Can the Raiders make the finals? Very doubtful.

The Raiders must, and I think can, improve on last season. But it's still a huge jump to go from 15th on the ladder to cracking the top-eight. The Raiders have recruited decently enough, adding to their depth with players such as Sisa Waqa, Blake Austin, Josh Hodgson and Sia Soliola. But has that given them enough strikepower to compete for finals? Fans are getting restless – the Raiders have missed two consecutive finals series and haven't missed three since their foundation period from 1982-86. But, to be frank, the Raiders are rated by bookies as wooden spoon favourites. Knocking on the door of finals should be a realistic goal, making it would be a bonus.

Have the Raiders found a direct replacement for Anthony Milford? My reply is no.

It's almost impossible to replace a player like Milford, who plays on instinct and can ignite a match with a scintillating solo effort. That's not to say the Raiders can't cover his loss, but it will take a team effort. Jack Wighton can play anywhere, but showed towards the end of 2014 he has the potential to star at fullback. Milford finished the season in the Raiders halves, but Canberra is looking at a fresh playmaking combination given veteran Terry Campese has also moved on. Should it go as expected, with Mitch Cornish and Austin at seven and six respectively, the pair have played a total 42 NRL matches. That's a big unknown factor.

Will Jarrod Croker make a good captain of the Raiders? Signs point to yes.

It's hard to believe Croker, already with 140 NRL games under his belt, is just 24. His appointment comes at an important time for the Raiders, who are searching for leadership. Croker's appointment was one for the future and it could take him time to grow into the role. But he had a breakout season in 2014, is durable, mature and not afraid to lean on the support of senior players around him.

Can the ACT Brumbies maintain their high standard on the field? Most likely.

Having missed the finals for eight consecutive seasons, the Brumbies have turned things around on the field in the past two years. They were unlucky to miss last year's grand final, having finished runner-up to the Chiefs in 2013. While the Brumbies have maintained the bulk of their squad and certainly have the talent to be successful again, a lot will depend on leadership. Coach Stephen Larkham will take on the coaching role solo, given the departure of Laurie Fisher. Stephen Moore seems an inspired choice to take over from departing captain Ben Mowen, but the Wallabies hooker is also coming back from a knee reconstruction. The return of flanker David Pocock from consecutive knee reconstructions is also pivotal.

Can the Brumbies make a profit in 2015? Don't count on it.

Despite their success on the field, the Brumbies reported a record-loss of more than $1million in 2014. It led to a revolution at board level last month, new board member Rob Kennedy replacing long-serving chairman Sean Hammond. The Brumbies are set to announce a new chief executive officer next week and that person will have work cut out for them to find a new major sponsor ASAP before season kick-off in February. But the big task will be convincing fans to come back too, with gate-takings one of the worrying downward trends.

Can Nick Kyrgios be a grand slam contender? Better not tell you now.

There's nothing like expectation to cripple a young tennis player before an Australian Open summer. But at 19, Kyrgios has shown he already thrives on the emotion of the biggest stages. Tennis experts all praise his talent and say the former junior world No.1 can be a top-10 player. Physical durability seems to be the biggest obstacle. It was also interesting to hear Mark Philippoussis tell his story again this week, how he beat then-world No.1 Pete Sampras when he was 19 and struggled to live up to the hype it created. Having beaten world No.1, Rafael Nadal, as a 19-year-old last year, to make the quarters of Wimbledon, Kyrgios could well listen to the Philippoussis story.

Is cyclist Michael Matthews capable of winning a stage in his debut Tour de France? Outlook good.

Matthews is a superstar in the making. He wore the leader's jersey in two of the world's great tour events this year, the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana. He has won four stages in grand tour races in the past two years. Consider it took Canberra's Michael Rogers, a three-time world time-trial champion, a decade to win his first stage on a grand tour. Matthews was set to debut in last year's Tour de France, before an untimely crash ruled him out. Still, he's only 24 and there's time on the side of the former U23 world champion.

In a hectic summer of sport, is the Big Bash League final at Manuka on January 28 Canberra's highlight? As I see it, yes

There's seven games of Asian Cup soccer from January 10, the Prime Minister's XI cricket match against England on January 14, and three matches of the cricket World Cup in February and March. But not even Kevin Pietersen could believe Canberra was awarded the BBL final on January 28. While the other events have global status, it's hard to beat the excitement and buzz that BBL will bring to Canberra. There's also the possibility some local lads could be taking part, given Perth Scorchers quick Jason Behrendorff has been taking wickets, Jono Dean smashing sixes and bats for the Adelaide Strikers.

Will 2015 provide more thrills and spill, triumph and heartache, wins and losses that we ever could have predicted? It is certain.