Teams are picked on potential at this time of year, but there are still a number of unknowns hanging over each NRL side heading into the 2020 premiership race.

From Mitchell Pearce’s halves partner at the Knights to finding a position for Tigers’ skipper Moses Mbye not every team is as settled as they would like on the eve of the season.

We look at the big question mark hanging over each NRL side.

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Round 19

STORM

Battle for centre spots.

With Curtis Scott, Will Chambers and Solomone Kata having left the club at the end of last season, the door swung wide open for a bunch of players to seize starting centre roles.

After featuring at centre 14 times last season, Justin Olam looks set to grab one spot, while his strong pre-season form also hasn’t hurt his chances.

The other spot appears to be a battle between Marion Seve and Brenko Lee.

Seve played 12 games for the club last season, while Lee has earned a one-year deal for 2020 and has since impressed in the pre-season.

Justin Olam will be looking to replace Will Chambers and Curtis Scott. Source: Getty Images

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ROOSTERS

Can Angus Crichton make centre his own?

Latrell Mitchell’s hole in the backline was set to be filled by Billy Smith, only for the youngster to suffer an ACL injury at pre-season training.

Many expected Brett Morris to move one in as a result – or ‘Mr Fix It’, Mitchell Aubusson, to come to the rescue – but backrower Angus Crichton got the nod for the World Club Challenge.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson has said he considered the move before Smith got injured, but wasn’t prepared to lock Crichton in long-term.

It’s no secret the Tricolours want Josh Morris to join his twin brother, but for now, it seems Crichton will be starting the season in Mitchell’s old jersey.

Angus Crichton will get first crack at replacing Latrell Mitchell. Source: The Daily Telegraph

RABBITOHS

Will Bennett’s positional switches pay off?

The master coach raised eyebrows when news broke he was shifting reigning Dally M lock of the year Cameron Murray to second row.

The 22-year-old Origin star will line-up on the edge this season with prop Liam Knight moving to lock in an equally interesting selection call.

The fear is that Murray’s brilliance might be blunted on the edge by the defensive workload and the fact that he can only influence one side of the field in attack.

On the evidence of the Charity Shield, Knight can make a success of his switch to No.13 and Murray grew into the game at No.12, but it now becomes easier for sides to limit Murray’s influence on a match, so the jury is out on this move. And we haven’t even mentioned Latrell Mitchell’s switch to fullback.

RAIDERS

Back row depth.

Canberra will start the season without Hudson Young, Ryan Sutton (both suspended) and, of course, Dally M backrower of the year Josh Bateman.

It leaves coach Ricky Stuart facing the prospect of playing Corey Horsburgh on an edge despite the fiery redhead only having played in the middled at NRL level.

If Horsburgh does move to the right edge, it means that whole side of the field will have changed since last year’s grand final given Joey Leilua (Wests Tigers) and Jordan Rapana (Japanese rugby) have since moved on.

If Horsburgh does move to the right edge, it means that whole side of the field will have changed since last year’s grand final given Joey Leilua (Wests Tigers), Jordan Rapana (Japanese rugby) and Aidan Sezer (Huddersfield) have since moved on.

John Bateman’s injury is a blow to the Raiders’ back row stocks. Source: News Regional Media

EELS

The race to centre.

Parramatta’s line-up appears pretty settled aside from a couple of spots.

Michael Jennings has one centre spot locked down, but the other is open with Waqa Blake racing the clock to be fit following a shoulder injury.

Jaeman Salmon was used there in the trials, while Brad Takairangi is also an experienced campaigner that is more than capable of slotting in if he’s not used off the bench.

SEA EAGLES

Can Danny Levi do it all on his own?

After Manase Fainu was stood down, Manly threw an NRL lifeline to former Newcastle hooker Danny Levi.

The Kiwis rake walks straight into the No.9 jersey at the Sea Eagles, but will he be punching out 80 minutes every week?

Cade Cust and Lachlan Croker are options to share the role via the interchange bench, but both players are traditionally halves.

Levi’s job could also be made difficult in the opening given gun forwards Jake Trbojevic, Addin Fonua-Blake (both shoulder) look set to be sidelined in the opening rounds due to injury.

SHARKS

Backline jigsaw puzzle.

Cronulla coach John Morris started the pre-season with the dilemma of trying to fit a host of top-line talent into his team’s backline.

But with Matt Moylan, Josh Dugan and Bronson Xerri all set to miss the start of the season through injury, Morris must now also consider whether to shift his stars to unfamiliar positions.

Josh Morris appears likely to start at fullback and has done a solid job in the pre-season trials, while Will Kennedy is also a No.1 contender.

Young wingers Sione Katoa and Ronaldo Mulitalo will also come into contention for Round 1.

Josh Morris Source: Getty Images

BRONCOS

Is Jack Bird the answer at fullback?

He’s started just three NRL games in the custodian role and is coming back from an ACL injury, but Bird appears to have secured Brisbane’s No.1 jersey.

Bird has been solid in the pre-season trials and with his ball playing ability, got the role over fellow teammate Jamayne Isaako who will reportedly come off the bench in Round 1.

When he’s at his best, Bird is one of the most dangerous runners of the ball, but Broncos fans may have to be patient while he settles into the role after a long layoff – his second in as many years.

Jack Bird was a surprise selection at fullback by Anthony Seibold. Source: AAP

TIGERS

Finding a position for Moses Mbye.

