The Macquarie Raiders are desperate to be in the premiership conversation again.
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It's now been 12 years since the club won a first grade title and the time since then has been filled with false dawns and disappointment.
Captain-coach Jack Kavanagh knows how much the club craves success. He feels the same way.
Here's how the Raiders plan to turn things around.
Winning all that matters
"We want to get that trophy and if I was to get a trophy I'd nearly contemplate retiring."
Kavanagh said that last October in his first interview after being confirmed as captain-coach for 2024. Then, five months later in March, he spoke again about the desire to win.
"Everyone is in the same boat. There's a lot of blokes here that just want to win a comp," he said.
"I daresay that would see them out. A lot are just hanging around to win that comp."
There was hype and hope around Macquarie heading into the 2023 season but inconsistency and disappointment followed.
Injuries and suspension didn't help as the Raiders won just four games and missed out on finals.
Closing it out
Kavanagh has the top job to himself after sharing it with Alex Ronayne last season. He knows where things need to change for his side to improve.
Less injuries and no suspensions would be a big help, but making opportunities count is key.
"Last year, we were beating teams heading into the final 10 minutes," Kavanagh said last month.
"We were beating a lot of teams all the way through then they'd get us at the end.
"Physicality-wise, we were probably at the top but just that last little bit we probably lacked. It played out that way a lot.
"We're just hoping to be injury-free and this year we'll have a bit more depth."
How they could line up
There have been plenty of signings but the most important is that of Jason Boney.
Control in the halves is something the Raiders have lacked for a number of years and the hope is the former Dubbo CYMS under 18s player can make the difference after joining from South Newcastle.
"Talking to some mates and people around the club, they said they needed a boost around the halves and we spoke about what they lacked and that's a lot of what I could bring to the club," Boney said after signing.
Who partners Boney is one of the biggest decisions Kavanagh will have to make. Filisione Pauta and new signing Kyjuan Crawford are versatile enough to play there while Randel Dowling and Jyi Cohen boost the halves depth after spending last season in the Woodbridge Cup.
Little is known about a quartet of Fijian signings while hooker Cameron Dennis has impressed after joining from Bathurst St Pats.
Blake Merritt has returned to Sydney to chase his NRL dream while Richie Peckham and Logan Conn (both Wellington) are other notable departures.
Props Maclay Ryan and Colt Tairua will also be missing due to injury. Ryan is expected to miss the entire season after major knee surgery while Tairua could return at some point after having a serious Achilles injury last season.
There's depth in the backline with CJ Ralph, Charlie Kempston, Clayton Daley, Tristan Ross and Jaedyn Murray in the mix while Tyson Fuller should improve after arriving midway through 2023.
Potential lineup: 1 EJ Fernando, 2 Clayton Daley, 3 Tyson Fuller, 4 Kyjuan Crawford, 5 CJ Ralph, 6 Filisione Pauta, 7 Jason Boney, 8 Shaquille Gordon, 9 Kane McDermott, 10 Jack Kavanagh, 11 Alex Ronayne, 12 Jordan Reynolds, 13 Billy Gilbert; Bench: 14 Johnny Mafiti, 15 Cameron Dennis, 16 Netava Naruma, 17 Blaine Gordon.
Our say
You hate to try and predict what the Raiders are going to do each year. We've been burnt before when tipping them to succeed.
A lot will depend on whether Boney is a success or not. The forward pack may be short a prop but they still have the potential to get on a roll and if Boney can capitalise on that, better times are ahead.
At their best, the Raiders could threaten the top four but if they continue to struggle for consistency from week-to-week then they could quickly find themselves well behind the eight ball.