Why Anthony Milford, Ben Hunt and Kodi Nikorima can deliver premiership for the Broncos

THE next two week will determine if the Broncos have what it takes to win a title, and it all hinges on their ‘Big Three’ firing at the right time.

The Brisbane Broncos training at Red Hill. Pic Peter Wallis

THE next two weeks will tell me whether the Broncos have found the right formula to win the premiership.

On paper, Saturday’s Titans derby should have been a cakewalk for the Broncos but the season-ending loss of Andrew McCullough has twisted the narrative.

On cloud nine just a few weeks ago, Brisbane now need to find a No. 9 to snap the longest premiership drought in the club’s history.

Can Ben Hunt fire at hooker? Is Kodi Nikorima the real deal at halfback? Does Anthony Milford have the self-belief to step up as a dominant playmaker?

These are the questions the Broncos will need to answer to put the premiership puzzle together, starting on Saturday at Cbus Super Stadium.

I like Wayne Bennett’s decision to move Hunt to hooker.

I’ve always believed that some of the best hookers in our game are ex-halfbacks because a good playmaker knows how to read and dissect a game.

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Ben Hunt during Broncos training. Pic Peter Wallis

The Broncos are now potentially more of a threat in attack. McCullough is unbelievably tough and well-organised, but Hunt can be more explosive out of dummy half. The key will be whether the Broncos can stay composed because McCullough provided that calming influence.

When the Broncos won the premiership in 2006, it was Shaun Berrigan’s running game out of dummy half which transformed us.

We had lost five games after the State of Origin grind. Wayne felt we needed a bit more spark around the rucks. We were playing too lateral. We decided to play through the middle a lot more and Wayne opted for Berrigan because he was quick off the mark.

When Berrigan started running, it pulled defenders apart and we started finding gaps everywhere. Our fairytale premiership fightback that year had a lot to do with Berrigan’s speed and energy out of dummy half.

I would give Hunt the same advice on Saturday night against the Titans. When a Gold Coast marker is down or slow to get up, just take off and run.

But the Hunt move can only work if the man replacing him at halfback, Nikorima, holds his own in the nerve centre.

Nikorima is undefeated as a starting halfback this year, having won seven games, but his confidence would have taken a hit after he was benched by Bennett in their win over the Raiders five weeks ago.

The Brisbane Broncos training at Red Hill. Pic Peter Wallis

The pressure shift is subtle but significant for Nikorima. In his first stint in the No. 7, Hunt and Benji Marshall were injured, so he was a Plan C choice. But in his second stint, he displaced Hunt, who was dropped to reserve grade, and that amplified pressure on Nikorima to deliver as the main man.

Kodi needs to back himself and play to his strengths. If Hunt is running well out of dummy half, that will help Nikorima because he is very instinctive and can play what is in front of him.

The key for Nikorima is staying alert and on-the-ball. Kerrod Walters always did a great job at hooker following Allan Langer and Kevin Walters around the park and Nikorima should look to capitalise on Hunt’s direct style.

As for Milford, he needs to be the more dominant playmaker now.

Nikorima will be the guy tasked with getting the team through their sets, but I’d like to see Milford take on a bit more responsibility like Michael Morgan has without Johnathan Thurston at the Cowboys.

A lot of people are saying the Broncos can’t win without McCullough, so the motivation is there.

If Hunt, Nikorima and Milford can build an understanding over the next two weeks, they could be the Big Three that pen another Broncos fairytale.

Originally published as Why Anthony Milford, Ben Hunt and Kodi Nikorima can deliver premiership for the Broncos