Brisbane halfback Ben Hunt says he is ready to take his kicking game to another level ahead of his last season with the Broncos.
Hunt will leave Red Hill at the end of the 2017 NRL season after signing a five-year deal with the St. George Illawarra Dragons.
A huge deal like that brings with it added pressure and huge expectations, and Hunt has made it his mission to prove his worth by working on arguably the worst aspect of his game – his kicking.
It's been the main focus of the 26-year-old's pre season, and although there are still improvements to be made, he said he feels like it is heading in the right direction.
"I've been working on my kicking game. I think it's an area that all of the halves at the club have been trying to improve on," Hunt said.
"Overall I've definitely made a big improvement on last year, but I still don't think it's where it needs to be just yet.
"I'll keep at it and hopefully there will be visible improvements come Round 1 against the Sharks."
That match will signal the start of Brisbane's 2017 premiership campaign and the Broncos are hungry for success.
Brisbane are desperate for a premiership after a 10-season drought, but for that to happen Wayne Bennett's men will have to make some improvements on their failed 2016 season.
"There are a few things our side needs to do this year that we didn't manage to do last year," Hunt said.
"We pride ourselves on our defence and that dropped off a bit last year.
"Our attack also has certain aspects that could be done better.
"I think we need to improve our forward movement coming out of our own half. Hopefully this will create more options."
One area where Brisbane have improved is in their backline, with the Broncos acquiring former Gold Coast Titan David Mead in the off-season.
Mead was one of Brisbane's best in their 30-12 trial win over the Sharks on Saturday night, with the 28-year-old looking lively in attack and solid in defence.
He will be another attacking weapon for Hunt to utilise, and the Brisbane half already likes what he's seen.
"I think he's what will make our backline go one better this year. I've never seen anyone that loves footy as much as David," he said.
"Everything he does is at 100 per cent and he never stops trying. I'm very happy to have him in the side.
"He's one of those lads from PNG that can bring out the huge hits. In our trial against the Sharks he was cutting blokes in half."
