Brisbane Broncos search for Darren Lockyer's heir to the five-eighth role Darren Lockyer of Brisbane shows his disappointment. Pic Darren England. DARREN Lockyer's shadow is looming increasingly large over Red Hill as the club prepares to launch take three of the search to replace the legend. The difference this time is that the six contenders for the No.6 jersey next year have a combined eight games of five-eighth experience in the NRL. All eight of those games belong to Broncos' first-choice fullback and star recruit Ben Barba. Forget the Josh Hoffman and Anthony Milford sagas; the biggest drama facing Brisbane is the absence of an established five-eighth for next season. The Broncos lost three of their four playmakers after their worst season this year. Now the contenders to partner halfback Ben Hunt are fullbacks Barba, Hoffman and Jordan Kahu and rookie playmakers Zach Strasser, Ashley Taylor and Marmin Barba. It is understood Strasser, 21, and Kahu, 22, are front-runners to begin the year outside Hunt, who is the last half standing after the retirement of Scott Prince, the loss of Corey Norman to Parramatta and Peter Wallace being released to Penrith. Broncos coach Anthony Griffin admitted the position was far from being settled. "It's something we've got to figure out," he said of the No.6 jersey. We've got guys like Kahu and some young guys in our squad as well. Zach Strasser from the Queensland Cup is having a very good off-season with us. Ben Barba can play in the halves, Josh Hoffman can play in the halves. That is something we will have to sort through over the off-season. Kahu is the one player who could really explode for the Broncos this season. Thwarted by knee injuries in 2011 and 2012, the young gun finally got to taste first grade last season and now has the confidence to reach the levels expected from his schoolboy days. Kahu's coach at Keebra Park, Greg Lenton, believes the 22-year-old could handle a move to five-eighth but is adamant he is best suited to fullback where he could deliver "Karmichael Hunt" like performances. Kahu led Keebra Park to the 2009 Arrive Alive Cup national title from fullback and was awarded the Peter Sterling Medal. "He had some very intelligent ball playing about him but I didn't see him as a natural six," Lenton said. There's no doubt about it the kid is a gifted footballer. I think he is one of the better fullbacks I've ever seen. He could definitely handle the six position, but that's for bigger brains than me to work out. I would have Jordan Kahu at fullback. I just think he will give the Broncos what Karmichael Hunt gave them. Barba has 97 NRL games under his belt and should have the confidence to thrive on the responsibility of playing in the halves at this level. He turned heads with the No.6 on his back during his under-20 season at Canterbury in 2008, when he was named five-eighth in the team of the year after scoring 28 tries in 26 games. Barba's eight NRL games at five-eighth for the Bulldogs in 2009 and 2010 resulted in five tries and four wins. While he has since established himself as one of the competition's most dangerous fullbacks, Barba often played second receiver in the Canterbury backline and created much of their attacking play. Strasser has made a major impression in his first pre-season with the club after an excellent year in the Intrust Super Cup with the Redcliffe Dolphins. A lanky five-eighth, Strasser has been honing his skills with Broncos premiership winner Shane Perry. Perry compared Strasser's frame and willingness to take the line on to ex-Redcliffe junior turned Kangaroos star Daly Cherry-Evans. "He has a lot of time with the ball in hand, that's his best attribute," Perry, who tasted premiership glory in 2006, said. He's similar to Daly Cherry-Evans in size and build and he loves going to the line. He has a lot of talent. If the Broncos didn't pick him up and it would not have been long before another NRL club got him. The Broncos will be sweating on playmaking prodigy Anthony Milford receiving a late release from the Canberra club he no longer wants to play for, although that would further alienate Hoffman. Hoffman is the untested and unproven option being considered. He showed promise at times as a centre in 2013 and a move to pivot is supported by former club champion Darren Lockyer. Lockyer floated the prospect at the end of last season when he wrote in his Courier-Mail column that Hoffman would make a better No.6 than Barba.