Bronco Pangai Jnr unlikely for Eels clash

Aug 21, 2017 - 4:05 AM Brisbane forward Tevita Pangai Junior is unlikely to recover from a hamstring injury to face Parramatta, but the Broncos are confident Jai Arrow and Jordan Kahu will defy a short turnaround to play.

Pangai Junior and Kahu didn't participate in Monday's light training session that included the Broncos playing some Australian rules football in an effort to stay fresh for the back end of the season.

Kahu (groin) should recover in time for Thursday's clash at Suncorp Stadium while Arrow has an elbow injury.

Brisbane enforcer Josh McGuire is expecting the fifth-placed Eels to present another tough defensive test.

It was the Eels who last inflicted defeat on Brisbane, in a game that also claimed hooker Andrew McCullough for the season.

McGuire has taken responsibility for the side's defensive efforts, the Broncos defying critics to win three-straight games.

"It was definitely a lesson that we had to have at the right time of year," McGuire said of the loss.

"We needed to be better and I thought our attitude towards defence has been better in the last three weeks."

McCullough was making more than 45 tackles per game until his knee gave way, but the Broncos have been able to plug the gap with Sam Thaiday playing effective early minutes in the hooking role.

The Maroons hard man McGuire is chipping in with an average 32 tackles and 142.5 run metres across 20 games this season.

"Everyone's doing their job in the middle of the park, Sammy moving into the middle has helped us as well, having that extra big body giving us a hand early in the game to slow the ruck down a bit," McGuire said.

Eels backrower Manu Ma'u has accepted a one-match ban for a shoulder charge on Gold Coast's Ashley Taylor and will miss the clash.

Source: AAP