, and with the entire squad having a week off, should be well rested heading into the game.

As for the Warriors, they have also named the same 17 to their last up team, their 40-10 semi-final win over the Knights last week. There’s a few bumps and bruises after last weekend’s game, however they are expected to be 1-17.

Betting Markets

Brisbane Broncos ($1.26) vs New Zealand Warriors ($3.90)

Total O/U - 42.5

Overview

With the top 4 sides in the regular season reaching the Preliminary Finals, it’s safe to say that these 4 teams are the best in the NRL. Is there a difference between these 4 sides though, or are they relatively evenly matched? In my opinion, no, no they aren’t. Since around the midway point in the season, it has become quite obvious to me that the Panthers and Broncos are the class of the field, and were destined to meet each other on Grand Final day in 2023. And whilst I’ve loved seeing the Warriors perform so well this season, I believe their season ends on Saturday night, at the hands of the Broncos.

Love It – Selwyn Cobbo - $13,180

Cobbo has been in tremendous form of late, not just in real life NRL, but also in Draftstars. He has 5 tries in his past 3 games, whilst sporting a solid 3-game average of 48.2. Cobbo has the high sort of upside you look for in a game that could turn into a defensive grind, as he is more than capable of scoring multiple tries in a game, with three hat tricks this season. Cobbo plays on the right side, meaning he will be attacking the weaker left side defence of the Warriors.

Love It – Adam Reynolds - $20,110

This is the reason the Broncos brought Adam Reynolds to Red Hill, to get them back to the big dance. Reynolds has been tremendous this season, steering this team around the park with arguably the best kicking game in the NRL. He’s averaged a solid 57.5 this season, and whilst he doesn’t have anywhere near the upside of Shaun Johnson in this spot, I trust the Broncos’ defence to shut the Warriors down, making it difficult for Johnson to really get going. Reynolds has just the two scores all year under 40 (when playing the full 80 minutes), and I love him getting between 50 and 60 without any dramas here.

Love It – Tohu Harris - $20,270

Harris has been an absolute beast for the Warriors in Draftstars for years, and right now he is in tremendous form. With 5-straight scores of 60+, you can set and forget about Harris, and be assured that he is just going to pump out a very solid score for you, at worst. If he can somehow jag an attacking stat, you’re looking at a 70+ score in a matchup where the other big-name forwards have been struggling for big scores of late.

Hate It – Shaun Johnson - $23,310

SJ has had a phenomenal year, and could be in line for a Dally M medal at the end of the year, however I believe he’s overpriced here in a matchup I see the Warriors struggling to score in. In the previous meeting between the teams, Johnson managed 52 points in the Warriors 26-22 loss. Despite a 40-point performance last week, SJ only managed 59 points, and has apparently lost the goal-kicking duties. The Warriors did their best to hide Johnson in defence, which only marginally hurts his score, however I see the median score for SJ being less than the median score of Adam Reynolds, who is $3k cheaper.

Hate It – Addin Fonua-Blake - $19,070

AFB vs Payne Haas could be a matchup with the two best prop forwards in the game. Despite AFB being a tremendous performer this season in Draftstars, I’m going to fade him here. I believe the Broncos’ forward pack is going to hold this Warriors forward pack in check, and as the leader of the pack, AFB will be their number 1 target to shut down. Fonua-Blake has 9 tries this season, so fading him is always a concern, but without a try AFB could be on his way to a sub-50 score in my opinion.

Who Knows – Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad - $14,000

CNK is the sort of guy who can win you a contest, and can also single handedly cost you one. He is rarely heavily owned, so a decent score is a great point of difference play that can greatly assist you, however the inverse of that is also a concern. With 6 scores above 50, and 4 scores under 30, CNK’s range of outcomes is about as wide as anyone’s in this matchup. CNK was tremendous when these teams met in round 13, scoring 65 points after running for 240 metres and scoring a try. Has a great upside, but wow it’s a gamble putting him in your team.

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