Preview: Broncos v Cowboys

VENUE & TIME: Suncorp Stadium, Friday March 12, 8.35pm (AEDT)
COVERAGE: Channel 9
HEAD TO HEAD: Broncos 21, Cowboys 4, Drawn 2
LAST TIME: Broncos 16 - Cowboys 10 at Dairy Farmers Stadium, Round 25, 2009.

MATCH ODDS:
Luxbet: Broncos $1.80, Cowboys $2.02

WALKING WOUNDED: Already reeling from the departures of Karmichael Hunt, Joel Clinton and David Taylor, the Broncos have had an unlucky start to the 2010 NRL season before a single tackle has been made. Serious injuries to Justin Hodges (ruptured Achilles) and Jharal Yow Yeh (knee) have been part of the reason coach Ivan Henjak has called upon three debutants for this match. Hodges is expected to miss a large chunk of the season and the slick skills of the Test centre will be sorely missed by his club. For the Cowboys, Matt Bowen's persistent knee struggles have continued and Ty Williams will take his place at full-back. All eyes will be on high-profile recruit Willie Mason, who will start on the bench.

FORM: It may only be trial form, but Brisbane has performed well in the lead-up to this match. The Broncos notched wins against 2009 premier Melbourne (24-12), Canberra (32-24) and local side Redcliffe (30-20). They may have lacked game time together but judging from training, the Broncos' halves combo of Darren Lockyer and Peter Wallace should be as smooth as ever.
Johnathan Thurston's contract talks and Mason's move to North Queensland has ensured the Cowboys have had their fair share of headlines in the past few months. The visitors have enjoyed a mixed bag of results in the pre-season, dropping games to the Wests Tigers (28-4) and the New Zealand Warriors (28-6) before a confidence-boosting 22-4 win over Gold Coast.

WHO'S HOT: As has often transpired in the past few years, the battle between opposing skippers and Test halves Lockyer and Thurston should provide plenty of highlights and is likely to be the key to the game. Henjak said on Thursday that his players have been placed on Thurston watch and it is not hard to see why. The 25-year-old's contemplation of a code switch has generated plenty of attention in the off-season and the cloud over his future will still be there come kick-off on Friday night. Lockyer will also start the season with serious question marks hanging over his future, but in the Australian skipper's case these relate to representative rugby league. But speculation will be the last thing on both captains' minds when they take the field.

WE THINK: As is generally the case with these derbies, this should be a highly-entertaining and pulsating game played in front of a near sell-out crowd. The class of Thurston could well be enough to get the Cowboys over the line. The playmaker has a knack for dazzling crowds at big-ticket matches, and Friday night should be no different. 'The show and go' will be out in force at Suncorp Stadium and his kicking game will give 18-year-old Corey Norman (the man Henjak has entrusted to fill Hunt's giant shoes at full-back) a thorough test in his NRL debut. The Cowboys have the edge in both experience and age and this might be enough to see them over the line against a youthful Broncos side that could be overawed by the occasion. Cowboys by eight points.