Ofahengaue says it's time for 'payback' against Souths

The Broncos learned some harsh lessons in their round eight drubbing by the Rabbitohs but now Joe Ofahengaue says it is time for "payback" at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.

The 38-6 loss at ANZ Stadium sent the Broncos plummeting to 13th place on the ladder but they have turned their season around with five wins and a draw from their last seven games to move up to seventh.

The Rabbitohs, in contrast, have been on the slide with seven losses from 10 games dropping them from first to fifth.

Brisbane's formula for success has been based on the dominance of their young forward pack through the middle of the park, led by Payne Haas, and Ofahengaue said they were ready to turn the tables on Souths by sticking with a tried and true plan.

"It is payback for us because they dished us up down there. They scored 38 points on us. It is going to be a tough game and we know Wayne [Bennett] is going to pump their tyres up the whole week to try and do  a job on us here at home," the lock said.

"We have to keep doing what we have been the last six weeks. If we can keep punching through the middle with our big boys it gives more space out wide for Milf [Anthony Milford] and Kotoni to do their thing.

"This week we have really focused on what we are going to do and getting the two points, but it is payback in some way."

Ofahengaue said the Rabbitohs would be stung by their loss to Canterbury last week and that the Broncos were catching them on the rebound.

"For any top-four team to lose to a bottom-eight team like that they are obviously going to come out firing the next week. Everyone loves playing the Broncos. Everyone loves playing at Suncorp so we have got to expect the unexpected," he said.

"They are going to come out and try and ambush us but we have got to stand up and try and take the fight to them.

"If they have a four-man forward bench it is going to be a battle in the middle. We have got to take it personally because they are going to come up here and try and do a job on us."

The Broncos will welcome back Matt Gillett and Alex Glenn from injury but will be without Tevita Pangai for five weeks after the Tongan international was unsucessful at the NRL judiciary on Tuesday night in his quest to get a downgrade for a dangerous contact charge.

"It is upsetting for everyone at the club. Tevita is an awesome player and creates a lot of space around him so we are going to miss him," Ofahengaue said.

"He sent a message to WhatsApp saying sorry, but he had nothing to sorry about."

The Rabbitohs have named Sam Burgess in their side despite the England international re-injuring a quad in the loss to the Bulldogs. Prop Matt Lodge is hoping Burgess does take the field.

"Sam is one of my personal favourite players, he's probably my favourite forward to ever play the game. I just want to turn up on Friday night and get it on with him and see where we are at," Lodge said.

"He is one of their best forwards so hopefully there is a bit of a aggression in the game and we can go at each other. I'm willing to cop a few hits from Burgess as long as we don't get pinged for giving it back to him.

"That's what rugby league is about, people pay money to watch big guys get aggressive with each other and sometimes it can go that way."