NRL round 2 tips: Reason for weird selection emerges as Joey claims Broncos 'can't play this bad again'

Andrew Johns is adamant that neither the Eels nor the Broncos can "play this bad again" after both were dealt reality checks in round one shockers.

The reigning premiers were humbled 26-0 by the Panthers, while Parramatta couldn't cope with the kings of round one, Melbourne Storm, and were humiliated 52-4.

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Speaking on Wide World of Sports' Freddy and the Eighth's Tips, Brad Fittler described the two teams that come together for a game that has all the makings of a Thursday night blockbuster as "very underwhelming".

Johns thought that was being "nice". The Immortal was particularly damning of the Eels' discipline, adding that neither team had earned the right to play expansive football in their round one games and both had been punished.

One source of criticism for the Broncos was that Michael Maguire had picked Ben Hunt to start alongside Adam Reynolds in the halves, with Ezra Mam used as the bench utility.

That has been switched around for the round two clash, with Johns claiming Mam had been eased into the season due to a fitness concern before adding that the side would be better with his running threat on the field from the outset.

"Ezra back at 6, I understand he was carrying a niggle so they started him on the bench but they look so much better with him at 6. More of a run threat," Johns said.

"They can't play this bad again."

" ... Broncos completed 61 per cent, 42 per cent of possession and the Eels pretty much similar (in round one)," Johns added.

"You just can't win, especially early in the year, like that. So get the start right, the first 15 minutes of each half. Earn the right to play."

Mam's return to the starting side played into both Johns and Fittler's decisions to pick the Broncos to condemn the Eels to a 0-2 start at Suncorp Stadium.

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Speaking about that call after the captain's run on Wednesday, Maguire was unwilling to go into detail but bit back at the criticism he had received from the likes of Braith Anasta.

"Everyone's got an opinion and, you know, they all have their commentary," he said.

"I don't tend to pay too much attention, but look, you know, that's their job, you know, is to talk about what the teams are and aren't, and we chose to go with what we did last week.

"[We're] looking forward to round two now."

Maguire also refused to buy into reports that Mam had been carrying a quad injury.

"We don't come up with excuses. The 17 players went out there to get the job done and we weren't able to do that, and now we're moving on to round two," he said.

"We've got all different reasons and I talk with my players around why we do things, but we keep that in house.

"We had the 17 players out there and they were ready to go, but we just put a lot of pressure on ourselves. But that comes from the opposition, so we've got to make sure that we apply that to the opposition."

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