Round 26 Preview — 2026 NRL SeasonNRL Analytics

Broncos v Storm

SavvyPlays · Thursday 27 August 2026 · Suncorp Stadium · 7:50pm AEST

Visual Comparison

01Key Metrics Side-by-Side

Motivation is the finals-race tier each side enters the round on; Wins to Finals is how many of their remaining games they need to reach the top eight ("-" already there, "x" out of reach).

Headline averages from every completed match this season (Broncos n=22, Storm n=22). Bars diverge from centre — longer bar wins on the metric (green where lower is the goal, like points conceded or penalties).

Broncos
Metric
Storm
PLAYING FOR PRIDE
Motivation
PLAYING FOR PRIDE
x
Wins to Finals
x
18.9
Points For / G
23.8
27.8
Points Against / G
24.4
1,389m
Run Metres / G
1,524m
3.3
Tries / G
4.2
77.4%
Completion %
79.7%
5.8
Penalties Conceded / G
4.1
4.5
Six Agains / G
4.7

Team Records

02Season Records & Scoring

Broncos
Metric
Storm
7-15-0#15
Season Record
#129-13-0
2-9-0 (H)Home games
Home / Away Record
Away games2-8-0 (A)
19.6Home · #14
Avg Points For (Home / Away)
Away · #1320.2
27.7Home · #13
Avg Points Against (Home / Away)
Away · #1326.2

Against the Spread

03ATS Performance (W-L-P | % = Cover Rate)

Broncos
Metric
Storm
9-13-0 (41%)
2026 Season — All
8-14-0 (36%)
3-8-0 (27%)
2026 Season — Home (H) / Away (A)
3-7-0 (30%)
6-5-0 (54%)
2026 Season — Away (H) / Home (A)
5-7-0 (42%)
W1
Current Streak
L1
25-23-1 (52%)
2025-26 — All
20-29-0 (41%)
12-12-0 (50%)
2025-26 — Home (H) / Away (A)
7-15-0 (32%)
13-11-1 (54%)
2025-26 — Away (H) / Home (A)
13-14-0 (48%)

Streak format: W3 = three covers in a row, L2 = two ATS losses. Within each block Home + Away equals All.

Over / Under

04O/U Performance (O-U-P | % = Over Rate)

Broncos
Metric
Storm
9-13-0 (41%)
2026 Season — All
13-9-0 (59%)
4-7-0 (36%)
2026 Season — Home (H) / Away (A)
5-5-0 (50%)
5-6-0 (46%)
2026 Season — Away (H) / Home (A)
8-4-0 (67%)
O1
Current Streak
U1
22-27-0 (45%)
2025-26 — All
28-21-0 (57%)
11-13-0 (46%)
2025-26 — Home (H) / Away (A)
12-10-0 (55%)
11-14-0 (44%)
2025-26 — Away (H) / Home (A)
16-11-0 (59%)

Within each block Home + Away equals All.

Halves Breakdown

05How Each Team Builds the Game

1H = first half, 2H = second half. 1H/2H averages across the full 2026 season. "1H win → match win" is how often leading at half-time converts into the win.

Broncos
Metric
Storm
8.0
1H Avg For
13.7
15.7
1H Avg Against
10.8
-7.7
1H Net
+2.9
80%
1H Win → Match Win
54%
12.1
2H Avg For
12.1
12.1
2H Avg Against
13.9
+0.0
2H Net
-1.7

Player Contribution Scores

06Spine vs Spine, Forwards vs Forwards, Backs vs Backs

PCS (Player Contribution Score) is a correlation-informed rating built from play-by-play stats — run metres, line breaks, tackle breaks, missed tackles and so on. Each stat is weighted by how strongly it correlates with winning margin across 1,000+ matches. Aggregated to position group over a 15-game rolling window.

Why position groups matter: the spine (FB, halves, hooker) controls structure, the forwards set the ruck and tempo, the backs finish chances. A team can be middling overall but elite at one group — and that often shows up as a directional edge in the result.

Broncos
Metric
Storm
129.9#15 Δ +5.9
Squad PCS
#9 Δ +4.8154.2
33.6#13 Δ +3.5
Spine PCS
#1 Δ -0.654.5
40.1#5 Δ +3.7
Forwards PCS
#7 Δ +1.939.5
50.6#13 Δ +0.1
Backs PCS
#16 Δ +1.048.7

Sub shows current league rank. Δ = change vs last round (noisy week-to-week — treat the rank as the headline).

First Scoring Play

07Who Strikes First

Strictly the very first scoring play of each match — try, penalty goal, or (rarely) field goal. Teams that open the scoring tend to lead at half-time about 65% of the time and win about 60% — so the opening play matters. Penalty-goal openings are shown as raw counts because most games never open with a PG; the position-group breakdown only fires when the first play was a try.

