2015 in review - Brisbane Broncos

The master returned to the Broncos in 2015 and under the clouds of questioning from people asking, did Wayne Bennett still have the knack after a fruitless spell at the Knights? The immediate answer was yes, the master's still got it.

The Broncos were one of the form teams of the competition in 2015, which saw them finish second with 17 wins from their 24 matches this season with a big points differential of 195.

The season started with a bad loss to the Rabbitohs in the opening match - the Broncos were thrashed 36-6 by the defending premiers; As soon as Round 1 was done there were already questions being asked of the choice of Anthony Milford as five-eighth and the knives were out, but as the season went on it was clear those critics jumped the gun.

From there, Brisbane then went five straight, beginning with an unconvincing win over the Sharks before they began to hit top gear with their next four victories. The normally troublesome Origin period was nothing of the kind this time around, with eight straight wins which included the best performance of the season - a 14-12 win over the Storm.

The run home to the finals was more troublesome than what it should've been, with a 30 point loss to Manly in Gosford which was followed by a home loss to the Bulldogs. The last three competition rounds were mixed for the Broncos with an average performance against the Roosters before a big win over the Rabbitohs, before another sub-standard performance over the Storm in Round 26.

Turning Point
It's not too often do we see people praising a Murdoch for something positive in the game, but in July 2014 Lachlan Murdoch, as boss of the Broncos majority stakeholder News Corp, gave his approval to Wayne Bennett's return as coach, which set the club a pathway for success in 2015.

The Good
The impact of several key signings. Anthony Milford and the much maligned Adam Blair were both big performers for the Broncos in 2015.

The other good part of the season was the "defensive effort of the decade" shown in their round 14 victory over Melbourne down at AAMI Park. The Storm threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Broncos' line, but it stood firm and it showed that the Broncos had the defence to win a premiership.

The Bad
The worst part of the Broncos' season was the lapses in form over the last part of the season - and it was a 30 point loss to the Sea Eagles in Gosford that raised questions of their chances, given they were easily defeated by a side who before that match were well out of form.

Best Players
Outside of the obvious choices of Milford and Hunt, the best players for the Broncos in 2015 were the unsung heroes of their campaign, including the likes of Matt Gillett, Corey Oates and Andrew McCullough.

McCullough, outside of Milford, was the only other player to play in all of the Broncos 2015 matches, and in all matches he played a key role steering players around the park and scored five tries across the season.

At just 20 years old and a backrower by junior trade, Corey Oates spent the majority of his playing time in 2015 playing either in the centres or on the wing. Oates was impressive in the season on the wing in both defence and attack where he managed to score 14 tries in the season for the Broncos.

Disappointing Players
It's hard to pinpoint a bad player for the Broncos in 2015, but retiring captain Justin Hodges had an injury-affected season and was only fair in the games he played, scoring just three tries across 20 appearances, and appeared to have a lessened impact across the club's campaign.

Rookies
The Broncos only had three debutants in 2015 but all three have shown that they will be future stars of the NRL for the Broncos - and in the case of Matt Parcell, for the Sea Eagles.

Junior Kiwis star and Broncos U20's star Kodi Nikorima made his debut in round 2 against the Sharks and went on to play 20 games across the season gave the Broncos impact off the bench when replacing Andrew McCullough. The impact of Nikorima off the bench was huge giving impact for the Broncos around the oppositions tiring forwards.

Joe Offengahue provided an impact for the Broncos and impressed and will only grow in strength as his first grade career grows.

2016 Chances
It's hard to see the Broncos getting too much worse in 2015, but given the compact nature of the ladder, they could easily slip down from second if they manage to lose games some of the tighter matches like the victory over the Storm, and their 80th-minute victory over the Panthers to triumph 8-5. If they games like that in 2016, their fortunes could quickly nose-dive.

With the experience of being in a grand final and little movement in the squad, the Broncos should be able to build on their season, though its hard to see them actually being able to finish the season on top of the ladder.

Best line-up in 2016

1. Darius Boyd
2. Corey Oates
3. Jack Reed
4. Dale Copley
5. Jordan Kahu
6. Anthony Milford
7. Ben Hunt
8. Josh McGuire
9. Andrew McCullough
10. Sam Thaiday
11. Adam Blair
12. Matt Gillett
13. Corey Parker

14. Alex Glenn
15. Jarrod Wallace
16. Jo Ofahengahue
17. Kodi Nikorima

Ins: Carlin Anderson (QLD ISC - Ipswich), Caleb Timu

Outs: Justin Hodges, David Stagg (retirement), Todd Lowrie (Knights), Ashley Taylor (Titans), Mitch Garbutt (ESL - Leeds), Matt Parcell (Sea Eagles), Mitchell Dodds (ESL - Warrington), Jayden Nikorima (Roosters), Jordan Drew (Sharks)