Listen to Mat Rogers rave about the Brisbane Broncos' strike-power and it's hard to imagine the Gold Coast Titans winning tonight's NRL qualifying final at Skilled Park.
"They're back to their best, back to full strength ... look out," warned Rogers, the Titans' dual international who's battling a career-first hamstring
injury.
Rogers runs through the Broncos side like he is their coach.
"Dave Taylor, he's the biggest centre running around," he says of the multi-skilled front-rower who has terrorised defenders on the flanks in recent weeks.
"Even without him, their centres - Hodges and Folau - are dangerous enough. They've got speed on the wings, they've got a great pair of halves and Corey Parker, he's enjoying the best year he's had."
Veteran Rogers, though, has been around long enough to know the team who play the best on the day are not necessarily the one who look best on paper.
Last week against Manly, when the Titans needed to lift a notch or two ahead of the finals, he was one of the players making early errors that put them on the back foot. Even someone with his experience fell into the trap of having one eye on the following week's finals.
"I made a few little errors that probably got compounded by the team ... that's footy," said Rogers. "I'm glad we got it out of our system. Sub-consciously we were probably thinking about this Saturday night [final], which was the wrong thing to do."
Comments by Titans co-captain Luke Bailey that he had been "soft" and was ready to fire up physically tonight put a smile on Rogers' face.
"I'll never bag a forward because I play in the backs and what they do week in and week out, I shake my head," said Rogers.
"If Bull [Bailey] thinks he's been soft, mate, I'm looking forward to seeing him go hard. We all have to aim up or we will find ourselves on the end of another belting and possibly out of the finals."
- AAP
