Matchday Details
Saturday, 2 May 2026 – 7:35pm (AEST) – Allianz Stadium, Sydney
📺 Broadcast: Fox League / Kayo
Referee: Adam Gee | Senior Review Official: Chris Butler
Sydney Roosters: 1. James Tedesco (c), 2. Daniel Tupou, 3. Hugo Savala, 4. Robert Toia, 5. Mark Nawaqanitawase, 6. Daly Cherry-Evans, 7. Sam Walker, 8. Naufahu Whyte, 9. Reece Robson, 10. Lindsay Collins, 11. Angus Crichton, 12. Siua Wong, 13. Victor Radley, 14. Connor Watson, 15. Spencer Leniu, 16. Nat Butcher, 17. Salesi Foketi, 18. Cody Ramsey, 19. Tommy Talau, 20. Benaiah Ioelu, 21. Egan Butcher, 22. Blake Steep
Brisbane Broncos: 1. Reece Walsh, 2. Josiah Karapani, 3. Kotoni Staggs, 4. Gehamat Shibasaki, 5. Deine Mariner, 6. Ezra Mam, 7. Adam Reynolds, 8. Ben Talty, 9. Cory Paix, 10. Jack Gosiewski, 11. Xavier Willison, 12. Jordan Riki, 13. Patrick Carrigan, 14. Josh Rogers, 15. Jaiyden Hunt, 16. Va’a Semu, 17. Aublix Tawha, 18. Jesse Arthars, 19. Hayze Perham, 20. Luke Gale, 21. Thomas Duffy, 22. Antonio Verhoeven
Match Preview
Two of the NRL’s in-form teams meet in a Saturday night blockbuster at Allianz Stadium.
With five wins each, the Sydney Roosters and Brisbane Broncos will both be looking to add another two points to the table coming into the Origin period.
Following their 62-16 thrashing of St George Illawarra on ANZAC Day, Roosters coach Trent Robinson has made no changes to his team, with Billy Smith still struggling to overcome a knee complaint.
There are plenty of changes to the Broncos side, with Michael Maguire welcoming back Pat Carrigan (suspension), Reece Walsh, and Aublix Tawha (facial fractures). Brendan Piakura is out with a knee, so Xavier Willison moves to the edge after starting at lock in Carrigan’s absence. The return of Walsh sees Hayze Perham drop to the extended bench, while Tawha takes the place of Preston Riki on the interchange.
After piling on 62 points against the Dragons, the Roosters now rank third for points scored per game. They found a lot of success on their right edge in attack, with Siua Wong and Robert Toia the main beneficiaries, combining for nine tackle breaks, three offloads, and two tries. The Roosters have scored 134 points in their past three games as the new halves combination between Sam Walker and Daly Cherry-Evans has begun to gel.
Despite their casualty ward in recent weeks, the Broncos have begun to show some of their premiership form after a slow start to the season. Adam Reynolds played a vital role in their defeats of the Tigers and Bulldogs over the past two weeks, ably assisted by Kotoni Staggs and Ezra Mam. Xavier Willison has stepped up in the middle, making over 170 metres and breaking four tackles in each of the past two games, while makeshift props Ben Talty and Jack Gosiewski have also been strong in both attack and defence.
The big match-up will be between the Roosters left edge of Daniel Tupou and Hugo Savala and the Broncos right edge of Deine Mariner and Kotoni Staggs.
Savala has been strong for the Roosters despite playing out of position at centre, however he is yet to come up against a player of Staggs’ quality. Staggs has been among the best centres in the competition in 2026 and will be keen to continue that form as he aims for a New South Wales recall. Mariner has quietly gone about his work on the Broncos’ right wing, scoring important tries in the past two games but, like Savala, comes up against a more experienced opponent in Tupou. Tupou is playing his 297th first grade game and is one try away from equalling Billy Slater (190) as the third-greatest try scorer in NRL history.
All-time results have been split fairly evenly between the two teams, with the Broncos holding a 33-28 overall advantage. Things have been more one-sided in recent years, with the Roosters winning eight of the 11 matches the two teams have played since 2020. Results were split one-a-piece in 2025 as the Broncos smashed the Roosters 50-14 at Allianz Stadium in Round 1, only for the Roosters to pull off a major upset at Suncorp Stadium a month later, 26-16.
Prediction
RLZ Tip: Roosters by 4.
Bold call: Roosters win it in the final minutes.
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