By Chase Christensen
The Brisbane Broncos have left 2024 in the past as they look to make noise in the 2025 premiership season. Once again, it’s been a long offseason and an anxious wait for footy to begin. However, it is finally back.
The Broncos will travel to Sydney for the first Thursday night fixture of the year taking on the Sydney Roosters. This will be one of their toughest challenges of the season as the Roosters are once again a top dog in the league. Brisbane will be without Ezra Mam as he is serving his post-car accident suspension. It will be huge shoes to fill, however the likely man to take the job will be the newly recruited Ben Hunt. Hunt was a key part of the 2015 grand final team before moving to the Dragons in 2018. He is welcomed back with open arms by Broncos fans as it will add a mighty level of experience to the team. Billy Walters will likely play as starting hooker until the return of Mam, who will slot back into his regular five-eighth role. Hunt would then slot into the hooker position, which is his regular State of Origin role.
So, what should Brisbane fans expect in the upcoming season? Red Hill’s team, on paper, is one of the best in the competition. To be their dominative 2023 selves will come from how they utilise their quality line-up. Of course, key injuries will always be a possibility. An example of a paramount injury was Adam Reynolds last year as his constant absence disrupted the team’s chemistry. Not having one of the leaders in the team left Brisbane rattled and they could not recover. Reynolds has been injury-prone since he joined Brisbane, which has been a large disruption to the team.
Brisbane open their season with two away games, facing the Roosters and Raiders in prime-time fixtures. Their opening home game is on March 21 against the North Queensland Cowboys. Beating your biggest rivals is the best way of giving club fans hope for a successful year. There have been many classic games in the past between these two Queensland rivals and there aren’t many reasons why this match won’t add to the rich historic rivalry. Tickets are yet to go on sale for the match, however memberships are available on the Broncos official website. If you are interested in buying tickets, make sure you only use Ticketek or Ticketmaster. You can also watch the game from home on Channel 9.
Tracking backward, the much-anticipated opening match against the Roosters will be the toughest test in the first three weeks of the Broncos season. Sydney has lost some key players; however they remain one of the hardest sides to beat in the competition. The Broncos must attack the outside edges of Trent Robinson’s men as Joseph Manu and Joseph Sua’ali’i have left the club in pursuit of rugby union. The lack of experience in the centres may lead to some success for Brisbane in those areas of the Roosters defensive line.
The first month of the season sets the tone for how the season will play out, so make sure you back our boys.
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