The NRL North conference hasn’t had a team represent them in the Grand Final since 2006. Will 2015 be the year the drought ends and the Provan-Summons Trophy travels back north?

The NRL North is the most successful conference in the last 25 years, but the last decade has been a lean stretch. Where once the likes of Darren Lockyer and Andrew Johns ensured both the Brisbane Broncos and the Newcastle Knights were regular contenders during the late 90s and early 2000s, no conference side has made the Grand Final since Wayne Bennett’s Broncos won in 2006.

The multitude of narratives that exist in the NRL North are a reflection of just how meaningful 2015 is for it. Bennett is back at the Broncos after three seasons coaching the Knights. This alone adds spice to their intra-conference rivalry. After several inconsistent years for the two teams, both will want to turn the page on a new chapter.

For the Broncos, that begins against the North Queensland Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium in round three. Many predict the Cowboys to win the competition this year after a red-hot run down the home stretch in 2014. They have the firepower across the park to achieve this, but developing the consistent ability to win away from home, defending their conference title and entering the top four of the NRL are the keys to a fruitful finals series.

The Gold Coast Titans looked to be building to something special after winning the NRL North and making the top four in 2010, but haven’t made the finals since. All signs point to another underwhelming season for the NRL’s newest team. The Titans are yet to have a defined team culture compared to their conference rivals. The Broncos are the conference glamour team, a one-city club that expects nothing less than a conference win and a finals finish every season. The Cowboys have developed an us-against-them mentality that encompasses not only their conference rivals but the entire NRL establishment as well. The Knights embrace the working class roots of their city, and in many ways define the off-field values of their fans on it.

So what will the Titans’ culture be? Entering their ninth season, they are yet to determine one. Until they do, there is every chance they will continue to languish at the bottom of the NRL North.

North Queensland are favourites to defend their conference crown, but expect to see renewed vigour and purpose from the Broncos and the Knights as they mount credible challenges over the course of the season. Regardless, it looks likely that the Cowboys will remain the kings in the North for 2015.