It's fair to say the Broncos exceeded expectations in their first game under Kevin Walters while the Titans failed to live up to the hype they carried into round one.
Brisbane burst out of the blocks to lead Parramatta 16-0 at half-time but were run down late as injuries and fatigue took their toll.
The form of Anthony Milford at five-eighth was a huge bonus for Walters while Patrick Carrigan and Thomas Flegler were also strong.
In contrast, the Titans were held to just one try in a 19-6 loss to the Warriors and will need to find some cohesion quickly if they want to avoid a repeat of last year's 0-2 start to the season.
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The rundown
Team news
Titans: The Titans are 1-17 as named. Phillip Sami has got a reprieve after being left out of the side last week, called up to replace centre Brian Kelly (fractured hand).
Star second-rower David Fifita overcame an ankle infection and two days in hospital to play 71 minutes in round one and still make 13 runs so he'll be more dangerous this week with an uninterrupted preparation. The Titans have won four of their past six games against the Broncos.
Herman Ese'ese and Sam McIntyre were omitted 24 hours before the match. Beau Fermor and Tanah Boyd were cut an hour before game time.
Broncos: The Broncos are 1-17 with Tom Dearden and Richard Kennar cut an hour before kick-off.
Tests cleared Xavier Coates (neck) and John Asiata (neck/shoulder) of any serious damage and both will play. Coach Kevin Walters said on Thursday they had been cleared and would take their place in the line-up.
Prop Matt Lodge is expected to miss 2-3 weeks after scans confirmed a low-grade hamstring injury. His starting place is taken by Thomas Flegler. The new man on the bench is Rhys Kennedy.
The Broncos have won five of their past six games at Cbus Super Stadium.
Cory Paix and Corey Oates were left out on the eve of the match.
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Key match-up
Anthony Milford v Ash Taylor: Both men have copped plenty of criticism over the years for failing to steer their teams around the paddock and lacking consistency but on their day they can be electrifying.
If the Titans are to challenge the big guns in 2021 then this is the sort of game they should be winning and Taylor needs to take control. Milford launched his season with some great touches against Parramatta and he's a dangerous oppponent when he's on song.
Stat attack
In his first game in the NRL since 2017, David Mead ran for a team high 191 metres against the Eels and had two line breaks and three tackle breaks. Mead's ,metre-eating efforts outstripped powerhouse Parra duo Maika Sivo (130 metres) and Blake Ferguson (181 metres).
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This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com
This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com