After The Storm....

I'll touch on the Storm fiasco quickly. Firstly, I'm very glad that I'm no relation to Brian Waldron. I've had a strong dislike of the bloke for quite some time and this just reinforces that decision. Early indications pin Waldron as the ringleader of the scumbags involved with this. What really grinds my gears is the fact that Brian Waldron claimed that the NRL judiciary are cheats. The contempt of someone who allegedly was completely aware of the rorting occurring within the Storm calling someone else a cheat? Pot calling the Kettle black? What a joke.

Now that it's out of my system, let’s remind ourselves that there is indeed an NRL round this weekend.

The Broncos game promises to include a few decent matchups. The young buck halfback, Ben Hunt, taking on the wily veteran, Brett Kimmorely. Hunt's last dig at halfback resulted in the club's worst ever loss. Kimmorely was underdone in the pre-season and appears to be hitting his straps now. I'm a fan of Ben Hunt and hope he does well - my advice is to let Locky steer the ship and chime in where you can.

Jamal Idris lining up opposite of Ben Te'o is also interesting. Idris was the Rookie of the Year in 2009 and his size tends to undo many opponents. Te'o is no slouch though. A backrower by trade, he is capable of putting anyone on their behind at any time, regardless of reputation or ability. The problem that the left defence may face is the fact that Te'o, playing out of position, may not possess the communication skills required to be a solid defensive Centre. I think that it may not be an issue given we have Winterstein on his outside and Te'o is a renowned defender.

The last matchup that I want to touch on is Ben Hannant vs. the Broncos forward pack. He's a machine, we all know it. Just look at his stats this season - the Bulldogs are in all sorts however he is topping Metres Gained and 2nd in Tackles for the Doggies. The Broncos pack need to aspire to his workrate and here is their chance to show they aren't a pushover. Let's not forget the Dogs have Andrew Ryan, David Stagg and Mick Ennis as well. Should be a good test.

As I've said a few times this season, the game will hinge a lot on the ability of both sides to complete their sets. If the Broncos kick on from last week, they will need to hone that killer instinct in the back end of the second half.

Prediction? 24-18 Broncos.