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Brisbane to hone kicking game

Wayne Bennett is seeking perfection from the boot of his halves, admitting Brisbane's kicking options were a "nightmare" upon his return to the NRL club.

Coach Wayne Bennett.
Coach Wayne Bennett says Brisbane's kicking options were a "nightmare" upon his return to the club. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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The last kick by Anthony Milford may have been a gem.

But Wayne Bennett is still seeking perfection from the boot of his halves, admitting Brisbane's kicking options were a "nightmare" upon his return to the NRL club.

Milford will go down in folklore as the man who slotted the golden point 40m field goal that sunk North Queensland in last round's epic NRL grand final re-match.

However, Bennett has demanded more from the boot of Milford and halves partner Ben Hunt this year as he tries to fix the one glaring chink in their armour.

Bennett admitted he faced a daunting task rectifying Brisbane's last-play kick options upon his return in early 2015 after seven years away from his beloved club.

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"I came back last year and it was a major nightmare looking at the year before how they finished their sets," he said.

"You can have a great set but if you don't have a good finish to it it doesn't matter."

Bennett promptly jettisoned fullback-come-pivot Ben Barba.

Milford arrived from Canberra - as a fullback.

Slowly but surely Milford blossomed as pivot.

Hunt's running game went to another level.

Brisbane surprised many by making the 2015 grand final.

But Bennett said they were still a work in progress.

"When I came back last year that (kicking game) was the first thing that we identified," Bennett said.

"Are we where we want to be? Not yet.

"The boys are trying hard to get it right, they are improving.

"But we are not perfect yet.

"I hope that by the end of the season we are on the money."

Brisbane are NRL premiership favourites.

But Bennett believed they couldn't be considered a force unless they addressed their kicking issues.

"We have a habit at different stages during a game of not getting it right," he said.

"The good teams get it right all the time."

Brisbane's halves will get another chance in Friday night's NRL derby on the Gold Coast.


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