A remorseful Jordan Riki is back in the Brisbane jersey after his suspension and is determined to end his team’s five-game losing streak against St. George Illawarra.
The Broncos will be without State of Origin stars Payne Haas, Patrick Carrigan, Reece Walsh and Selwyn Cobbo for Saturday night’s clash at Suncorp Stadium, so Riki’s return after a two-week absence could not have come at a better time.
The Broncos sit 11th on the NRL standings with 18 points and are in danger of being eliminated from the finals if they don’t start winning.
Riki was suspended after hitting South Sydney captain Cameron Murray off the ball in the 22-12 Round of 15 loss.
“What I did against Cameron Murray was just a stupid mistake. It was just a small mistake in my thinking and sitting out those few weeks really hurt me and I felt like I had let the club and the fans down,” said Riki.
“I definitely want to repay them and come back with all the strength and energy I can.”
Due to injuries and Origin commitments, the Broncos only have 18 of their top 30 players available for the clash against the Dragons. And it could even be as low as 17.
Playmaker Josh Rogers is now in the top 30 after being promoted from the development list.
Four of those 18 are hookers. Billy Walters and Tyson Smoothy are named for the game against the Dragons. Rakes Cory Paix and Blake Mozer are also on the roster, but the Broncos cannot use all of them on Saturday night for team balance reasons.
Paix, who played for Wynnum-Manly in the Queensland Cup at the weekend, injured his foot and was examined on Monday.
Therefore, there is a chance for the unknown support player Va’a Semu, who is on the club’s youth list, to end up on the bench.
Semu did not train with the Broncos on Monday as he played for Souths-Logan in the Queensland Cup on Sunday.
Riki said Semu would take the job if he was selected.
“He’s exciting. He’s a big boy and a lot like Xavier Willison…big, fast and strong,” Riki said.
“He carries the ball hard. He doesn’t say much, but he does his job and works hard for the guys. I would be very happy if he put on the Broncos jersey.”
Riki also trusted that Rogers would take on that role if deployed in the halves, with fellow playmakers Adam Reynolds, Jock Madden and Coby Black on the injury list.
“I love Josh Rogers. He’s a big guy who can also throw,” Riki said.
“I don’t know if you saw the Parramatta game, but he did an exceptional job (in a 30-14 win in round 10).”
“It’s extremely unfortunate and awful that Jock (Madden) has had that thigh injury but here at the club we have a ‘next up’ mentality.
“I know Josh could take on that role and do a great job.”