North Queensland Cowboys vs Brisbane Broncos Preview & Prediction | 2026 NRL | Regular Season
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After stunning league leaders Penrith Panthers, we see if Brisbane Broncos can follow that up with another positive result, this time against North Queensland Cowboys.
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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
North Queensland Cowboys team news
Tom Mikaele is back for North Queensland Cowboys, but the big news is the ankle injury to Tom Dearden, rendering him unavailable in what is a huge loss to the hosts.
Squad: Scott Drinkwater, Braidon Burns, Jaxon Purdue, Tom Chester, Murray Taulagi, Jake Clifford, Tom Dearden, Thomas Mikaele, Reed Mahoney, Jason Taumalolo, Heilum Luki, Jeremiah Nanai, Reuben Cotter, Soni Luke, Griffin Neame, Matthew Lodge, Coen Hess, Zac Laybutt, Ethan King, Sam McIntyre, Kaiden Lahrs, Liam Sutton
Brisbane Broncos team news
Billy Walters could make his first NRL appearance of the season after a long ACL injury layoff, whilst Brendan Piakura misses out through concussion.
Squad: Reece Walsh, Josiah Karapani, Kotoni Staggs, Gehamat Shibasaki, Deine Mariner, Ezra Mam, Adam Reynolds, Preston Riki, Cory Paix, Payne Haas, Xavier Willison, Jordan Riki, Patrick Carrigan, Ben Hunt, Ben Talty, Va'a Semu, Grant Anderson, Billy Walters, Luke Gale, Hayze Perham, Jesse Arthars, Joshua Coric
North Queensland Cowboys vs Brisbane Broncos prediction
North Queensland Cowboys were blown away by the Dolphins last weekend, losing 36-16 a game which saw their defence dominated. They’ll need to tighten things up or they could fall victims to Brisbane Broncos, who are riding the crest of a wave after their shock win over the table topping Penrith Panthers.
The Broncos have not been high scorers, failing to reach 20 points in each of their last four games. But their backline was superb against Penrith and a similar performance in this one would make life really tough for the Cowboys’ offence. This represents Brisbane’s best route to victory, so backing a low-scoring encounter appears a shrewd play.
North Queensland Cowboys vs Brisbane Broncos tip: Under 38.5 total points.
