It's not all doom and gloom for the Brisbane Broncos: Darren Lockyer I CAN'T say I was left shocked by some criticisms levelled at the Broncos by club legends in recent days. Gorden Tallis, Kevin Walters and Steve Renouf are guys I played with and you won't find three more passionate people about the club. They have spoken out because they care about the Broncos. They want the club to uphold the benchmarks they helped set. And while I think many of their grievances are certainly valid, I also believe some perspective is needed because if you take a holistic view of the Broncos, they are far from being an NRL basket case. I actually respect Gorden for having the strength of character to deliver some home truths. That's Gordie. He says what he thinks. For a while now there have been quiet whispers, but Gorden's beliefs have opened a forum for frank discussion. The Brisbane Broncos are friendless among punters. He has laid it on the line, and clearly quite a few people feel the same way as him. Personally, it would be hard to argue the Broncos haven't lost their aura because of their on-field performances in recent years. That erosion comes from missing the finals twice in four seasons. But I also believe Brisbane's plight has been overstated. In a sense, the current Broncos are prisoners of unrealistic expectations; paying the price for a golden era at Red Hill that may never be repeated and many other NRL rivals can only dream about. Phil Gould made a fair observation in Channel Nine's coverage on Thursday night when he said the premiership-winning Broncos sides of the 1990s had up to 11 Origin players. It is simply not fair to compare the class of 2013 to the Broncos sides of yesteryear. Under the salary cap laws today, putting together a comparable roster is virtually impossible. As clubs like Parramatta and Canberra have discovered, the downside of great dynasties is that inevitably there is pain. Success in any sport is cyclical, and the Broncos are now stuck in a tough cycle, but I believe the club has the structures to fight their way back quickly. On and off the field, there are positives generating momentum to take the Broncos forward. There is no better example than Corey Oates. At a time when the Broncos have copped stick for their development, Oates is proof of the talent that exists underneath. His development in the last three months has been remarkable. He is a teenager with plenty of talent but I also like the maturity he showed once again on Thursday night. At 18, he is already a match-winner. In an administrative sense, the club's chief executive, Paul White, is a fine operator. He has got the front office in order, but he is also pragmatic and accepts the club may have to take its medicine before moving forward. Some will argue Anthony Griffin is not the right coach to rebuild the Broncos in 2014. I disagree. In my final year at the club in 2011, 'Hook' was in his first season as an NRL coach. Even then, he proved to me can be a very successful coach in the NRL. The challenge now for Anthony and the Broncos is identifying the right men in key positions and staying patient. Too much disruption of personnel never produces results. That's why I hope Ben Hunt is given time to mature at halfback. I liked the things he did when given an extended run at halfback this year and he showed that, if partnered with a quality five-eighth, he can be the answer. Ben Barba is a long-term option at fullback next year. As he showed on Thursday night, he isn't in the form he once was, but with a fresh start next year, hopefully in a happier place mentally, Barba will get his mojo back. In terms of facilities, obviously it helps but it's not what decides premierships. The Broncos have plans to build a new high-performance centre, but unless you get the right people in with the right systems, state-of-the-art facilities will not get you anywhere. The expectation of Broncos fans will be to make the finals next year but on the back of this season, expecting the 2014 squad to win the premiership is unrealistic. No Bronco worth their salt is denying it will take a lot of hard work to turn things around ... but it's not all doom-and-gloom either.