The Front Row: Ten things we can’t wait to see in the 2018 NRL season

MATT Lodge running over the top of Paul Gallen, the return of Greg Inglis and another fairytale for Johnathan Thurston — they’re just some of the things Mike Colman can’t wait to see in 2018.

Maroons players celebrate with the Shield after their win during State of Origin Game 3 between the Queensland Maroons and the NSW Blues at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, on Wednesday, July 12, 2017. (AAP Image/Glenn Hunt) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

THE start of the season is so close you can smell the deep heat in the air. It’s time to fire up from the grandstand. Here are the 10 things I would love to see this year.

1) Matt Lodge running over the top of Paul Gallen.

Whether you agree with Gallen’s take on Lodge or not — and he’s given so many different versions that you can take your pick — if there’s one thing Queenslanders like it’s seeing The Big Gal picking bits of Suncorp Stadium turf out from between his teeth.

Lodge has plenty of work to do to win over the locals. Steamrolling Gallen when the Broncos host the Sharks in Round 20 on July 26 would be a very good start.

2) Greg Inglis getting through a game in one piece.

There’s only so many superstars who come along in your lifetime.

You want them to be running around, not sitting on the sideline.

3) A referee awarding a try

I’m well aware the odds of this happening are on a par with Barnaby Joyce being named the Public Relations Institute of Australia’s Man of the Year, but wouldn’t it be great to see a player dot the ball down over the line and the referee point straight to the spot?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the Bunker — when it’s needed — but having to sit through replay after replay just to confirm the bleedin’ obvious is like being force-fed KFC through a nasal tube.

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4) Gus Gould saying, ‘‘the Maroons are gone’’.

No sooner are those words out of his mouth than Queensland scores. Put your pay on it.

5) How many clubs Moses Suli can play for.

Back in 1994, when he joined Manly after stints at Souths and Wests, Terry Hill joked that his ambition was to play at every club in the comp.

He got to six (counting Manly twice) but still fell one short of the record of seven shared by Tyran Smith and Darrien Doherty. Suli (above) could break that by September.

He’s already on his third club in a month and we haven’t had a game yet.

How many clubs can Suli play for?

6) JT going out a winner.

He’s made a habit of fairytale endings. This one would be straight out of The Brothers Grimm.

7) The return of Todd Carney.

Don’t rule out a Cherry-Evans-Carney scrumbase combo at Brookie if the Eagles soar like emus in the first month.

If Lodge can get a start at the Broncos and Russell Packer is Tigers’ co-captain, anything is possible.

8) What Jarryd Hayne will do next.

I must admit to feeling a little let down that the Hayne Plane didn’t feature at the Winter Olympics.

The fact that they don’t get much snow in Fiji (or Parra for that matta) probably had something to do with it, but I still hold out hope for an appearance at the FIFA World Cup in Moscow come June.

9) Which coach goes first?

Down in Sydney they’re tipping an early shower for Wayne Bennett but that’s not happening.

The Tigers couldn’t possibly have the cash for yet another golden handshake, even if Ivan Cleary’s boys look a good chance for the spoon.

Paul McGregor could be in strife with Dragons boss Peter Doust on the way out and Steve Kearney would already be gone if any coach alive could do anything with the Warriors.

But I’d be most concerned if I was Anthony Griffin.

Pretty sure I heard Gould say that Hook had his full support, and we all know what that means.

10) The kick-off on Thursday night.

Don’t know about you, but this off-season has gone on quite long enough. Bring on the Broncos v Dragons.