Brisbane Broncos NRL 2018 Season Preview

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• Author: Mick Gannon
  Feb 28, 2018 11:02 AM
• AAP

Broncos no longer QLD's powerhourse

Key Ins: Jack Bird (Cronulla Sharks), Sam Tagataese (Cronulla Sharks), Matt Lodge (n/a)

Key Outs: Adam Blair (New Zealand Warriors), Ben Hunt (St George Illawarra Dragons), Benji Marshall (Wests Tigers), Jai Arrow (Gold Coast Titans), David Mead (Catalans Dragons), Tautau Moga (Newcastle Knights)

Broncos fans will look back on last season with thoughts of what could have been. Take the near unbeatable Storm out of the competition and the Premiership was arguably heading back to the Queensland capital after a deep run into September was ended by Cameron Smith’s side in the preliminary final.

The Broncos scored for fun in 2017, notching up 597 points to become the second highest point scorers in the competition. Anthony Milford took his game to another level after scoring seven tries, laying on 15 try assists and making eight line breaks. The five-eighth will have a new halves partner in 2018 following the departure of Ben Hunt to the Dragons, as Kodi Nikorima will step into the role after impressing in his limited starting opportunities towards the back-end of last season. The extent to which this youthful halves combination clicks this season will have a significant bearing on the Broncos’ finals aspirations.  

For a side that has built its reputation on playing finals football, only missing the top eight twice since joining the NRL in 1998, anything but an appearance in September will be deemed a failure. There’s an uneasy feeling in Brisbane heartland however that their mantle as Queensland’s premier NRL powerhouse is under threat from the Cowboys.

Wayne Bennett is in the twilight of his coaching career and should the Broncos stumble this year, expect him to be shown the door.  

Player to watch: Matt Lodge gets his chance to play in the NRL after narrowly avoiding a prison sentence following a drunken rampage in the US in 2015. The 22-year-old has been handed a life-line by Bennett who has seen enough in the front rower to suggest he’s on the straightened arrow. There are big wraps on the 121kg tower and he gets an opportunity to make his mark this year.

Key Player: Anthony Milford is a genuine NRL superstar. In his three seasons at the Broncos, the 23-year-old five-eighth has led the club to three finals series including a Grand Final and preliminary final. With Queensland halves positions up for grabs following the representative retirements of Jonathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk, Milford will be looking to establish himself in the side having had a taste of Origin football in the 2017 series.

Outside backs rating: 8/10

James Roberts was one of the most dangerous centres in the game last season. With electrifying speed, “Jimmy the Jet” crossed for 16 tries and came close to being selected for the NSW Origin team. His new centre pairing will be new recruit and rising star of the game Jack Bird, who has replaced one of the Broncos’ best performers last year in Tautau Moga. Bird will miss the first month of the season as he recovers from shoulder surgery, however when fully fit, the thought of Bird and Roberts lining up together will be a daunting prospect for opposition defenders. Jordan Kahu is reliable on the wing, whilst there has been talk that Queensland winger Corey Oates could be shifted into the backrow this season. It’s a talented backline that is loaded with points.

Forward Pack rating:  6/10

The Broncos’ front row looks unusually weak this season following the departure of Adam Blair to the Warriors and Sam Thaiday now past his best. Props Korbin Sims and Lodge will need the support of their star-studded backrow and can bank on the likes of Matt Gillett and Alex Glenn making meters on the edge of the ruck. Josh McGuire was arguably the Broncos’ best player last year, picking up from where retired Corey Parker left off in the middle of the park. A key injury to one of their representative stars will spell trouble for this pack.   

Spine rating: 8/10

Darius Boyd (Fullback), Anthony Milford (Five-Eighth), Kodi Nikorima (Halfback) and Andrew McCullough (Hooker) rates amongst the best spines in the competition. Boyd is a vital cog in the Broncos engine, providing reliability in defence and a safe pair of hands at the back, whilst heavily involved in the backline’s sweeping plays in attack. Coming off a season ending knee injury last year, Andrew McCullough will once again shoulder much of the defensive work in the middle of the park this season. He also possesses a handy kicking game out of dummy-half, giving the Broncos a useful alternative to the halves.