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Brisbane Broncos vs North QLD Cowboys NRL Round 6 Tips - Cowboys round up the injured Broncos

Jeremy Darke

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Last updated: Wed 08 Apr 2026 18:22

Jeremy Darke 08 Apr 2026

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Kick off is at 8:00 PM (AEST) on Friday, 10th April at Suncorp Stadium
Cowboys predicted to win against Broncos in 2026 Round 6.
Key players out for Brisbane: Reece Walsh and Ben Hunt.
Scott Drinkwater leads Cowboys' charge with improved form.

Brisbane Broncos vs North QLD Cowboys NRL Round 6 Tips

Brisbane Broncos vs North QLD Cowboys, Round 6 2026 - Expert Prediction

The Cowboys will stun the Broncos at Suncorp on Friday night picking up the victory as the away underdog.

Brisbane Broncos vs North QLD Cowboys, Round 6 2026 - Expert Prediction
Head to Head
2026 NRL Stats Rankings
Brisbane Broncos Form Analysis
North QLD Cowboys Form Analysis
Brisbane Broncos vs North QLD Cowboys Team List & Team News
Brisbane Broncos vs North QLD Cowboys NRL 2026 Round 6 FAQ’s

This is simple. The outs for Brisbane are going to be too much, hurting their attack while also putting themselves under pressure defensively. Jesse Arthurs will play his first NRL game as the starting fullback, replacing Reece Walsh, and that is enough of an edge for me with it raining high-balls all night. No Ben Hunt and an injured Adam Reynolds, if he plays at all.

The Cowboys have looked a much better side over the last few weeks and Jake Clifford has now cemented his spot in the six playing of Tom Dearden. The stability is what the Cowboys need and we have seen their defence improve while their attack creates.

The head-to-head record isn’t great for the Cowboys but we have all been on the wrong side of a broken streak, it is time to get on the right side by backing North Queensland to win their first in 7 matches against Brisbane.

The Cows will take advantage of their field position and convert their chances inside the Brisbane 20m putting up enough points to get up against the Broncos. I see it in front of me already, Scott Drinkwater flying higher than Arthurs plocking one over the try line.

Brisbane have won 1 of 3 games at Suncorp this season.
North Queensland have scored an average of 30 points in their last 3 matches.
Brisbane have allowed over 22.5 points in 2 of their 3 matches at Suncorp this season.
Scott Drinkwater has 2 tries in his last 3 games.

Head to Head

Brisbane have won the last 6 matches against the Cowboys including an 8 and 10 point victory last season.

8 of the last 9 matches have gone over the game total.

2026 NRL Stats Rankings

Broncos Atk Rank	Cowboys Def Rank	Stat	Cowboys Atk Rank	Broncos Def Rank
12	7	Points	9	5
13	6	Run Mts	3	15
15	13	Linebreaks	2	2
16	7	Compl %	15	8

Brisbane Broncos Form Analysis

Brisbane have clearly steadied after their 0-2 start to win their last matches and bring their record back to a respectable 3-2 and in eighth on the ladder.

Last weekend’s victory over their little brother Titans came at a heavy cost though losing Reece Walsh and Ben Hunt for likely over a month. Losing that experience and class is going to hurt the Broncos heading into a tough Origin period after their return.

Despite getting three consecutive victories, Brisbane are still not the team that took out the Grand Final last season. They are lacking some strike in attack which will be affected even more by the absence of Walsh. The positive is that after allowing 66 points in the first two matches of the season they have averaged just 12.66 points against per game in their last three.

North QLD Cowboys Form Analysis

Similar to the Broncos, the Cowboys have also won three games on the trot doing enough in defence to give their attack good field position and an opportunity to put up points.

Last week’s 32-0 drubbing of the Saints was the pinnacle of their reform, however, it had a lot to do with the staleness of the Dragons more than anything. Their strong victory against the Storm 28-24 is a good gauge of where they are at right now.

The halves combination between Tom Dearden and Jake Clifford is finally gelling, giving Todd Payton an easy selection each week which he hasn’t had over the last couple of seasons. Dearden is steering the ship while Clifford is having a career-best year with 3 tries, 5 try assists, 3 line break assists along with 100 run metres per game.

Brisbane Broncos vs North QLD Cowboys Team List & Team News

Team News and Lists are in our dedicated Round 6 Team List Article.

Brisbane Broncos vs North QLD Cowboys NRL 2026 Round 6 FAQ’s

How to livestream Brisbane Broncos vs North QLD Cowboys NRL 2026 Round 6?

You can livestream the Brisbane Broncos vs North QLD Cowboys NRL 2026 Round 6 game via Fox Sports or Kayo Sports. If you are watching from outside of Australia the WatchNRL app is the perfect solution.

How to buy tickets to Brisbane Broncos vs North QLD Cowboys NRL 2026 Round 6?

To buy tickets to the Brisbane Broncos vs North QLD Cowboys NRL 2026 Round 6 game check the NRL website or the official Brisbane Broncos site.

Verdict

Brisbane Broncos v North QLD Cowboys

North Queensland will score more than 22.5 points and beat the Broncos on their home field. Scott Drinkwater will score his fifth try in 5 games.

North Queensland

Money Line

$2.35 - 2 Units

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