The Tigers co-captain has played almost every position in the backline since joining the club halfway through the 2018 season.

The 26-year-old, on a reported $950,000 a season, has been shifted from fullback, centre, five-eighth and even hooker over the past two seasons but has failed to establish a regular starting position.

Mbye’s versatility is a blessing for the Tigers when injury strikes, but it has affected the former Bulldogs’ ability to play a consistent role at NRL level over the past two years, despite making his Origin debut for Queensland.

The form of Billy Walters and Josh Reynolds and the acquisition of Adam Doueihi and potentially Harry Grant has the fullback and hooker positions covered, which could finally enable Mbye to cement the centre position when he returns from a knee injury.

Moses Mbye has struggled to cement a starting position. Source: AAP

PANTHERS

How do Penrith cover for the loss of Dylan Edwards at fullback?

Panthers first choice No.1 Dylan Edwards is out for the first two months of the season with a serious ankle injury suffered at training in February.

Coach Ivan Cleary looks set to hand the fullback duties to 22-year-old Caleb Aekins for Round 1, which will be just his fifth start in first grade.

The fullback position is so vital in modern rugby league with the No.1 providing the link between the halves and the outside speed men in attack and also acting as the marshall of the defence.

Aekins is an exciting prospect, but the New Zealander’s lack of size and experience could make him a target for opposition sides.

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KNIGHTS

The three way battle to partner Mitchell Pearce in the halves.

New coach Adam O’Brien has confirmed that Kurt Mann will start the season outside Pearce at five-eighth.

Mann alternated between wing, centre and No.6 last season and his superior defence seems to have given him the edge for Round 1.

However in Nines sensation Tex Hoy and youngster Phoenix Crossland the Knights have two exciting prospects that will keep Mann on his toes.

Crossland has been compared to Darren Lockyer, while both Matty and Andrew Johns have anointed Hoy as the man most fit to complement Pearce’s game. Time will tell.

BULLDOGS

Who will step up as the chief playmaker in Kieran Foran’s absence?

Kieran Foran’s season ending shoulder injury will test the Bulldogs’ playmaking stocks heading into their 2020 campaign.

Lachlan Lewis at 23 is entering his third season, but still has just 24 games of NRL experience and regressed last season after he found himself in and out of the side.

22-year-old Jack Cogger has 37 games in the top grade, but has failed to establish himself as a consistent first grade player since debuting for the Knights in 2016.

Brandon Wakeham is the youngest of the trio at 21, but has impressed in his three games to date and will benefit from an extended run in the top team.

Who Dean Pay decides to put his faith in could have big repercussions for the Bulldogs’ season.

Lachlan Lewis needs to step up in Kieran Foran’s absence. Source: News Corp Australia

WARRIORS

Who will answer the Warriors prop S.O.S?

Season ending injuries to front-rowers Bunty Afoa and Jackson Frei has thrown the Warriors season into disarray before a ball has been kicked.

Jamayne Taunoa-Brown has been upgraded to a full-time contract and impressed in his club debut against the Tigers in a 20-6 trial loss in Rotorua.

However it is a long season and the pressure will be on Leeson Ah Mau, Agnatius Paasi and Lachlan Burr, who went off with a back complaint against the Tigers.

If any of those three go down at some point this season, the Warriors will find it difficult to set a platform upfront for their gifted outside backs.

COWBOYS

The five-eighth battle between Jake Clifford and Scott Drinkwater.

The acquisition of Valentine Holmes to play fullback displaced Cowboys No.1 Scott Drinkwater and left him searching for a new position.

Drinkwater starred in the Perth Nines and at No.6 in the Cowboys trial against the Broncos, before a pectoral injury placed his Round 1 hopes in doubt.

Jake Clifford stepped in to partner skipper Michael Morgan in the club’s final trial loss to the Storm and was impressive throughout stages of last season.

Clifford or Drinkwater’s ability to form a cohesive combination with Morgan could go a long way towards deciding the Cowboys’ push for finals footy in 2020.

Jake Clifford is locked in a battle for the Cowboys No.6 jersey with Scott Drinkwater. Source: News Corp Australia

DRAGONS

Is Zac Lomax the right man to fill the Dragons’ No.1 jersey?

Paul McGregor certainly thinks so after declaring following the Dragons’ trial win over the Knights that the 20-year-old will be his fullback in 2020.

Lomax was impressive that day, but backed it up with a scratchy performance against the Rabbitohs in a 26-12 Charity Shield loss.

Lomax didn’t look comfortable under the high ball against the Rabbitohs and while one game does not make a season, there are still doubts over his suitability for the role.

Lomax has just 17 games of NRL experience and if he struggles early in the season then Matt Dufty and Tristan Sailor will be waiting in the wings.

Zac Lomax has played just 17 games of first grade. Source: Supplied

TITANS

Every position is on notice, but Ash Taylor is the key for the Titans.

After last year’s wooden spoon finish, every player on the Gold Coast roster needs to step up in 2020, but their halfback can set the tone for the rest of the side.

Taylor battled some off-field issues in 2019 and needed some time away from the game to help overcome some personal demons.

At his best Taylor is one of the most gifted try-assist merchants in the NRL and when he is in form it rubs off on his teammates.

If the 24-year-old can return to the form that had him touted as a future Origin star then he will instil confidence in the rest of the Titans squad. If he can’t another long year awaits for the club.