Renouf: Milford must lift or Broncos won't challenge for title

Brisbane have put themselves in a position to challenge for a seventh premiership but to achieve that goal they need a lot more out of their main playmaker Anthony Milford.

Wayne Bennett will be longing for that to happen and without a doubt, he'll be telling Milford that he needs to step up.

The Broncos pack took a while to get going but young forwards Tevita Pangai jnr, Matt Lodge, Joe Ofahengaue and Jaydn Su'A have really stepped up to the mark. I have been so impressed with them this last two months. They have done a great job.

Now Milford needs to do the same.

You can't compete for the title at the end of the season unless one of your quality halves is playing outstanding footy.

Look at the halves at the teams ahead of the Broncos at St George Illawarra, Penrith and the Warriors and they are all playing great footy each week.

Milford has been OK but he has just got to take a hold of games more often. He has to get his head around the fact he should be running the show and putting an emphatic stamp on games. He is the senior player in the halves so that is his responsibility.

In 2015 he was on fire in his first year at the club. After a breakout year, you often get a bit of a hangover the next season but you can't let that linger for too long.

Milford can become a great half. He is good enough. The thing is, he's shown that capacity already. He set his standard in 2015 and he needs to get back to that. That is his base. You'd like to think he would have improved from there but he's levelled off.

The Broncos are eighth on 18 points and as long as their forwards keep doing what they have been they can mix it with the best in the Telstra Premiership, but Milford holds the key to taking the team deep into the playoffs.

Brisbane have probably surprised a lot of people in the last two months. They are yet to put a team away, and you see that reflected in their for and against record which is in the negative. They have been grinding out wins, but Wayne won't mind that because he knows there is improvement in them.

There are 10 rounds to go and the run home is where the Broncos really need to be hitting top gear.

Their draw is favourable with six games at Suncorp Stadium, two against the Titans and Cowboys away and just two trips to Sydney to play the Bulldogs and Roosters.

The Broncos have not been affected by the Holden State of Origin series as much this season and Matt Gillett is not too far away from a return. His presence will be a massive bonus and will make a difference to that pack.

I wasn't impressed with the Broncos at the start of the year but they have turned that around. A rampant Milford can put the icing on the cake.

The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of the NRL, ARLC, NRL clubs or state associations.