The Broncos have already chalked up eight wins this season, one more than they achieved in all of 2021 and five more than their disastrous 2020 wooden spoon campaign.
With Adam Reynolds leading the way, the Broncos have been a revelation this season, riding high on the class and composure of their new No.7 and the brilliance of Kotoni Staggs and Selwyn Cobbo.
The Raiders have started to the find their groove in the past month and are capable of matching it with anyone when Josh Papalii, Joseph Tapine, Ryan Sutton and Adam Elliott lay a platform for their halves to work off.
Tapine was a colossus in Papalii's absence against the Roosters and he'll have a huge role to play again on Saturday night if the Green Machine are to roll into the top eight by making a statement against a serious finals contender.
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The Rundown
Team news
Broncos: Payne Haas and Patrick Carrigan are confirmed to play against the Raiders on Saturday. However, Selwyn Cobbo has been rested and Kotoni Staggs has not recovered in time from a shoulder cork sustained in Wednesday night’s bruising Origin opener. Former Dragons winger Jordan Pereira comes in for Cobbo, while Staggs has been replaced in the starting team by Brenko Lee. Adam Reynolds is also a confirmed starter having missed the past few weeks.
Raiders: Jordan Rapana's one-game ban for dangerous contact sees James Schiller join the starting side on the wing. Origin reps Jack Wighton and Josh Papali'i have been named to play. However, Papali'i will start on the bench, with Corey Horsburgh taking his place in the front-row. Corey Harawira-Naera (COVID protocols) also returns on the bench.
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Key match-up
Adam Reynolds v Jamal Fogarty: With two games now under his belt Fogarty should be feeling more comfortable at the controls of the Green Machine and he'll need to be on his game to combat Reynolds. The Broncos No.7 hasn't played since round 10 so he may be a little bit rusty but even at 80 per cent capacity he remains one of the best in the business with his astute kicking and masterful game management. A great test for Fogarty to see where his game is at and also whether the Raiders have what it takes to be able to win in hostile surroundings against an in-form opponent.
Stat Attack
Joseph Tapine tormented the Broncos in 2021 with a total of 280 running metres from 24 hit-ups in 86 minutes of game time coming from the bench. The Maori All Stars prop is now a regular starter in Ricky Stuart's pack and is averaging 153 metres per game this season as well as racking up 28 tackle breaks.
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