Prediction: 13th

Finish: ninth

Had Brisbane fans been told they would finish ninth in 2022, two points short of the finals, most of them would have taken it as a good result. The previous two seasons had been a mess, and Kevin Walters was charged with rebuilding the Broncos into a premiership force. It was meant to take time.

With six rounds to play, Brisbane was sitting in the top four. An inexplicable home loss to Wests Tigers saw them drop to fifth place on percentages, but their season was still looking promising.

The suspension of key forward Patrick Carrigan turned out be to the turning point for Brisbane. They were unable to compete with the top teams, and ended up copping hidings from Melbourne and Parramatta before limping to the end of the season with a loss to St George-Illawarra.

Although they missed the finals, it’s fair to say Brisbane exceeded expectations in 2022, despite the disappointment of the final rounds.

If Kevin Walters can get the Broncos back to playing their best defensive football next year, there is no reason why they can’t still be playing come September 2023.

GRADE: B+