Broncos
Metric
Storm
9/22 (41%)
Scored first try — All games
8/22 (36%)
5/11 (45%)
Scored first try — Home / Away
2/10 (20%)
13/22 (59%)
Conceded first try — All games
12/22 (55%)
6/11 (55%)
Conceded first try — Home / Away
7/10 (70%)
0 (H:0 A:0)
Scored first via penalty goal
2 (H:1 A:1)
0 (H:0 A:0)
Conceded first via penalty goal
0 (H:0 A:0)
4 (H:1 A:3)
First try scored by Spine (All games)
3 (H:2 A:1)
2 (H:1 A:1)
First try scored by Forwards (All games)
1 (H:1 A:0)
3 (H:3 A:0)
First try scored by Backs (All games)
3 (H:2 A:1)
0 (H:0 A:0)
First try scored by Interchange (All games)
1 (H:1 A:0)
4 (H:1 A:3)
First try conceded to Spine (All games)
2 (H:1 A:1)
2 (H:1 A:1)
First try conceded to Forwards (All games)
3 (H:0 A:3)
7 (H:4 A:3)
First try conceded to Backs (All games)
7 (H:4 A:3)
0 (H:0 A:0)
First try conceded to Interchange (All games)
0 (H:0 A:0)

Position groups: Spine = FB/halves/hooker. Forwards = prop/lock/second row. Backs = centre/wing. Interchange = bench.

Current Streaks

08Active Streaks

Broncos
Metric
Storm
W1
Win / Loss — 2026
L1
W1
ATS — 2026
L1
O1
Over / Under — 2026
U1
L1
1st Half — 2026
D1
L2
2nd Half — 2026
W1
L6
Win / Loss — Home / Away
L4
L3
ATS — Home / Away
L1
U4
Over / Under — Home / Away
O1

Includes previous season(s) where applicable. D = Draw, P = Push (ATS/O/U).

Consistency / Disruption

09Volatility & Squad Health

Consistency Index (CI) measures how predictable a team's results are. It's built from the standard deviation of their margin and their points-conceded across the season. Higher CI = tighter range of results, more dependable.

Disruption Score (DS) measures how far the named squad is from each team's best 17 — weighted by position importance (a halfback out hurts more than a bench prop) and by how fresh the absence is. Higher DS = more disrupted, less the side coaches game-plan around.

Broncos
Metric
Storm
0.560
Overall CI
0.501
0.575
Defensive CI
0.554
16.3
Margin SD
22.9
5.4
Disruption
3.9
87%
Best-17 %
85%
0
New Outs This Round
2

CI (Consistency Index) measures result predictability from 0 to 1 — higher = more consistent. Defensive CI isolates defensive performance. Margin SD measures the spread of winning/losing margins — lower = more predictable outcomes. Teams with high CI and low Margin SD are the safest to tip; teams with low CI and high Margin SD are volatile and produce the most upsets.

Named Squads

10Broncos — 87% Best 17 (DS 5.4) — Squad avg ±/G: -9.0

#PlayerPositionGP±/G
1Hayze PerhamFullback3-17.0
2Josiah KarapaniWing19-10.0
3Kotoni StaggsCentre18-5.4
4Deine MarinerCentre15-5.0
5Grant AndersonWing9-13.7
6Ezra MamFive-Eighth19-6.4
7Ben HuntHalfback13-7.0
8Xavier WillisonProp21-6.1
9Billy WaltersHooker4-6.0
10Payne HaasProp14-5.1
11Jaiyden HuntSecond Row6-15.7
12Jordan RikiSecond Row19-9.4
13Patrick CarriganLock15-9.7
14Blake MozerInterchange5-4.0
15Aublix TawhaInterchange7-6.0
16Jack GosiewskiInterchange11-0.8
17Va'a SemuInterchange10-6.6

±/G (Plus/Minus per Game) measures each player's average impact on the scoreboard while on the field — the team's scoring margin during their minutes, divided by games played. Positive values indicate the team scores more than it concedes with that player on; negative values indicate the opposite. Best 17% reflects how many of the team's optimal starting lineup are named for this match. GP = games played in 2026. Out: Reece Walsh (2wk absent), Adam Reynolds (4wk absent). Long-term (2): Brendan Piakura (6wk), Corey Jensen (19wk) — excluded from the Best 17% denominator, carried at reduced weight in DS. Players listed as out are ordered by Disruption Score (DS) — a measure of how difficult each absence is to replace based on positional importance and individual performance.

