Premiership-winning five-eigth Matthew Johns believes the Brisbane Broncos are on the slide in 2018.

Johns, who won the ARL title in 1997 with Newcastle, has told The Daily Telegraph he also thought Melbourne could be the first team since the Broncos in 1997 (Super League) and 1998 to win consecutive premierships.

“I see the Broncos going backwards. I think Ben Hunt is maybe a bigger loss than they think it’s going to be,” he said of Wayne Bennett’s team.

“I think it’s going to be hard to break the status quo. I think Melbourne Storm and North Queensland are still a step ahead of the rest. Roosters will go close with Cronk and the new signings but it takes a while to get those combinations. I’m going to go Storm v Cowboys grand final. Why not? Storm back to back.”