Brisbane Broncos fired up to take on Parramatta Eels at TIO Stadium

BRISBANE Broncos’ captain Alex Glenn called on his men to back up a strong showing against Penrith when they take on the Parramatta Eels at TIO Stadium on Friday.

Brisbane Broncos’ captain Alex Glenn holds a crocodile with Kiley Lenehan from Crocodylus Park. Photo: Che Chorley

BRISBANE Broncos’ captain Alex Glenn called on his men to back up a strong showing against Penrith when they take on the Parramatta Eels at TIO Stadium on Friday.

Last time the sides met in their Round 1 match-up, it was the Eels side that had the better of the encounter, winning 24-16.

Brisbane has since only managed the one win – a 24-0 beating of Bulldogs. But a recent tight, hard-fought 20-12 loss to Penrith showed plenty of reasons to be positive.

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Until the final five minutes, the Broncos were well in the game against the NRL’s top side and it’s a similar performance that Glenn wants from his men at TIO Stadium.

“It’s a huge honour to captain the Broncos up here on Anzac weekend and we were pretty excited about the trip up here,” Glenn said.

“We had a good game – or half – against Parramatta in Round 1 and we’re coming off a tough loss last week. So we want to get back in the winner’s circle as soon as possible.

“It’s a great challenge for us and a great experience to be up here. Defence is a big focus for us and last week is the first time we put in a good performance there.

“We played against Penrith who are the best side and had them until the last five minutes.

“So it’s important to back that up working off what we did then against another quality side.

“We’re always trying to expand our game so I think to have more games played up here will be amazing for the community up here.”

Matt Lodge received a particularly warm welcome on his first visit to the Top End, when a baby crocodile snapped its tail and urinated on his leg while the prop was holding it upon arrival.

Lodge pointed out Xavier Coates as one of the players for the Darwin crowd to look out for, particularly when the winger finds himself in space on the attack.

“It was a bit different. I’ve never held one (crocodile) before but it was impressive,” Lodge said.

“I’ve never been here before and we will be here for four days so will have a look around and we also have some stuff lined up to engage with the community.

“We have a team that’s always improving and building and there were a few positives last week and we also learned a few lessons so hopefully we take something from that.

“Xavier Coates is certainly someone who brings X-factor and that will get the crowd excited with his try-scoring ability.

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“Eels are a great team with a great forward pack, and all their key positions are in good form around the ball and up front, so we have our work cut out for us.

“Hopefully the community comes out and enjoys the spectacle and hopefully they bring another game back up here.”