Brisbane Broncos vs Penrith Panthers Preview & Prediction | 2026 NRL | Regular Season
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A fierce Friday night duel awaits in Queensland between the reigning NRL champion Brisbane Broncos and Penrith Panthers whom the hosts dethroned in 2025.
Start date/time:
How to watch on TV: UK – Sky Sports / Australia – Channel 9 / US – Some matches are televised live on Fox Sports
How to watch online: UK – Sky Go & Watch NRL / Australia – 9Now / US – Watch NRL, and if the match is televised in the USA it can also be streamed live on Fox Sports platforms
Brisbane Broncos team news
Brisbane Broncos are largely running back the same squad who won it all last year, although Tyson Smoothy has departed the club for Super League, whilst Kobe Hetherington has joined Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. The Broncos will also be without the injured Brendan Piakura.
Squad: Reece Walsh, Josiah Karapani, Kotoni Staggs, Gehamat Shibasaki, Deine Mariner, Ezra Mam, Adam Reynolds, Corey Jensen, Cory Paix, Payne Haas, Jack Gosiewski, Jordan Riki, Patrick Carrigan, Ben Hunt, Xavier Willison, Ben Talty, Aublix Tawha, Grant Anderson, Jesse Arthars, Blake Mozer, Jaiyden Hunt, Thomas Duffy
Team lists for round one can be found here
Penrith Panthers team news
Penrith Panthers will start the new campaign on the back foot immediately due to Liam Martin’s calf injury, but all the other familiar Penrith names are fit and ready to go, including talisman Nathan Cleary.
Squad: Dylan Edwards, Paul Alamoti, Izack Tago, Casey McLean, Brian To'o, Blaize Talagi, Nathan Cleary, Moses Leota, Mitch Kenny, Lindsay Smith, Scott Sorensen, Luke Garner, Isaah Yeo, Jack Cogger, Luron Patea, Isaiah Papali'i, Kalani Going, Thomas Jenkins, Freddy Lussick, Billy Phillips, Jack Cole, Sione Fonua
Team lists for round one can be found here
Brisbane Broncos vs Penrith Panthers prediction
Even though we are entering a new season, the pain of last year’s preliminary final defeat at the hands of eventual champions Brisbane Broncos won’t be lost on Penrith Panthers, who were denied the chance of a historic five-peat as a result of that loss.
But the Broncos could well be entering a period of NRL dominance themselves with an electric roster capable of dismantling defences with speed, skill and power. Whilst Penrith boast quality attacking stocks themselves, with Nathan Cleary leading the charge, the worry for them will be coping defensively with Brisbane.
Not having Liam Martin is a big miss in a fixture such as this when considering the nature of Brisbane’s offense and of course one of their biggest weapons will be the speed and ability of Reece Walsh to glide past his opponents.
The Aussie international full-back racked up 124 points last season and it would be no surprise to see him play a decisive role in a home win in this highly-anticipated showdown.
Brisbane Broncos vs Penrith Panthers tip: Brisbane Broncos to win and Reece Walsh to score a try
