NRL 2014 season previews: Brisbane Broncos

Brisbane Broncos are in the midst of the leanest period in their short, but successful history. Their last premiership came in 2006, with rabid fans north of the border tasting only State of Origin success since.
The Sunshine State's capital city is crying out for another reason to hang the maroon and gold decorations from the city streets and shower confetti over Queen Street Mall, with the blowtorch well and truly applied to the backsides of the Ben Barba-fuelled Broncos in 2014.

FULLBACKS
The acquisition of excitement machine Ben Barba from the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs boosts the Broncos' solid depth of custodians despite revelations he may not even play at the back of the field. The form and ability of number one rival for the number one jersey Josh Hoffman has opened the possibility of Barba shifting to five-eighth, allowing the Broncos to utilise Hoffman's ability at the back while getting the ball in Barba's hands more often.
The main problem with that scenario is even though it allows the Broncos to field the two atacking weapons, the more Barba uses the ball the less dangerous he will become. It gives opposition players and coaches more of a chance to catch on to the way he plays and can minimise his impact, and he will have less room to move when in possession.
In addition to the big two, Jake Granville, Marmin Barba, and Justin Hodges can also cover fullback. Hodges would make an interesting choice who could benefit from extra ball, but he will have to wait for both Barbas and Hoffman to go down while still ensuring he keeps his injury-prone body in prime condition.
It will be interesting to see which way Anthony Griffin goes when the whistle blows next week. 

CENTRES
Provided he stays fit, Hodges has a mortgage on one of the centre jerseys, provided Griffin doesn't experiment with throwing him into fullback when he returns from injury.
The other centre spot is not as clear cut.
England international Jack Reed would have to be considered the early favourite to play centre on the other side of the field, but there are plenty of players who can put their hand up. Alex Glenn and Matt Gillett can swap between centre and second-row comfortably, while former Cronulla Shark Stewart Mills and Dale Copley could also impress even though they have been used more on the wing. Young superstar Jordan Kahu will start behind the eight-ball with yet another knee injury, though he most likely would have played five-eighth, while fellow youngster Jordan Drew will also push for a start.
Daniel Vidot and David Stagg can also play centre but should only come into consideration if there are a plethora of injuries.

WINGERS
Mills, Barba, Hoffman, Copley, Vidot, Drew, Lachlan Maranta, Corey Oates and the returning Jharal Yow Yeh - the Broncos have a long list of proven wingers. What they have in numbers they lack in experience however, with most players specialising in other positions.
If Barba wins the fullback jersey, Hoffman will play on one wing with Copley most likely to return to the first grade setup following his injury woes of previous seasons.
If Hoffman gets the nod at fullback and Barba at five-eighth, I won't be surprised to see Oates and Copley on the flanks. Vidot and Mills will also go close, while one eye will permanently be fixed on Yow Yeh's return through the Intrust Super Cup ranks.

HALVES
Say whatever you want about the Auckland Nines - the emergence of young half Kodi Nikorima is one of the great success stories of the concept. Nikorima was a relatively unknown half before his sizzling performances at the Nines put his name on everybody's lips.
His chances of getting a start improved significantly following Kahu's injury, and should wear the number six jersey in round one if Griffin sticks with Ben Barba as fullback.
There he will pair Ben Hunt, who the Broncos are relying on making the jersey his own after spending the first few years of the post-Darren Lockyer era locked in a battle for a spot in the halves with Scott Prince (retired), Peter Wallace (Penrith Panthers) and Corey Norman (Parramatta Eels).
Young Redcliffe Dolphins half Zach Strasser has impressed in his runs with the team, but the lack of a genuine established half may severely impact the Broncos' chances of making the eight.

HOOKERS
You can not go past Andrew McCullough as starter, with a severe injury likely the only way he temporarily relax his grip on the jersey.Wynnum-Manly utility Jake Granville had his first taste of first grade last year, and should lock down the utility spot on the bench now Ben Hunt is starting at halfback.
There is still a chance Hunt could end up as the interchange utility player but that is unlikely.

FRONT-ROWERS
If the Broncos are to be any chance of success this year Sam Thaiday has to stay in the second-row.
Thaiday spent a lot of minutes in the front-row last season, leaving the rest of the Broncos' pack to be exposed and destroyed by the opposition every week. When Thaiday plays second-row, his minutes, but more importantly his impact, are drastically increased, as he acts as a "third prop" for the pack to work with.
The recruitment of Martin Kennedy from the Sydney Roosters will allow Thaiday to move back to his more favoured position, and lessen the burden on the first Broncos player to be stripped/relieved of the captaincy in the last decade.
A fully fit Ben Hannant in the other start's jersey will give the Broncos a fearsome forward pack, which becomes one of the more rounded and versatile when you take the rest of the roster into account.
Man-giant David Hala will add extra size and power from the bench but that spot is most likely to be filled by Josh McGuire - who could even start in place of Hannant. Jarrod Wallace and former Cronulla Shark Jon Green are more than worthy backups.

SECOND-ROW/LOCK
Thaiday has a mortgage on one spot in the second row while Supercoach favourite Corey Parker will start at lock until he loses a leg. That leaves just one more starting jersey for the rest of the roster to fight over.
Alex Glenn and Matt Gillett should end up trading starting and bench jerseys throughout the season depending on form and injuries. Both players have proven themselves in the Broncos setup in recent seasons and work just as well as other as impact players. Neither player has impressed enough to secure the starting jersey, with both men at risk of losing the chance to Corey Oates or former Melbourne Storm player Todd Lowrie.
Veteran David Stagg will not be too far from calculations providing he is fit, but it will not be easy for the 30-year-old to fight his way back in.

THE COACH
Anthony Griffin will be out the door quicksmart if Brisbane start the season with a series of losses. The Broncos head coaching role is one of the toughest in the NRL at the moment, with whoever picks up the clipboard struggling under the weight of expectation (remember Ivan Henjak?). The Broncos fanbase is unforgiving, and they are only growing hungrier for a breakthrough premiership.

Starting lineup: Ben Barba, Josh Hoffman, Jack Reed, Dale Copley, Dan Vidot, Kodi Nikorima, Ben Hunt, Josh McGuire, Andrew McCullough, Martin Kennedy, Alex Glenn, Sam Thaiday, Corey Parker. Interchange: Jake Granville, Matt Gillett, Ben Hannant, David Hala