For James Roberts and any of the NRL teams who were chasing his signature, sorting this out before Christmas would have been a priority. There were strong whispers that Roberts was close to signing with Brisbane and they had emerged as firm favourites early on in the saga, so news that Roberts would join the Broncos came as no real surprise.

Brisbane's up the road from the Gold Coast, Wayne Bennett's the coach, the Broncs made the Grand Final last year and there's Justin Hodges' centre spot up for grabs. Sounds like the perfect spot for Roberts doesn't it?

Bennett's presence always influences any signing and this was amplified with Roberts who has battled demons throughout his NRL career. Off-field shenanigans saw Roberts move on from the Penrith Panthers and up to the Titans where he apparently found support, a strong routine and subsequently (shock horror!) the form of his life. Bennett and the Broncos, full of cultured NRL veterans are perfectly equipped to ensure that they get the best out of Roberts while Roberts would be a fool to not slide in under Bennett's wing.

This is why I found it odd that Roberts wanted to leave the Titans. Despite the Titans not being very good, Roberts had settled into the NRL nicely, why would you want to change something that is clearly doing the trick? Maybe Roberts thinks he's over all of his past issues and is now mature enough to only worry about footy ... yeah, but, Uncle Bennett's the best man to help that process along.

As a kiwi, I'm not at all happy about this. Jordan Kahu was one of Brisbane's most consistent players last season and I was excited about seeing him in the centres more, replacing the retired Justin Hodges. This won't be the case now as Roberts will walk into that centre spot, leaving Kahu to compete with Jack Reed for the other centre spot, or Kahu will just stay on the wing and cover every backline position again. I'd love to see Kahu push Reed out of that other centre spot.

Roberts will fit seamlessly into Brisbane's backline, that's for certain. The Broncos now have the two best ball-running halves in Anthony Milford and Ben Hunt, a great ball-playing fullback in Darius Boyd and Roberts. Roberts who combines extreme pace with strength, making him a nightmare to defend against and Bennett will iron out any defensive issues. Somehow Brisbane may have got better #Scary.

Where my interest now lies is with the Broncos' squad members. Kahu deserves a starting spot, probably on the wing while Reed and Roberts will be the two centres leaving a sole spot on the wing up for grabs. 

Corey Oates started on the wing in the GF and he could do that job again, however I think Bennett will be moving Oates to second-row sooner rather than later. Oates is a freak so he plays just as good on the wing as he does anywhere else on the field and I've got him penciled in as my preferred starter on the wing if he's not coming off the bench in the forwards.

This leaves well-known NRL names/guys who have been on the scene for a few years like Lachlan Maranta and Dale Copley battling. Brisbane also signed Carlin Anderson from Ipswich Jets and he's a flyer so there's plenty of cover there; I can never stress how important depth is in the NRL.

Depth is key although three might be too many so expect to see either Maranta or Copley put in the shop window. Maranta has family ties to the Broncos so I doubt he'll be moved on, so I've narrowed it down to Copley, see ya later chief. Copley will find a home somewhere relatively easily as he's a sound NRL player who can play wing or centre, the sort of player the Warriors should sign as he's got some experience and generally does a good job.

Copley won't move the needle like Roberts though. Copley won't make any other NRL team a contender, not like Roberts, hence there was a scramble to sign Roberts. 

As for that salary cap thing? Well there's a high chance that Roberts didn't exactly take the biggest deal on offer as I'm confident in Bennett and the Broncos' ability to twist Roberts' arm, offering him a bright future in a great rugby league city under the greatest coach ever. 

This might not be the case though, which should remind everyone of how weird the salary cap is. Brisbane is a big city with only one NRL team so the third-party/fringe benefit deals on offer are far greater than anywhere else. This is a luxury that only the Broncos enjoy.

For Broncos fans, replacing Hodges with Roberts is nothing less than ideal. For everyone else? Ya'll had better hope your team is spending plenty of time over summer working on their edge defence because Roberts is a beast.