NRL 2021: Broncos bolstered by two key ins ahead of grudge match against Storm

The Broncos have received a welcome boost for their daunting road trip to face their long-time rivals, moving a key player to the bench.

Matt Lodge is back for the Broncos. Picture Peter Wallis

Broncos skipper Alex Glenn has backed halfback Brodie Croft to succeed against the Melbourne club that didn’t want him in Friday night’s clash against the Storm at AAMI Park.

Brisbane’s engine room has been bolstered at the perfect time, with Matt Lodge (hamstring) and Payne Haas (suspension) returning to the midfield as the Broncos brace for a daunting road trip to face their long-time nemesis.

But all eyes will be on Melbourne discard Croft, who will be determined to fire against the Storm, acutely aware a sub-par performance will open the door for Tom Dearden in the fierce battle for the Broncos No.7 jumper.

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Brodie Croft played 39 games for the Storm before being released to the Broncos last season.

Dearden was named 18th man for the Storm clash, but The Courier-Mail understands he could be a late inclusion to Brisbane’s 17 — just as he was in their 24-0 defeat of the Bulldogs last Saturday night.

In the wake of the Canterbury win, Broncos coach Kevin Walters made it clear he wanted to give Dearden more minutes, a clear sign Croft cannot afford to take his spot for granted at Red Hill.

Croft was jettisoned by the Storm just 12 months after steering Melbourne to the 2018 grand final, giving the 23-year-old sufficient ammunition to deliver at AAMI Park with Dearden breathing down his neck.

“I have never been in a situation where I have gone to another club, but it‘s a huge opportunity for Brodie to prove his worth to Melbourne and why they shouldn’t have let him go,” Glenn said.

“Crofty has been critiquing his game all off-season.

“The battle of our halves has been one of the most spoken positions in our team.

“When you come up against a quality team, it‘s a great opportunity to showcase the skills you have and what you can do in first grade and this is another opportunity for Brodie Croft.

“He will step up to the occasion for sure.”

While Brisbane snapped a 13-game losing streak last week against the Bulldogs, the true litmus test will come against a Melbourne side they haven‘t beaten in eight consecutive contests dating back to 2016.

The Broncos have sorely missed the midfield presence of Lodge, who injured him hamstring in round one against the Eels, and Haas, who has not played this season after his NRL-imposed three-game ban for an off-field incident.

Matt Lodge has been missed by the Broncos. Picture: Peter Wallis

Haas averaged 175 metres and 44 tackles per game last season, numbers that will be crucial for a Broncos pack facing a torrid assignment against Melbourne monsters Jesse Bromwich, Christian Welch and Nelson Asofa-Solomona.

Lodge and Haas trained at Leichhardt Oval on Tuesday, with Glenn insisting Brisbane have no excuses despite being forced into COVID lockdown in Sydney.

“It‘s a huge asset for us having those two boys (Haas and Lodge) back,” he said.

“Those two boys trained well. ‘Lodgey’ looks unscathed. He wasn’t lacking confidence at training, he was opening up with his hamstring so it’s good to have those boys back.

“We are under some strict quarantine rules. Everyone is their own room, we are all isolated. There are a lot of things uncertain about how the week will pan out but we are dealing with it as best we can.”

STORM V BRONCOS

Fri 2 Apr, AAMI Park, Melbourne, 8:05pm

STORM

1 Ryan Papenhuyzen, 2 George Jennings, 3 Reimis Smith, 4 Justin Olam, 5 Josh Addo-Carr, 6 Cameron Munster, 7 Jahrome Hughes, 8 Jesse Bromwich, 9 Brandon Smith, 10 Christian Welch, 11 Tom Eisenhuth, 12 Ken Bromwich, 13 Nelson Asofa-Solomona

Bench: 14. Tyson Smoothy 15. Tui Kamikamica 16. Chris Lewis 17. Darryn Schonig

Reserves: 18 Aaron Pene 19. Nicho Hynes 20. Trent Loiero 21. Dean Ieremia

BRONCOS

1 Jamayne Isaako, 2 Xavier Coates 3 Herbie Farnworth, 4 Tesi Niu, 5 David Mead, 6 Anthony Milford, 7 Brodie Croft, 8 Matt Lodge, 9 Jake Turpin 10 Payne Haas 11 Alex Glenn 12. Jordan Riki 13 Pat Carrigan

Bench: 14. John Asiata 15. Thomas Flegler 16. Tevita Pangai Jnr 17. Ben Te’o

Reserves: 18. Tom Dearden 19. Rhys Kennedy 20. Richard Kennar 21. Ethan Bullemor

BUOYANT BRONCOS EMBRACING LONG STINT IN ENEMY TERRITORY

The COVID crisis ripped apart the Broncos last year but coach Kevin Walters is embracing their latest setback as a chance for an Origin-style bonding camp following a rushed relocation to Sydney on Monday.

The Broncos will remain in Sydney for the next fortnight to escape Brisbane’s snap three-day lockdown ahead of Friday’s clash with the Storm in Melbourne.

At this stage, they are not due to return home until after next Thursday’s match with South Sydney.

Brisbane’s interim CEO Neil Monaghan revealed the club was preparing to use the hub life as a chance to strengthen team camaraderie.

The Broncos are relocating to Sydney due to Queensland’s COVID crisis.

“Coach Kev Walters and all the players and staff are seeing this time on the road as a great opportunity to further strengthen their team bond, especially coming off the back of a morale boosting win,” Monaghan said.

Fifty football staff and players boarded a chartered flight on Monday afternoon, bound for Sydney, where the club will set up camp for the next two weeks.

Joining the squad this week will be powerhouse forward Payne Haas, who will return from suspension to play against Melbourne this week, and enforcer Matt Lodge.

Brisbane Broncos player Payne Haas training at Red Hill. Photo: Tara Croser.

Lodge was close to playing against the Bulldogs last weekend but the club’s medical staff erred on the side of caution as he recovered from a hamstring injury.

“Matt was a chance to be available for selection last week but just at this stage of the year, we didn’t want to take any risks with his hamstring, but he’s ready to go now,” Broncos head of performance Andrew Croll said.

“Payne has been working hard behind the scenes in terms of strength and conditioning, and he’s ready to go, too.

“He doesn’t have game fitness but we have done a series of training sessions that mirror that as best we can.”

Ethan Bullemor and Rhys Kennedy are likely to drop out of the Broncos starting squad to accommodate the return of Haas and Lodge.

The Broncos fly to Sydney before Brisbane’s 5pm lockdown is enforced. Picture: Josh Woning

The return of Brisbane’s big bodied forwards will come as a huge boost following their morale-boosting 24-nil win over the Bulldogs last weekend.

Brisbane were completely dismantled after last year’s COVID shutdown period.

After winning the first two games of the season, the Broncos endured their worst period in club history, losing 17 of their next 18 matches and claiming the 2020 wooden spoon.

The club aren’t prepared to allow a repeat of last year, with Monaghan admitting the football staff and players were excited about the upcoming challenge.

“The players and staff have taken the changes in their stride, and while it’s tough on many of our team with young families, they are keen to get on the road and prepare for a great challenge against the Storm,” Monaghan said.