The bookies have written them off and the experts give them no chance of beating Manly without injured skipper Darren Lockyer, but coach Anthony Griffin says the Broncos are ready to prove they are no one-man band.
Lockyer, who suffered a fractured cheekbone against the Dragons last weekend, completed a sharp session with his team-mates at the SFS on Thursday morning.
He will not play this weekend but the 34-year-old has already declared himself a certain starter should the Broncos cause a massive boilover against the Sea Eagles on Friday night.
"They're probably right to a point," Griffin said when reminded that most onlookers think the Broncos can't win without Lockyer.
"Everyone thinks that straight away - I mean outside our camp - but it's important that the 17 guys out there believe what they believe and I'm sure they're going to do a great job."
"There's a real good feeling about the group and we've got some players that can play other than Locky as well, some guys that have won grand finals, and they're really looking forward to the game."
"And the other thing is the young guys up until now, they've hit every mark they've asked them and now they're just enjoying the build up."
Griffin confirmed back-rower Matt Gillett will wear the No.6 jumper in the skipper's absence.
"I just asked him to do his best and not to try and be Darren Lockyer, that's the important thing," Griffin said.
"I haven't given him much (information) at all."
"He's had a sort of stop-start year but thankfully he's fully fit now and he's running into pretty good form."
"We'd love to have Locky there but (Gillett) brings something as well ... he gives us a bit more size and a bit more whack there as well ... so we just get on with it and we'll give it our best shot."
But Griffin is under no illusions heading into the clash, conceding the Sea Eagles are the form side of the competition.
"They won their semi-final (against the Cowboys) by 40 points and last time they played the Storm at full strength they did a job on them, and they nearly got us (in Brisbane in Round 26) with all those players out," he said of Des Hasler's men.
"They couldn't have better form coming into this game and they're fresh, so they've got plenty going for them."
"I just know they're in terrific form and they blew the Cowboys away in one half of football which they can do to you."
"And the night they played the Storm they totally outmuscled them so they're obviously a serious football side."
The rookie coach admits finding a way to shut down in-form Manly halves Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans is key.
"They're two great players and defensively we've just got to do our best on them and our game won't change defensively ... they're two good kids and they're in great form and we've just got to do a good job on them," he said.