The Parramatta Eels enter 2024 on the back of a dramatic collapse in 2023, and under a mountain of pressure.
The blue and gold endured a topsy-turvy campaign over the last 12 months, but it was one that ultimately wound up with the club finishing outside of the top eight.
Coming off a year where they had made the grand final, it was disappointing at best and downright terrible at worst.
There is little to no doubt that another season like the last one will leave Brad Arthur scrambling for his own head coaching future, and a number of players wondering where their own long-term futures lie.
But there is also no doubt Parramatta have the cattle to turn things around. It's a side with an excellent spine, plenty of powerful forwards and exciting youth throughout the team.
Here are the questions which will determine whether they can do just that throughout the 2024 season.
2. Can Dylan Brown get back to his best?
2023 was a mixed season for Dylan Brown, not aided by a lengthy suspension for an off-field incident through the middle of it.
When he was on the field, he made a difference to the Eels, but ultimately not enough to turn the club into a genuine powerhouse. Playing in a team with a controlling halfback as exceptional as Mitchell Moses, Brown should absolutely be among the best five-eighths in the competition.
And at his best, there is little doubt he has been that.
His try assist numbers have been excellent in each of the last two years, and without some of his performances, Parramatta probably would have been lower on the ladder than where they ultimately wound up last year.
But he needs to go to another level in taking more of the pressure off Moses, and backing up a forward pack which, more often than it doesn't, lays a fantastic platform for him.
The five-eighth is a New Zealand representative for a reason though, and 2024 needs to be the year where he takes his game to the next level if the Eels are to return to the premiership picture.
