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.
5. Can Adam Reynolds stay fit?
This might be the single biggest issue for the Broncos coming into the 2024 season, such is the importance of the veteran halfback to anything the Broncos touch.
Kevin Walters' side has plenty of youthful exuberance, and all of those players stood up in a big way during last year's run to the grand final. Reece Walsh led them, but Ezra Mam was fantastic in the grand final in particular, while a number of other players are snapping around the first grade side and ensuring there is competition for spots.
Even those who aren't so young but maybe lacking the experience of other established campaigners like Jesse Arthars, who booted Corey Oates out of first grade, did their job within the squad.
As the saying goes, you win a premiership with 30, not 17.
But none of what happened at the Broncos in 2023 was possible without the calm head of Adam Reynolds. They would have still probably been a solid outfit without him, and would be again in 2024 if he runs into injury issues, but it goes without saying that he adds so much to this Brisbane outfit.
The more experience other young players gain, the better Brisbane will ultimately, be, but for the time being, they simply must have Reynolds on the park in clutch moments to win games.
