Brisbane Broncos: 2017 Review and a Look at What the Future Holds

Source: Brisbane Broncos via Facebook.

If you listened to the experts before the start of the season, then you know that most people wrote off any chance of Brisbane being a threat in 2017. Some pundits even said they would struggle to make the top eight, and questioned if the squad had the depth to sustain them for the season.

The mighty Broncos defied those odds and ended up finishing third, only one win away from a top two spot. They suddenly became serious title contenders and fell just one game short of the grand final, going down to the Melbourne Storm 30-0, in what was a unfitting end to the resilience they showed throughout the normal season.

It was an injury-ravaged year for the Broncos and they continually lost players in key positions during the campaign. Captain Darius Boyd was absent for the majority of the finals series, only to return with a less-than-characteristic performance for the drubbing against the Storm. Korbon Sims received an arm fracture in round 25 which saw him miss the rest of the season. But the real loss was hooker Andrew McCullough, who was out of action for the last eight games with a serious knee injury. It was a massive blow to the side who often rely on his attacking spark to create chances from dummy-half.

That's not even to mention brief periods on the sideline for Jordon Kahu, Anthony Milford, Ben Hunt and Corey Oates; you can soon start to piece together why it never really felt that this was a premiership-winning year for the Broncos.

Next season definitely has a lot of question marks at present, with so many players already confirmed to be leaving the club. Ben Hunt, Benji Marshall and Jai Arrow are all on their way out, and promising duo Tautau Moga and Herman Ese'ese have been poached by 2017 wooden spoon holders the Newcastle Knights. They represent a massive pair of signings for the struggling club and a huge blow for the Queensland team.

Source: Brisbane Broncos via Facebook.

Brisbane have acquired the signature of Jack Bird from the Cronulla Sharks, though, and that in itself is a tremendous signing for the team. Undoubtedly more will follow the versatile young player, and the best way to keep up with all the latest transfer news is to use a tipping website such as Champion Bets to make sure you've got all the current information before the season kicks off.

Wayne Bennett will have to do some major restructuring with his squad, and there will be a lot of tough decisions to make. If Andrew McCullough can get back to his best and Darius Boyd remains injury free then they should create enough chances for a successful season.

The relatively young halves pairing of Anthony Milford and Kodi Nikorima had their critics last season, but if they can build on the partnership and continue to gel as we saw later in the season, they will undeniably be a dangerous duo through the middle of the park.

With more additions to come and the Melbourne Storm losing halfback Cooper Cronk, next year may just be the perfect time to end Brisbane's 11-year premiership drought.