The Brisbane Broncos coach has turned to his new signing after disastrous news for the club.
Michael Maguire has catapulted new recruit Ben Talty into the Broncos’ 17 for his NRL debut following injuries to Corey Jensen and Jesse Arthars ahead of their clash with the Bulldogs on Friday night. The Broncos have avoided the State of Origin chaos so far in the 2025 season having enjoyed rests in both bye rounds.
But Maguire is facing a tough challenge against the Bulldogs on Friday night, with Jensen and Arthars joining their Origin players who will miss the clash. Payne Haas and Patrick Carrigan will once again line-up for NSW and Queensland respectively next Wednesday in the decider, making them unavailable for selection in Round 18.
But Queensland coach Billy Slater also made some surprise moves for Game 3 that have further affected the Broncos. He selected Gehamat Shibasaki in the centres for the Maroons and named Reece Walsh as 18th man, which will see them also miss the Bulldogs game in a huge blow to the spectacle.
While the debate over whether the 18th man should play club footy continues, Maguire’s latest setback has him scrambling to select a team against the second-placed Bulldogs. Arthars injured his ribs in training this week and will sit out the game, forcing Maguire to selected Delouise Hoeter on the wing.
Jensen had recently moved into the starting front-row spot alongside Haas to accomodate Carrigan’s shift back to lock. But the prop injured his calf in training and will also sit out the game. This will see Talty make his NRL debut after a recent mid-season switch to the Broncos.
Breaking Broncos team news
Corey Jensen (calf) and Jesse Arthars (rib) out of @brisbanebroncos v @NRL_Bulldogs
Ben Talty and Delouise Hoeter in.
Update soon on @AAPNewswire
— Joel Gould (@JoelGould6) July 3, 2025
While the Bulldogs are also missing four key stars due to Origin, the side are heavily favoured to walk away with the win at home. While the Bulldogs have showed they have impressive depth in the forward pack in 2025, Jensen’s setback for Maguire has seen him turn to his mid-season signing.
Ben Talty handed Brisbane Broncos debut
Talty has been in the Melbourne Storm system since 2023, plying his trade with the North Sydney Bears in the NSW Cup. The Bears are a feeder team for the Storm, and it saw Talty play in the pre-season comp for Melbourne against the Warriors in February.
The 26-year-old has never featured in the NRL and will get the opportunity to pull on the Broncos jersey on Friday. He’s played in three NRL trial games to go along with 91 career games in reserve grade.
“We’ll be right,” McGuire said of the changes. “It’s a good challenge against a top-four team. The players that we have are very capable and will do a great job for us. We’re playing a team similar in size with their forwards, they will be quick and move around and I’m looking forward to seeing that.”
Fans were waiting to see how Maguire would use Talty, but it appears he has no choice but to hand the 26-year-old his debut this weekend. Question marks have remained over the Broncos’ forward pack with Brendan Piakura, Jordan Riki, Kobe Hetherington, Fletcher Baker and Jaiyden Hunt all facing pressure in 2025. There have been claims Carrigan and Haas have been doing the bulk of the work for Brisbane with others not aiming up.
And without their two star forwards this weekend a number of the Broncos’ big men will have to stand up against a mobile Bulldogs pack who will be seeking revenge for their thrashing earlier this year. Cameron Ciraldo’s men were left sunned in round eight after the Broncos dominated them in the pouring rain, with Adam Reynolds’ kicking game proving the difference in the contest.
