After months of waiting, David Fifita finally makes his return for the Broncos. The return reminds me of a Looney Tunes skit where Wile E is desperately trying to get the parachute to launch, smashes into the ground only for it to then go off. Not only is the season over, the Broncos are essentially giving the Gold Coast Titans a sneak preview into their 2021 season.
It will be a boost for the Broncos who have really missed that penetration out-wide. In recent weeks, Pangai has played a lone hand and while he's come up with some good plays for the Broncos, at times he has been guilty of trying too hard or letting his frustrations get the better of him.
Fifita is set to be joined by Matt Lodge who returns after tearing his MCL against the Gold Coast Titans. As fans will remember, that saw the Broncos down to 11 players in the final moments against the Gold Coast Titans in one of the most embarrassing moments in an awful season. Lodge admitted that he rushed his return from an ACL strain and was underdone at the relaunch of the season. It remains to be seen how much he's been able to improve his fitness considering he's been rehabbing his knee, but at the very least it strengthens the Broncos rotation through that middle.
However, it wouldn't be the 2020 season without another injury. This week it's Anthony Milford who has reportedly suffered a Grade 2 Hamstring strain and is set to miss 4-6 weeks. Milford has been carrying the injury since the Wests Tigers game and it has noticeably affected his performances in recent weeks. This allows Brodie Croft to come into the side presumably into that right edge role, while Dearden will keep the #7 jersey.
According to coach Anthony Seibold, Dearden will 'manage' the team while Croft will be given a license to run the ball. It's speculated that under Seibold that this is his ideal halves combination moving forward, so we'll get a chance to see how they perform.
In other news, Kotoni Staggs was involved in a revenge porn scheme. There were some concerns this would see him suspended, however, it's a police matter and the NRL won't make a decision until they've carried out their investigation. It's believed that Kotoni will have no case to answer.
Tevita Pangai Jr is reportedly the next player to leave the Titanic. FoxSports released a report that Pangai had personally called up rival clubs in a bid to sell himself. Reportedly one of those clubs was the Roosters who denied any interest in signing him for 2021. Pangai Jr responded to the report via an instagram post where he confirmed having a conversation with Roosters CEO Nick Politis but it was on a different matter.