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If the trial form of both the Brisbane Broncos and St George Illawarra Dragons is anything to go by, their fans could be faced with another long season as both clubs try to rebuild from the bottom up this year.
The performances of both teams in their respective trial matches on the weekend were woeful, despite the mass changes both teams have undergone in the past 12 months.
It’s clear that there is still a lot of work to be done before they can be considered a chance to climb back up the ladder in 2014.
It was not that long ago that these two clubs contested high-stakes finals matches against each other, with the Broncos being given a wake-up call by the Dragons en route to their most recent premiership in 2006, while also ending their premiership dreams in both 2009 and 2011.
But last year delivered the worst respective seasons for each club – the Broncos finishing 12th and missing the finals for only the second time in two decades, and the Dragons finishing ahead of only the Tigers and Eels on the ladder in failing to make the finals for the second consecutive year.
The Broncos were absolutely woeful in their 48-4 loss to the New Zealand Warriors in Dunedin last Sunday.
Ben Barba, the club’s biggest recruit in recent history, was missing from that match due to a foot injury he suffered at the Auckland Nines, where his performances helped guide the Broncos to the final (which, without him, they lost to the North Queensland Cowboys).
His performances at the two-day event had fans optimistic about the club’s finals chances this year, but his absence from the Warriors thrashing shows that the Broncos cannot rely on him and him alone to reverse the club’s on-field fortunes.
Justin Hodges, who with Corey Parker assumed the co-captaincy from Sam Thaiday in January this year, was also absent from the match, and is not expected to return to the field until May at the very earliest.
The Broncos’ heavy loss shows just how much the team needs to improve as a whole before they can start planning their seventh premiership, which would break their longest premiership drought in the club’s history.
The team conceded nine tries in the defeat as the Warriors, led by big-money recruit Sam Tomkins and mercurial halfback Shaun Johnson, weaved their magic in front of their Dunedin supporters.
It shows just how important Barba will be to the Broncos when the season starts next week.
The club have not mounted the premiership podium since 2006, a year in which Darren Lockyer enjoyed arguably his best ever season as a five-eighth.
The elevation of Hodges and Parker to the joint captaincy comes as no surprise given the two are the club’s most experienced players (making their club debuts in 2000 and 2001 respectively), and know what it’s like to experience success.
But the veteran centre’s experience will be what is missed the most in the first half of the season.
Hodges missed the entire 2010 season due to an Achilles injury he suffered at pre-season training, and it was his absence from the team that was felt hard as the club missed the finals for the first time since 1991.
But what if Hodges had not been injured that year?
The Broncos could have made the finals and Ivan Henjak would not have suffered the ignominy of being the first (and so far only) Broncos coach to ever be sacked.
It must be noted, though, that Henjak initially survived the immediate fallout from the club’s 2010 season and that he was expected to lead the club into 2011.
But just days out from the beginning of that season, the last for club legend Darren Lockyer, Henjak was sacked amidst a fallout with the players and assistant coach Anthony Griffin was elevated to the hot seat.
In the three seasons that have followed, the Broncos have just missed out on a grand final berth, falling to eventual premiers Manly, got knocked out in the first round of the finals by the Cowboys and recorded their worst season ever.
The club’s aggressive player recruitment, in which they landed the signatures of Ben Barba, Martin Kennedy, Stewart Mills, Daniel Vidot and Todd Lowrie, has fans optimistic about the season ahead after last year’s 12th place finish.
That, the retirement of Scott Prince (who didn’t really contribute much in his only season at the Broncos) and the appointment of Hodges and Parkeras co-captains led to me predicting at least a first round finals appearance for the club this year.
The fans simply cannot tolerate another season of under-performing on the field. Coach Griffin could be sacked at season’s end for not extracting the best out of the playing group at his disposal.
And despite the two rather heavy trial losses which sandwiched their success at the Auckland Nines, there is still hope for Broncos fans who have for a quarter of a century been accustomed to the team enjoying sustained on-field success.
Now to the Dragons, another team who many expect must improve in order for their coach, Steve Price, to survive the next 12 months.
Not only did they disappoint in their annual Charity Shield match against the Rabbitohs at home, the team also underperformed at the Nines, finishing at the bottom of the red group despite beating the Melbourne Storm in one of their rubbers.
The Dragons will be the most under pressure to perform this season, and no man will feel the heat more than Price, who took over from Wayne Bennett at the end of the 2011 season.
Price inherited an ageing list that had just experienced the euphoria of premiership success, and the past two seasons have seen a number of old heads leave the club, as well as new players start to either rise through the ranks or arrive from different clubs.
Like the Broncos, the Dragons’ defence was woeful in their 38-20 loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs, a team many believe will either win the premiership this season or at least threaten the Sydney Roosters’ crown.
One of their most important players, Josh Dugan, suffered a knee injury in the second half of the match. Ironically, his departure from the field sparked a mini resurgence from the team, where they scored three consolation tries to make the scoreline look more respectable.
However, there were two shining lights for the Dragons in the face of such a disappointing performance, as Gareth Widdop showed his worth after arriving from the Storm and Leeson Ah Mau performed well in the forward pack.
The Dragons have also undergone a huge player turnover, which over the past 12 months has seen premiership stalwarts Jamie Soward, Matt Cooper, Nathan Fien and Michael Weyman, among others, leave the club.
The Dragons were able to land the signatures of English World Cup five-eighth Widdop, former Raiders pair Joel Thompson and Sam Williams plus Rabbitohs centre Dylan Farrell in their bid to climb back up the ladder this season.
Just like the Broncos, Dragons fans must also be patient as it will take weeks, even years, for the club to return to September.
Widdop and Williams arrive at the club from the Storm and Raiders respectively; the former’s partnership with Cooper Cronk was the main reason why the Storm have been successful in the post-salary cap breach era, and Williams was pushed out due to not getting many chances to start at the Raiders.
It will take some time for the two to get used to each other’s game, as they and Dugan (who will be sidelined until Round 5 at the earliest) will be responsible for directing the Dragons’ attack this season.
With Dugan sidelined, and Gerard Beale not expected to be 100 percent upon his return from an ACL injury which ruined his first season in the Red V, it’s likely that Jason Nightingale or Brett Morris will have to fill the custodian position for the first month of the competition.
And after two years without finals, Dragons fans, like their Broncos counterparts, simply cannot take in another year with the club finishing outside the top eight.
Price has done all the hard work over the off-season, moving players on and bringing in new ones. It’s now up to him, and his arrivals lounge, to let their football do the talking when it matters most.
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