Thursday first NRL Round 26 match is between Brisbane Broncos and Canterbury Bulldogs with the opening kick to commence at 7.45pm local time. The game is to be played at Suncorp Stadium which see’s away team Canterbury Bulldogs hold favouritism in the market. View our NRL live scores, odds and results for the game between Brisbane Broncos and Canterbury Bulldogs.

WHERE AND WHEN: Suncorp Stadium, 7.45pm (EST) Thursday

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Opening odds comparison:

Brisbane Broncos	2.45	2.40	N/A	2.40	2.45	N/A
Canterbury Bulldogs	1.55	1.58	N/A	1.58	1.55	N/A

Preview:

The final round of the regular NRL season kicks off early as the Broncos host the Bulldogs on Thursday night.

Brisbane’s season came to an end last week when, despite leading 14 – 0 and dominating the first half of the match against Newcastle, they were unable to defend their lead and defeated 26 – 18.

As was the case in the previous week, Brisbane allowed for soft tries near their own goal line and this current weakness well be exposed by Canterbury’s big forward pack.

Canterbury were slow off the mark last week and trailed their opponents Penrith early before gaining the upper-hand and clearing out to win by twenty points (34 – 14).

The win cemented the Bulldogs a final spot whilst at the same time, ending Penrith hopes playing on past this weekend.

Whilst the win was a comfortable one in the end, Canterbury Coach Des Hasler made no secret of the fact that his side would have to improve again before the finals.

They get their chance here to remedy their form before it’s too late.

Brisbane, who will miss the finals for only the second time in twenty-one years, will want to go out swinging and should prove solid competition for Canterbury however, the Dogs have won four of their last five against Brisbane and with a focus on producing an effort worthy of finals football, will be too strong.

Teams:

Brisbane Broncos:
Josh Hoffman, Corey Oates, Jack Reed, Alex Glenn, Jordan Kahu, Scott Prince, Ben Hunt, Ben Hannant, Andrew McCullough, Josh McGuire, Sam Thaiday, Matt Gillett, Corey Parker. Interchange: Peter Wallace, David Stagg, Dunamis Lui, Lama Tasi, Scott Anderson

Canterbury Bulldogs
Josh Morris, Mitch Brown, Krisnan Inu, Timoteo Lafai, Sam Perrett, Josh Reynolds, Trent Hodkinson, Aiden Tolman, Michael Ennis, James Graham, Tony Williams, Josh Jackson, Dale Finucane. Interchange: Dene Halatau, Tim Browne, Sam Kasiano, Martin Taupau, Lachlan Burr

NRL asks Bulldogs for Barba documents

Canterbury have been asked to hand over all documentation relating to their February suspension of Ben Barba to the NRL integrity unit as part of an investigation into the club’s handling of their star fullback.

Sydney barrister Tony Bannon SC will carry out the review on behalf of the NRL – with the league desperate to ensure transparency in its investigation as to process involved in Barba being stood down.

“It is important that everyone can have faith in the independence of the process and Tony Bannon is perfectly qualified to deliver that outcome,” NRL chief operating officer Jim Doyle said in a statement.

“He will be provided with all relevant information and have the opportunity to carry out any interviews he deems appropriate.

“It is our intention that the review will be completed as soon as possible but it is ultimately up to Mr Bannon to determine the final timeframe.”

Questions as to the Bulldogs handling of the the Dally M winner’s suspension for the opening three rounds of the season were raised following a weekend newspaper report which claimed Barba was alleged to have punched a woman in the face the day before he was suspended.

At the time of the suspension, then Bulldogs chief executive Todd Greenberg – who is now the NRL’s head of football – said Barba was being stood down to deal with personal problems.

There were suggestions at the time that those issues related to gambling and alcohol.

The Bulldogs last week released Barba from the final two years of his contract to join Brisbane in 2014.

Despite the cloud now hanging over Barba’s future, the Broncos were willing to discuss the potential impact he could have on the club.

Veteran lock Corey Parker reckoned the matchwinning No.1 should not be seen as the answer to the Broncos’ woes.

Brisbane were knocked out of the top eight hunt and relegated to their worst tally of season wins in the club’s history when they lost 26-18 to Newcastle last Friday night.

“He’s a quality player and he’s going to bring some spark to any team he goes to,” Parker said.

“But I don’t think it would be fair to say if Ben Barba was here things will be different.

“He’s going to be an added bonus but he’s not going to be the be-all and end-all.”

There is a chance Barba may even run out against Brisbane on Thursday night as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury.

Broncos captain Sam Thaiday said they were preparing as if Barba would play.

“I haven’t heard too much (but) we will prepare for that with the video stuff we do,” he said.

“But how do you prepare for a player like that? He brings an X-factor.”

Media were not allowed to ask Broncos players about the NRL investigation on Monday.

And Thaiday had no real answer when quizzed about what impact the probe may have on the Bulldogs’ performance on Thursday night.

“That’s for them to deal with. Our main focus is to get a bit of pride back,” he said.