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Message: [QUOTE="Big Pete, post: 3325221, member: 1899"] So I wanted to skip forward a season to 2004 in what proved to be a really pivotal season for the club. The Broncos were coming off a disasterous end to their 2003 campaign where they lost eight straight and they clearly needed to make some changes. In the ensuing years the game had become more structured with teams placing further emphasis on last tackle plays and set pieces to break opposition teams down. The Broncos were lacking in that department and if Lockyer couldn't conjure something up they would really struggle to put teams away. There was a lot of uncertainty about the Broncos headed into 2004 and one of the more popular predictions heading into that season is that they'd miss the 8 entirely. One of the best calls Bennett made that season was addressing the spine. Everyone knows about the bold decision to play Locky at 6, but he also complimented that decision by making Brett Seymour the starting 7 and bringing in Barry Berrigan as the 9. Both players really suited the meta with Seymour's kicking game providing the Broncos with far more control while Barry's ability to get out of dummy half helped the team get on the front foot. Of course the coup de gras was selecting 17 year old Karmichael Hunt at fullback. I don't think we'll ever see such an extraordinary selection in our lifetime. Not only was it remarkable to see a 17 year old virtual no-name displaced the Australian Captain but it proved to be 100% the right move. What made it so impressive is that it wasn't exactly smooth sailing either. The Warriors really went after Karmichael and they caused him to make some errors but he came out of it and quickly became one of the better players in the competition before he could even legally have a drink. On paper Bennett made all the right moves and Brisbane quickly asserted themselves as one of the front runners again. Everything was going swimingly even a rib injury to Lockyer couldn't dampen things until... Both Brett Seymour and Barry Berrigan suffered season ending injuries mid-way through the season. Suddenly the complexion of the season changed and the Broncos had to scrape as many wins as they could. Players like Paul Green, Darren Smith and recently retired Ben Ikin were called in and had to work together with younger players like David Stagg, Neville Costigan, Gary Tupou and Tom Learoyd. Despite losing Seymour and B. Berrigan the basic framework of the team was there with 1. Hunt and 6. Lockyer. That was the key for the team and players like Casey McGuire and Michael Ryan who had to fill in flourished in their roles. McGuire in particular really came of age at this time as a Mr. Fix It which would become vital in 2006. Just to illustrate that point, the Broncos scored more than a 100 points than the year prior despite missing their starting halfback and hooker for the majority of the season. The Broncos were 15-5 when they played front-runners Canterbury infront of a packed Suncorp Stadium. That was the day any hope of a premiership was thwarted as they ran out 46-18 winners. After toiling all season, the Broncos hit the wall and went out in straight sets. It was a disappointing end to the season and fans expected better but by the same token considering where the club started there was a lot of positives to take out of that year. With Lockyer starring in the Tri-Series the future was looking very bright with the premiership window well and truly open. [/QUOTE]

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