NRL - Brisbane Broncos 2017 Season Review

Brisbane Broncos 2017 Season Review
 
The Broncos entered 2017 with a question mark hanging over they heads, having exited in the 2nd round of the finals in 2016, and having not added any significant gains to their roster. With Corey Parker retiring at the end of the season, some expected the Broncos to struggle to get into the Top 8 in 2017, however Wayne Bennett, once again, proved his critics wrong, steering the side to a 2nd place finish. However, ultimately they came up well short of winning a Premiership and, in the 3 years since Bennett has returned, the Club has failed to break through for their first title since 2006. 
 
Season Finish - Exited in Preliminary Final(Regular Season, 3rd, 16 Wins, 8 Losses, 597 Points For 433 Points Against) 
 
Season Rating 8/10 - I think, overall, this was a successful season for the Broncos, despite being blown out 30-0 in the Preliminary Final by the Melbourne Storm. In typical Broncos’ fashion, they started the season fast, winning 5 of their first 6 games, and maintained their spot in the Top 4 throughout the season. The Broncos were actually one of the more unstructured and entertaining teams of the season with the football in hand, playing some sparkling attacking football with their ball movement and creativity. 
 
Coach Rating - 8/10 (Wayne Bennett) In a year when not many people had them as title contenders, Wayne Bennett managed to get the best out of his roster, steering them to within one game of the Grand Final. Bennett was also without key players in his spine for large portions of the season, with Darius Boyd, Ben Hunt and Andrew McCullough all missing chunks of football.   McCullough was a particularly cruel blow for the final 5 rounds, plus the finals, and the hamstring injury to Darius Boyd meant he was nowhere near his best at the pointy end of the season. 
 
Best Win - Round 6 Brisbane Broncos 32 Sydney Roosters 8 @ Suncorp Stadium
 
I thought this was clearly the Broncos’ best performance of the season coming against a fellow contender. The Roosters came into this game with only 1 loss, but Brisbane blew them away with their line speed in defence and their ball movement in attack. Not only was this a dominant defensive display, but the Broncos really threw caution to the wind, moving the ball from side to side in their own half with some spectacular results. 

Worst Loss - Round 25 Brisbane Broncos 34 v Parramatta Eels 52 @ Suncorp Stadium

This was a bizarre game of football in which the Broncos gave up a number of awfully oft tries. After a great run of form coming into this game the Broncos found themselves down 18-0 early in this game and never really recovered. No side has ever won the competition after conceding 50 points in a regular season game so I had this down as the Broncos worst loss of the season given the time of year and the fact it came against a fellow contender. 
 
Best Player - Darius Boyd - I thought the Captain really led from the front this season, despite battling some injuries. Boyd is probably the best defensive fullback in the game, alongside Billy Slater, and he was as safe and dependable as ever at the back. Whilst he is not the most explosive fullback in the game, in terms of tries scored, he is a crucial link to the Broncos’ attack, and he managed a number of try assists and provided a real threat with his passing game on both sides of the field.
 
Most Disappointing Player - Adam Blair - I just thought Blair made too many errors this season, and was a liability in certain big games towards the end of the season. There is no doubting his commitment, however Blair can give away cheap penalties and turn over too much ball for a front rower. Having signed a 3-year deal with the Warriors, it will be a big task for him to help turn around that struggling outfit. Last time he made a big money move to the besieged Tigers, he struggled and looked exposed a bit as a player. 
 
2018 Prospects - A lot will depend on how Jack Bird fits into the Broncos and whether he can gel in the halves with Anthony Milford. Bird is a really good player, however I have doubts about how well he will go in the halves alongside a similarly free wheeling player in Milford. At first glance, the Broncos’ roster still looks strong; however I have strong doubts as to whether they are genuine title contenders. To me they look like they need at least one more key signing.