NRL - Brisbane Broncos 2018 Season Preview and Prediction
Brisbane Broncos 2018 Season Preview
Last season - Third (beaten in preliminary final) 597 points scored, 433 points against
Last five seasons - (2013-2017) 12th, eighth, second (beaten in GF), fifth (beaten Week 2 of finals), third (Beaten preliminary final)
2017 Review - I thought the Broncos had a really good year in 2017, finishing third in the regular season, despite being blown out 30-0 in the preliminary final by the Melbourne Storm. In typical Broncos’ fashion, they started the season fast, winning five of their first six games, and maintained their spot in the top four throughout the season.The Broncos were actually one of the better sides to watch last year, playing some unstructured and entertaining brand of football in many games. However with no Premiership since 2006 you have to say despite 23 straight good seasons, their has to be a sense of urgency around such a big club.
2018 Gains - Jack Bird (Sharks – 2021), Patrick Mago (Cowboys – 2019), Andre Savelio (Warrington – 2019), Sam Tagataese (Sharks – 2018) Matt Lodge (Uncontracted)
2018 Losses - Jai Arrow (Titans), Adam Blair (Warriors), Herman Ese’ese (Knights), Ben Hunt (Dragons), Matiu Love-Henry (Warriors), Benji Marshall (Wests Tigers), Tautau Moga (Knights), Jai Whitbread (Titans), Joe Boyce, Mitchell Dodds, Travis Waddell (released)
What do make of their gains and losses - To me, the losses outweigh the gains for the Broncos who, despite making Week 3 of the finals, realistically were a mile off the Melbourne Storm who went on to win the competition.While Jack Bird is a good player from Cronulla, it will be interesting to see how he settles into life in Brisbane, especially considering he is currently injured and may not be fit to start the season.
In Blair, Hunt and Moga they have lost three players who are quality and experienced first graders, that played starting roles for the large majority of last season. Benji Marshall, while not as impactful, provided useful depth in the halves coming off the bench and starting a few games around Origin time.
Coach – Wayne Bennett - The Broncos had been in a real rut before Bennett returned, so despite not winning a title, he has retuned this club to being a consistent winner, making the top five and at least Week 2 of the finals in each of his three seasons.In a year when not many people had them as title contenders, 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.
Most important player – Anthony Milford - Really it’s all on Milford this year, with the Broncos having lost both Ben Hunt and Benji Marshall in the off-season. While Milford had his moments of brilliance last season, his form fluctuated, and the Broncos really need to assert himself as a more dominant and consistent playmaker this year.Milford doesn’t have the biggest pack in the world, so how he plays when the side is under pressure and not getting that big roll on down the middle will be important.
2018 Likely Side - 1. Darius Boyd, 2. Jordan Kahu, 3. James Roberts, 4. Jack Bird, 5. Corey Oates, 6. Anthony Milford, 7. Kodi Nikorima, 8. Matt Lodge, 9. Andrew McCullough, 10. Korbin Sims, 11. Alex Glenn, 12. Matt Gillett, 13. Josh McGuire. Bench – 14. Sam Thaiday, 15. Payne Haas, 16. Joe Ofahengaue, 17. Tevita Pangai Jnr
Verdict – 7th - I am backing against the Broncos again this year even though I think they can sneak into the top eight They have a good grip on the fixture list so have a heap of advantages there over other clubs, but I just see their list as missing one or two really good marquee players.While the Broncos’ roster still looks reasonably strong, I’m surprised they have not been able to land a real big gun over the past couple of years.
This is a side that has a lot of leg ups, including having a whole city to cherry pick the best talent, lots of third party sponsorship, and good control of the fixtures; so the Broncos ought to be challenging for titles every season.I think their forwards are a little bit light on in terms of real intimidation and size, so a wild card like Matt Lodge could be a key player if he can get his head straight.The bottom line is, I don’t think their halves are good enough this season to beat the better sides, and I don’t think they have done enough in the off-season to address the side’s weaknesses.