The Brisbane Broncos fell agonisingly short of their first premiership in almost two decades last year, and will now aim to maintain the rage heading into 2024.
Some big name exits from Red Hill aren't about to make life any easier for coach Kevin Walters though, with the club also aiming to prove they can now be consistent at the top.
With an ageing halfback, questions over their depth and and off-field contract negotiations likely to be a distraction, here are the five big questions likely to shape the 2024 campaign for the Brisbane Broncos.
1. Was 2023 a flash in the pan, or something greater?
This question could be one that will pop up for a few clubs throughout this series, such was the in some ways wild nature of the 2023 season.
When you have three sides crumble out of the top eight, and two of their replacements move all the way to the top four, that leaves some real head scratchers over what expectations should actually read for clubs in 2024.
One of those clubs to fire up the ladder was the Broncos, with their run to the grand final coming on the back of a dramatic collapse in 2022.
I'm inclined to say 2023 wasn't a flash in the pan, but I'm also not sure if it was Brisbane's best crack at winning a competition in the immediate future.
2022 saw Brisbane strong enough for much of the season before fading away. They didn't repeat that in 2023, but their big exits in Flegler and Farnworth for 2024 could leave them a little short on depth and in the engine room to suggest they will challenge the top teams come September.
That said, they should be well and truly in the top eight again and prove that 2023 was the start of something greater at the club in years to come as they continue to build with what is an incredibly talented pool of young players.
