NRL Round 7 Preview and Prediction - Brisbane Broncos v Gold Coast Titans @ Suncorp Stadium

Brisbane Broncos v Gold Coast Titans @ Suncorp Stadium
 
Preview - The Gold Coast Titans will go looking to avoid a 4th straight loss when they make the short trip to Brisbane to take on the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium. The Titans’ season fast appears to be slipping away, sitting at 1-5 after being belted 48-16 last week by a Raiders’ team that was simply too big and too strong. Worryingly for the Titans, they have now conceded 5 tries, or more, five times already this season and, despite having a number of injuries, they don’t appear to be as resilient a side as they were in 2016. The Broncos finally got their attack into gear with a highly impressive 32-8 thumping of the Roosters at Suncorp Stadium last Thursday night. The Broncos have had by far the hardest draw in the NRL after 6 weeks and, whilst they have been generally outstanding defensively, last week was the first time they showed their attacking arsenal by moving the ball more often and with more success. 

History - Brisbane have an incredibly dominant record against the Titans, having won the last 5 straight, and 15 of the past 18 encounters. The Titans actually had a bright start to the rivalry winning 2 of the first 3, however it has been all one-way traffic from there.
 
Brisbane Broncos’ Scouting Report - With Ben Hunt out with a long term hamstring injury, Broncos’ Head Coach Wayne Bennett has turned to youngster Kodi Nikorima at halfback. Nikorima will have roughly 6 weeks to prove his quality, or expect the Broncos to go on the market for a big name Number 7 to replace Hunt in 2018. Corey Oates returns from injury, meaning David Mead is relegated to the bench despite starring on debut for the Club last week. 
 
Gold Coast Titans’ Scouting Report - The Titans have a host of changes as they finally start to get some troops back after being defeated through much of the opening 6 weeks of the competition. Gun hooker Nathan Peats will play his first game of the season, after dislocating his shoulder in the pre-season. Chris MacQueen and Ryan Simpkins are back in the starting pack, which relegates Karl Lawton, Max King and Leivaha Pulu all to the interchange bench. 
 
 Verdict - Broncos 1-12

I like Brisbane to get another win here. The Broncos appear to be about to get on a roll, whilst the Titans’ problems appear to be mounting. If the Broncos play like they did last week against the Roosters, and the Titans tackle the way they did against the Raiders, there is nothing stopping the Broncos racking up 40+ here and routing one of their arch rivals in front of their home fans. The Titans, this year, look like they have forgotten what made then such a gritty side last year, and they just don't have the defensive resolve, or the personnel with injuries hitting them hard. Whilst sometimes rivals’ games can bring out the best in the Titans, the Broncos I think will smell blood in this game if they can get a try or two early.