Who's got a point to prove this NRL season (Part 1)

You are right and Hunt wasn't much better in D. They park Gillett beside Hunt/Kodi and Blair beside Milf but Blair was often found wanting.

They also lost Boyd in that time as well. He, like Slater (but 2nd too), has to be seen live to appreciate how much he does in defence so to lose them both was devastating. (check out his defensive stats as opposed to other FBs) With 4 halves on the park they just tried to outscore the opposition, which worked until they run into Melbourne.

Milf and Nik looked good for much of the season but there were some disturbing signs in my opinion of their ability to relish the rough and tumble which is coming their way. Players like Hunt , Pearce, Cronk and Thurston are up to the big challenge of getting menaced I believe , where Reynolds from the Bunnies and Milf look to me as if it puts them off their game. The predators can detect blood in the water around the Bronco halves is my lounge chair impression. Milf was no doubt carrying a shoulder injury for much of the time and this issue being resolved could help a great deal.

I think Sims has a lot of aggression....just mostly misdirected and Tagatese isn't one of those players you like running into but meter eaters they are definitely not. There sure is a lot of expectation on the untested for sure.

Guess we are all guilty of having more passion and self interest when it comes to the team we support. So many teams that didn't make the 8 last season or didn't perform as well in the finals have a lot to prove this season. The Dragons are an interesting prospect. They pick up Graham and Hunt but lose the class of Dugan, Joel Thompson, Packer etc. Will be interesting to see if Graham and Hunt rediscover their form. A change of scenery may do both of them the world of good. The combination of Widdop and Hunt looks very promising and Graham will be the leader of the forward pack with help from Vaughan. Will also be interesting to see how the loss of Hunt affects the Broncos whose recruitment apart from Bird doesn't appear to be particularly startling. I think the Broncos might miss Blair up front. The Dogs worry me on paper - I just don't know about Mbye at full back and the rest of the spine. As you suggest Baz Foran carries a lot of responsibility. So many teams have question marks hanging over them going into the 2018 season. The most settled side appears to be the Cowboys with few player losses, Thurston and Scott returning plus the recruitment of McLean.

Coach Bennett isn’t doing him any favors though with the front row rotation looking auspiciously unintimidating..Sims,Joe O and Tagatease just don’t make the meters you want for your halfs to get on the front foot...additionally,don’t have the essential,aggressive type,a Vaughan,Kapow,Nelson,Klemmer...a Blair..awful burden of expectation on the untried Lodge,Payne H. and the Englishman Andre S...

Is that any different to previous seasons though?

If I were a Broncos fan, Milford would be the one I’d be worried about. He plays brilliantly in patches but then can disappear for large portions of games. With Ben Hunt now out of the picture, Bird likely to play centre and Nikorima nothing more than a complimentary piece, Milford is the main man. Is he mentally ready to pull on the shoes of Lockyer, Lewis and Langer? We’ll see

100% Greg ! And I am not sure either handle too much pressure. McCullough, Gillett & McQuire will provide a bit of starch in their pack , but I can't see their pack dominating too many opposition packs. So the halves are going to be under pressure regularly. Boyd needs to lend a hand from the back more as he tends to be hot and cold with his involvement. Where will Bird play to have any sort of impact ? I think this might be a tough year for the Broncs.

I just can't see a starting spot for Mann if all Dragons troops are available ? All spots look well taken by others at this stage. As you say, he can probably start any position in the backline, but only if preferred others are unavailable. Forgot about Bolton's injury . Damn that long off season !

I get your points but he did have some fairly ordinary halves alongside him in 2016 and even 2017. I guess time will tell I'm hoping he continues on his great form

Great write-up TB! My two cents: Broncos - There's a lot of dropped ball in their squad this year; Milf, Bird, Roberts, Mcguire all have a tendency to look up before receiving a pass and if that's their five-eighth, both centres and the lock, the focus has to be on supercoach to get the error out of those guys' games. Bulldogs - Duncan Smith mentioned above that with a rookie coach and a spine with question marks over each player, it's impossible to guess where the 'dogs will be in 3 months. The pressure is on for all five of them, because they all have the skills (even Pay as a coach comes with solid credentials), but if all those moving pieces don't line up, they could find themselves well outside the eight. Cowboys - Agree with TB on Matt Scott. The cattle that have been assembled up in Townsville is nothing short of amazing, and if Scott doesn't find his best, he'll find himself playing fewer minutes very quickly. With JT and Morgan behind that pack, Cows for the title this year. Dragons - Huge pressure on Hunt. The Dragons need someone to provide some attacking spark, and that expectation will fall squarely on Hunt's shoulders as their new (very well payed) signing. Only time will tell.

Joe and Albo - think we saw that in the finals last year after McCullough got injured. I called it at the time that the Broncos wouldn't win without him. He provides them so much at both ends of the park.

The Cowboys front row is an interesting one. Can't see Bolton doing much more than Scott early as he comes back from that horrific injury he picked up in the GF. Could be right about Hess as well - hence me saying he has a lot to prove this year. Kurt Mann seems too talented to be in NSW Cup Albo, but then, he might be a victim of his own talents - he just has too many positions making it unclear what his role should be.

I'm definately hoping for a style closer to 2015 where they used their defence to propel their attack rather then last years all out attack trying to blow teams off the park. But having a whole preseason to refine the gameplan should iron out the kinks compared to last years which was more of a forced stop gap measure

I think the Broncos need McCullough on the park or they become directionless ! He is their key.

I tend to agree with most of your points Scott ! I still think Jack Bird would be best served for all concerned as an 80 minute backrower, and maybe Bennett is the one to tell him he is not ever going to be a Broncos half back, despite his desire to be one ! At the Dogs, Foran must reclaim his past Manly form for the Dogs to be any chance of improving in my opinion. I too am a Lichaa fan ( I tipped him as the next Cam Smith when he started out at Cronulla !!) . Just don't know what had gone wrong with his style of play in recent years, apart from working under Des' instructions ? At the Cowboys, I suspect Scott will be managed well in his comeback with McLean & Boulton and others being more involved in the heavy stuff. Hess is an interesting one, as I believe he lost a lot of form ( maybe injured ? ) in the back half of last year. Maybe struggling with knowing his specific role in & around others like JT13, Cooper & Lowe ? A lot of hopes on Ben Hunt to turn around the Dragons fortunes. I have my doubts about his organisational skills and it will be interesting how he & Widdop assume their roles. Dufty is a very dangerous proposition in attack but I think he will struggle under the high ball & defensively , and Kurt Mann's role is likely to be in NSW Cup unless backline injuries prevail in the top grade. I'm tipping the Storm to go back to back !

I admit I am a little passionate about my team and I am a bit one eyed also however to say I never comment about anyone else is stretching it a little.

I think that up tempo game only works when you have guys like McCullough who can make 40+ tackles in defense and save the halves energy for attack. They fell away pretty badly in the finals against the Storm and also lost to the Roosters at the end. Kodi and Milford would relish quick ball and with Bird and Roberts in the centers are going to wreak havoc. I think though they have added size to the forward pack this year although losing Blair will create a hole in the middle as he keeps the defense in the middle solid. I don't have such confidence in Sims who is more of a big hit every now and then type. There's talk of a young Prop thats tearing it up in pre-season and Matt Lodge should be handy off the bench. but I don't know if they've done enough to replace Blair and Ese'ese. The big plus is less penalties without Blair there.

The Broncos halves will be harassed and targeted all season. This is a massive challenge for any players in this position. Will these two be up for the challenge that could be red hot?