Reece Walsh and the Brisbane Broncos host Mitchell Moses and the Parramatta Eels in a blockbuster clash at Suncorp Stadium.
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MATCH CENTRE: Broncos vs Eels teams, scores, videos, updates
The Broncos look set to be 1-17, but if injuries hit up front they won’t be able to turn to prop Ben Te Kura.
The towering forward last played NRL in Round 14 before suffering an ankle injury in June that required him to undergo surgery.
In a further setback, Maguire confirmed Te Kura had now sustained a foot fracture playing for Souths Logan, with the hope he will be fit to return for the final two or three games of the season.
Jason Ryles said pairing returning captain Mitch Moses with Dean Hawkins in the halves will be one of “a number” of combinations he will use for the rest of the season as part of the Eels continuing rebuild.
Moses is back “right on time” for Friday’s clash with the Broncos having recovered from a calf injury suffered during State of Origin training and will link up with Hawkins who replaces Joash Papalii in the number six jersey.
Hawkins’ shift is a subtle one, moving from halfback to five-eighth with Papalii returning to fullback as part selection musical chairs first-year coach Ryles will continue with as he tries to get a look at as much as he can with an eye on a quick improvement in 2026.
“There will be a number of combinations there before the end of the year,” Ryles said on Thursday.
“Dean gets an opportunity and Joe goes back to fullback. We’ll see what that looks like but we’re confident (Moses and Hawkins) have a good combination based on the reps at training.”
TEAMS
Broncos team: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Josiah Karapani 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Gehamat Shibasaki 5. Jesse Arthars 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Xavier Willison 9. Ben Hunt 10. Payne Haas 11. Brendan Piakura 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan 14. Billy Walters 15. Kobe Hetherington 16. Corey Jensen 17. Jack Gosiewski 18. Tyson Smoothy 19. Deine Mariner
Eels team: 1. Joash Papalii 2. Zac Lomax 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Sean Russell 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Dean Hawkins 7. Mitchell Moses 8. J’maine Hopgood 9. Ryley Smith 10. Junior Paulo 11. Charlie Guymer 12. Jack Williams 13. Dylan Walker 14. Tallyn Da Silva 15. Luca Moretti 16. Matt Doorey 17. Sam Tuivaiti 18. Dan Keir 19. Jordan Samrani 22. Dylan Brown
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