Defiant as ever, Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett says controversial signing Matthew Lodge deserves his place in the NRL and has done everything required to be given another chance in the code.

Lodge will start at prop for the Broncos when they open the NRL season on Thursday night against the Dragons. But the football has been barely mentioned as Lodge continues to deal with the ramifications of his wild night in New York in 2015.

Last chance: Matt Lodge has impressed in training with Brisbane. Credit:AAP

A drunk Lodge terrorised a family, narrowly avoided jail and was ordered to pay $1.6m in compensation by a US civil court. Fairfax Media revealed not a cent of that had been paid, while frightening footage of the attack has surfaced over the past week.

Bennett was staunch in the face of questioning from media on Wednesday, saying the Broncos had 'handled it well as a club' and Lodge had been a model citizen since he signed on at Red Hill.