Named Squads

11Storm — 85% Best 17 (DS 3.9) — Squad avg ±/G: +0.5

#PlayerPositionGP±/G
1Sualauvi FaalogoFullback21-1.2
2Siulagi Tuimalatu-BrownWing5-4.4
3Tyran WishartCentre14-1.6
4Nick MeaneyCentre17-0.7
5Moses LeoWing14+5.6
6Cameron MunsterFive-Eighth16+1.6
7Jahrome HughesHalfback16+2.5
8Stefano UtoikamanuProp21+2.4
9Harry GrantHooker18+1.0
10Josh KingProp21+0.9
11Shawn BloreSecond Row10+4.2
12Oryn KeeleySecond Row5-0.4
13Trent LoieroLock18-3.3
14Trent ToelauInterchange10-7.4
15Alec MacDonaldInterchange16-4.9
16Jack HetheringtonInterchange9-0.4
17Cooper ClarkeInterchange21-3.5

±/G (Plus/Minus per Game) measures each player's average impact on the scoreboard while on the field — the team's scoring margin during their minutes, divided by games played. Positive values indicate the team scores more than it concedes with that player on; negative values indicate the opposite. Best 17% reflects how many of the team's optimal starting lineup are named for this match. GP = games played in 2026. Out: Jack Howarth (new this round), Joe Chan (new this round). Long-term (4): Ativalu Lisati (9wk), Xavier Coates (22wk), Will Warbrick (6wk), Josiah Pahulu (6wk) — excluded from the Best 17% denominator, carried at reduced weight in DS. Players listed as out are ordered by Disruption Score (DS) — a measure of how difficult each absence is to replace based on positional importance and individual performance.

Broncos — Recent Form

12Broncos — Last 5 Games

RoundOpponentH/AScoreResMarginLineATSTotalO/U
2026 R25RaidersA34-30W+4+10.5W50.5O
2026 R24WarriorsH6-40L-34+7.5L46.5U
2026 R23DolphinsA32-40L-8+9.5W48.5O
2026 R22KnightsH6-30L-24-5.5L45.5U
2026 R21CowboysA10-18L-8-4.5L47.5U

Storm — Recent Form

13Storm — Last 5 Games

RoundOpponentH/AScoreResMarginLineATSTotalO/U
2026 R25PanthersH14-22L-8+7.5L43.5U
2026 R23Sea EaglesH42-20W+22+2.5W46.0O
2026 R22BulldogsH22-36L-14+10.5L42.5O
2026 R21RabbitohsA26-28L-2-1.5L45.5O
2026 R20RoostersA6-14L-8+11.5W44.5U

Broncos — Try Scoring

14Broncos — Try Scorers (2026)

PlayerPosT1stLast1st 20m2nd 20m3rd 20m4th 20mH / A
K.StaggsCentre82232216 / 2
E.MamFive-Eighth81122312 / 6
X.WillisonProp7102233 / 4
R.WalshFullback6220314 / 2
J.KarapaniWing6103123 / 3
J.ArtharsInterchange5101314 / 1
J.RikiSecond Row4110210 / 4
D.MarinerCentre412012 / 2
G.AndersonWing402022 / 2
G.ShibasakiInterchange3110112 / 1

Storm — Try Scoring

15Storm — Try Scorers (2026)

PlayerPosT1stLast1st 20m2nd 20m3rd 20m4th 20mH / A
S.Fa'alogoFullback162125188 / 8
W.WarbrickWing16264519 / 7
M.LeoWing112241247 / 4
H.GrantHooker6113114 / 2
J.HowarthCentre623104 / 2
T.WishartHalfback4111112 / 2
N.MeaneyCentre4201031 / 3
C.MunsterFive-Eighth411113 / 1
J.HughesHalfback310112 / 1
S.Tuimalatu-BrownWing3110022 / 1

SavvyPlays Tips — Lean

16The Call

Storm by 4
Lean · PLAYING FOR PRIDE v PLAYING FOR PRIDE
Win
Storm -3.5
predicted Broncos margin -4 vs line +3.5
ATS
Under 49.5
projected 45.9 · edge -3.6
Over / Under
Storm Backs
HIGH · 1.98/g
Anytime Edge
RankGroupScore /GOpp Concede /GCombined
Attacking Broncos (vs Storm defence)
1Backs1.052.361.70 HIGH
2Forwards0.731.140.93 MODERATE
3Spine1.000.820.91 MODERATE
4Interchange0.500.140.32 LOW
Attacking Storm (vs Broncos defence)
1Backs1.822.141.98 HIGH
2Spine1.551.591.57 MODERATE
3Forwards0.450.590.52 MODERATE
4Interchange0.410.320.36 LOW

Anytime Try Scoring — Matchup Likelihood: each side's position groups ranked by how often they score against how often this opponent concedes.

Storm Backs are the standout anytime bet — the top combined matchup score in this game at 1.98/game (Storm backs score 1.82/game; Broncos concede to the backs at 2.14/game).

Both eliminated. Storm's 71% Suncorp record makes them the pick in a dead rubber — this ground lifts them regardless of the stakes.

Before you bet

ATS tip is based on SavvyPlays' predicted margin compared against the line at the time of publication. Lines move — always verify the current spread with your bookmaker before placing.

Data & Methodology

Team records sourced from official NRL data. Play-by-play timeline data drives the halves analytics. PCS is a correlation-informed player rating aggregated to position groups (Spine, Forwards, Backs) over a 15-game rolling window. Best-17% reflects the proportion of each team's optimal lineup named for this round. CI/DS combines result-volatility and squad-disruption signals. Closing-line market data via The Odds API.

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