Cricket
Racing
Rugby
League
Motorsport
Football
Golf
Combat Sports
Basketball
Tennis
Other Sports
Sport Nation
“They will be wanting to put on a display": Parker and McCullough weigh in on 'huge' Queensland derby
Nicholas Quinlan • March 21st, 2025 1:21 pm
Both Corey Parker and Andrew McCullough believe that there is pressure on both the North Queensland Cowboys and the Brisbane Broncos to win when they play each other on Friday night.
Both the Cowboys and the Broncos come into the game with a desperate need to win to help change the narrative around each club and add another storied chapter to their 30-year rivalry.
For the 0-2 Cowboys, a win would help lift some pressure around coach Todd Payten coaching future.
And for the Broncos, they are keen to shake off last week’s disappointing loss against the Canberra Raiders going down 32-22 and return to the form they showed against Sydney in Round 1.
On SENQ's Breakfast, Broncos greats Corey Parker and Andrew McCullough gave their opinion on the upcoming match and what it means for each team.
On the Broncos side, Parker believes last week’s result will be a big motivator for them alongside playing at home.
“The Broncos are coming off, well I don’t want to say embarrassing but some of those individuals will be stinging from that result against Canberra,” he said.
“This is Brisbane’s first game also (at Suncorp) under a new coach, a new year.
“They will be wanting to put on a display.”
Parker is concerned about what the reaction will be if the Cowboys are to be beaten and what that will do to intensify the pressure they are under.
“If things go in the way of Brisbane and things get out of hand, it could spell some real trouble for not only Todd Payten but also for the Cowboys,” Parker said.
“In Round 2, he wielded the axe; he got rid of Nanai, he’s trying to show his team that it doesn’t matter who you are, what contract size you’ve got, you need to uphold this standard.
“I know it’s Round 3 but this is a huge game for the Cowboys.”
McCullough also believes that the Cowboys will be eager to show the NRL world of their potential but need to show something different to do so.
“You look at the Cowboys, 0-2 to start the season. No one would have thought that,” he said.
“But I think they have got too much talent and like I said regardless of form, Toddy Payten’s team will be desperate regardless.
“They need to show a performance that could possibly win 12-8 or 12-10 or something that shows some resilience rather than just try and blow teams off the scoreboard with their attack.”
SEN will have live commentary from the game at Suncorp Stadium as part of Broncos Radio which is available on the SEN app.
Coverage will begin at 8:05pm AEDT time with kick off at 9:05pm AEDT.
