Brisbane Broncos vs North Queensland Cowboys
24th September 1050hrs
Rugby League – Australia – NRL
Pick Broncos to win
Bookmaker Bet365
Odds: Even money odds taken 0112 GMT, Wednesday 23rd September
The Broncos look set for the wooden spoon at the end of the regular season in the NRL. The giants of the game have fallen a long way this term.
A win in this one, which is a bottom-three clash, could see them avoid that. But with a horrendous losing streak, can they raise their game for one last effort?
The Cowboys are out of form as well, so this should be a tense showdown at the Suncorp Stadium to kick off round 20 with.
Table of Contents
Brisbane Broncos Preview – Broncos need a win to try and avoid the wooden spoon
In 2015 the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys met in the Grand Final of the NRL season.
Now here they are on the last weekend of the regular season, trying to avoid the wooden spoon.
Two points for the Broncos out of this fixture will see them move level on eight points with North Queensland.
But the Canterbury Bulldogs are also in this battle to avoid the wooden spoon and if they match whatever the Broncos do in terms of result, will finish above Brisbane.
So it’s all up in the air.
The losing streak of the Brisbane Broncos is now up to ten games after losing against the Eels last last weekend 26-12.
In none of their last four matches now have Brisbane managed to put more than 12 points on the board.
The last time that the Broncos won a match this season was against the Canterbury Bulldogs in round nine.
How badly they need another one here, but they are the Even money underdogs for the match outright* (odds taken 0112 GMT, Wednesday 23rd September).
After round 19 the Broncos now are the lowest scoring team and the team with the worst defensive record in the NRL.
Their home record is W2 L7 for this campaign and to make things worse they have lost David Fifita to an ankle injury.
Overall it is a W3 L16 record that the Brisbane Broncos have come up with this season.
But as mentioned they did beat the Cowboys back in March by a seven point margin and that extended their form over North Queensland to a three-match winning streak.
North Queensland Cowboys Preview – Cowboys to struggle on the road again?
The away form of North Queensland has been poor this season as they are W1 L8 on the road for the campaign.
The Cowboys suffered a somewhat predictable loss against the minor premiers the Penrith Panthers last weekend, a 32-12 defealt.
That has left North Queensland with just one win in their last five played and like the Broncos have been struggling to score points.
But they are averaging 17 points per game this season, which is above the 13 points average that the Broncos have produced.
Looking back a little further at the head to head form, the Cowboys have claimed just two wins in their last seven meetings.
The two wins that the Cowboys collected in that sequence over the Broncos were by a margin of no more than four points.
The North Queensland Cowboys are the 4/5 odds-on favourites in the match outright* (odds taken 0112 GMT, Wednesday 23rd September).
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North Queensland Cowboys have bettered the defensive output than that of the Broncos as well.
It has been an average of 26 points conceded per game by the Cowboys this season, compared to the 31 points per game by the Broncos.
From their last 21 visits to the Suncorp Stadium, the Cowboys have won 7 times.
The handicap line is obviously going to be really narrow for this one and a Cowboys -2 option is at 11/10* (odds taken 0112 GMT, Wednesday 23rd September).
A win guarantees that the Cowboys don’t finish bottom. A loss and a win for the Canterbury Bulldogs in their final game, will mean that North Queensland end up at the bottom of the pile.
Brisbane Broncos vs North Queensland Cowboys Betting Advice
What a cracker of a game this duel between two of the bottom three should be. It’s almost inconceivable that the Broncos are in this position at all.
These are two teams who are badly out of form and really haven’t been challenging opposition’s defences very much at all.
So how do we separate the two of them for NRL betting for Thursday’s big showdown?
Key Facts – Brisbane Broncos vs North Queensland Cowboys Betting Tip
- Brisbane Broncos have lost their last ten league fixtures
- Brisbane Broncos are W5 L2 in their last seven against the Cowboys
- North Queensland Cowboys have only won 1 away game this season
It’s all in the head to head. Brisbane beat the Cowboys earlier this season and have, by and large, had the upper hand over them for a while.
So we just have to wing it. Another reason is that they did play well early on in their last home game against the minor premiers the Penrith Panthers, holding a lead over them at one point.
That, coupled with the poor away record of the Cowboys this season, just leaves us with the Win for the Broncos in the end.
Shopping around for a little extra value, a 1-7 margin for Brisbane is at 4/1*(odds taken 0112 GMT, Wednesday 23rd September)
The best betting odds for Brisbane Broncos vs North Queensland Cowboys
Brisbane Broncos to win: Evens at Bet365
Draw: 20/1 at Bet365
North Queensland Cowboys to win: 4/5 at Bet365
