The Super League takes on the NRL for the rest of the weekend beginning on Saturday night when the Warrington Wolves host the Brisbane Broncos in the World Club Series match at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
It was an absolute bloodbath for the Super League sides last season and the beaten grand finalists Warrington will be out to prove that the domestic game over here can compete.
Warrington Wolves
Warrington began their season in France last week and suffered a defeat to the Catalans Dragons which doesn’t bode well for them here. Admittedly they had to play some of that match with 12 men due to a sin binning but that would have disappointed everyone to do with the Wolves although it might only make them even more fired up for this one.
It will be interesting to see if Warrington go out to play their expansive style of rugby in this match. While it is great to watch and they will be one of the best sides in the Super League this season because of it I’m not completely certain that is the way to go against an established NRL side of real quality.
Brisbane Broncos
England coach Wayne Bennett brings his Brisbane Broncos side over for a third year in a row. In their previous two visits they have beaten Wigan twice so they will be confident of completing the hattrick in this match. This is their first competitive match since the end of the NRL season though so they might be open to being rusty.
We have to remember that Brisbane were only fifth in the NRL last season and three sides above them didn’t fancy this match so it will be interesting to see how seriously the Broncos take it. It is rare that their brand are half-hearted about anything so I’m expecting them to be as competitive as they can be.
Team News
Warrington are expected to give a debut to Kevin Brown in this match but they remain without Ben Currie, Stefan Ratchford, Kevin Penny and Toby King. Ben Westwood returns from injury for the first time since the Challenge Cup final.
Wayne Bennett has left a couple of big players in Benji Marshall and Korbin Sims at home but he has brought a serious squad over with him. The squad includes Anthony Milford, Jordan Kahu, Darius Boyd, Matt Gillett and Sam Thaiday among others.
Betting
I think this will be a good curtain raiser for Sunday’s main event and unlike in previous years I think the Super League outfit can be competitive here. Warrington Wolves haven’t played in the series since 2015 when they were only six points worse than St George Illawarra and I fancy they’re a better side now.
That said they are up against a really tasty Brisbane Broncos outfit who boast some of the best talent in the game here. The spine of this Brisbane side is as good as it gets and the one thing you know about an NRL side is that they will complete their sets and dominate the field position with a wonderful kicking game.
I think Warrington will put up a decent fight in this match but ultimately I think the pressure the Broncos will bring will be too much. I expect Brisbane to win the game but not by as many as people think. A 1-12pt margin looks about right to me.
Tips
Back Brisbane Broncos to win by 1-12pts for a 3/10 stake at 3.35 with 888sport
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