Broncos prop Matt Lodge says he’s ready for toughest test of career against Burgess brothers
BRONCOS enforcer Matt Lodge has declared he is ready to stand up to the Burgess brothers and South Sydney’s monster forward pack in the biggest test of his NRL career.
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BRONCOS enforcer Matt Lodge has declared he is ready to stand up to the Burgess brothers and South Sydney’s monster forward pack in the biggest test of his NRL career.
An estimated 480kg of forward muscle will collide at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday when Lodge braces for forward fireworks as the Broncos search for some consistency ahead of the finals.
Brisbane have crashed back into eighth spot on the NRL ladder following back-to-back losses to the Bulldogs and Cowboys over the last two weeks.
That will make Thursday night’s clash a must-win showdown for Lodge and his Broncos cohorts against a South Sydney side surging ominously towards the club’s second premiership in four years.
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Relegated to the bench in recent weeks, Lodge was on Tuesday named in Brisbane’s starting side and hopes to stay there to confront the muscle and power of Sam, George and Tom Burgess.
“It’s a massive test for me but that’s what we play the game for,” Lodge said.
“I’ll be training hard this week to get ready to take them on. They are huge boys so it’s important our forwards, myself included, stand up to them.
“Souths have been a lot more consistent than us but I’m confident in the playing group we have here to hold our own.
“The draw is tough for us now but we won’t be giving up. It’s not hard at this time of year to get up for the big games and I can’t wait to rip into Souths.”
The combined weight of the Burgess brothers is a formidable 362kg, with George the heaviest at 126kg.
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Lodge, however, hopes a slight reduction in weight has him well conditioned to spearhead a Rabbitohs boilover as the Broncos fight to stay in the finals race.
In his first full NRL season since 2015, Lodge has shaved 3kg from his frame to tip the scales at 118kg and is looking sharper across the ground.
“After three years out, my fitness was always going to be an issue,” he said.
“It’s starting to come back to me a bit more and hopefully I will keep getting fitter. I have a lot to work on but I’ve put a lot of games together this season and it’s helping my fitness.
“The speed of the game really tested me, I was a bit off the pace at the start but I knew it would be come back to me after all that time out.”
Broncos coach Wayne Bennett has tweaked his side again, recalling Jordan Kahu at the expense of rookie centre Gehamat Shibasaki, who made his debut against the Cowboys last week.
Maroons ironman Josh McGuire returns to the Broncos’ No.13 jumper after his hair-pulling suspension, pushing prop Joe Ofahengaue back to the bench.
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