Brisbane Broncos vs Parramatta Eels Prediction: Bumbling Bronx to kick into gear

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Brisbane Broncos vs Parramatta Eels Odds

The Bronx are massive favourites to collect a first win in three attempts in 2026, with Betfred pricing them at 1/4 for the two competition points.

The Eels are a 16/5 shout, implying a 23.8% probability of an away victory for the side who went down 52-4 to the Melbourne Storm first up.

You can back the draw at 20/1, while Parra get a 13.5-point start in the two-way handicap in return for a shortening of the odds to 10/11. Brisbane are 5/6 to overcome the gap.

Team News

Michael Maguire is set to go with the same 19 which was pummelled 26-0 by the Penrith Panthers in Round 1, with Ezra Mam initially named in the halves as he was last week but potentially coming off the bench once again. That would mean another start for Ben Hunt.

Blake Mozer, Delouise Hoeter and Thomas Duffy are added to the squad but will likely remain as reserves.

Rugby League Odds

The Eels are missing J’maine Hopgood through suspension following his early sin-binning against the Storm, but the good news is that Josh Addo-Carr is back fit after a thumb injury.

Brian Kelly drops to the bench to make way for The Foxx, with Sean Russell switching into the centres. Kelma Tuilagi starts in the back row to replace Hopgood.

Handicap 3-way: Broncos -14 @ 21/20

The Broncos’ last victory was in the 2025 Grand Final.

That might not seem like much of a drought given that this is only Round 2, but they were demolished for 60 minutes by Hull KR in the World Club Challenge – trailing 30-6 at one point, and then went scoreless in a 26-0 battering by the Panthers.

A loss to the Eels would compound early-season worries, but there shouldn’t be too much expectation of that taking place given the different in quality of these two squads.

Sure, the Bronx haven’t got going. But the Eels were pathetic beyond the opening moments of their opener at AAMI Park, and once the Storm got going they simply ran over the top of them.

Maguire has too much firepower in his armoury to oversee another defeat here. And while the Broncos have been slow starters over their last five games across two seasons, they shouldn’t be nearly as complacent here.

I expect to see more out of Mam, Adam Reynolds, Reece Walsh, et al from minute one, and a three-score victory should be more than doable.