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Broncos expect fiery Dragons

09/14/2011 02:45:28 AM

Brisbane lock Corey Parker has guaranteed that Wayne Bennett will have St George on song and prepared for battle when the sides meet in their elimination final at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.

The Broncos will play in front of almost 50,000 at home for the fourth-straight week and after cruising through the first round of finals with a 30-point thumping of the Warriors, they're odds-on to extend their seven-game winning streak.

The Dragons, meanwhile, have tasted victory just twice in their last seven matches and went down to the Tigers by seven points last weekend.

But despite holding avalanche-like momentum – only the Tigers have gone undefeated for longer – and the Dragons having none, Parker dismissed any chance of Bennett bringing an uncompetitive side to a sudden-death play-off.

"Any Wayne Bennett coached team is going to be prepared, I know that," he said.

"Regardless of what's happened in previous games, having had the pleasure of being coached by Wayne for a number of years, one thing he's good at is preparing a side."

"I can assure you that St George will turn up here on Saturday ready to go."

Brisbane were able to rack up a blowout 40-10 scoreline against a lacklustre Warriors outfit in their Week 1 final, but the most impressive part of their charge to September has been the return of their stingy defence.

The Broncos have gone a month since last conceding more than two tries in a match, while the Dragons, regardless of current form, have been the defensive benchmark in recent years.

Parker admitted that cracking the St George line was one of the toughest tasks in the NRL and said his side would need to hammer away patiently until they found a way through.

"The Dragons have proven over the years that they're one of the best teams in the comp. I guess Wayne Bennett has a lot to answer for there," he said.

"How do you get through it? You keep asking questions. You keep getting asking their defensive line questions and you do your best."

One of Brisbane's keys to putting points on the defending NRL champions, Justin Hodges, failed to complete training on Wednesday morning, but Parker backed the brittle-bodied star to take his place in Saturday's blockbuster.

"Hodgo is going to be fine. He's obviously got some hamstring problems there and if anyone knows a hammy, he knows it," said Parker.

"He spoke about a bit of tightness, so in true Hodges style, he pulled himself out (of training)."

 
Photograph Copyright : Getty Images

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