It’s the biggest question facing rugby league in 2012 – how will Brisbane cope without champion five-eighth Darren Lockyer?

Fortunately for Brisbane, the retirement of a legend coincides with the homecoming of inspirational forward Petero Civoniceva – a player with a similar aura about him.

Coach Anthony Griffin, deep in the hunt for NRL 2011 coach of the year as a rookie, has shown he’s a quick learner after being thrown into the top job with two weeks notice last year.

He’s had time to plan for life post Lockyer, knowing the day was coming when he wouldn’t have his on-field general and game-breaker.

A calm, level-headed customer, Griffin is comfortable the changing of the guard will not be an issue, anointing popular forward Sam Thaiday as captain.

Experienced heads Civoniceva and long-serving forward Corey Parker will be his deputies.

“As I’ve said before, you’re never going to be able to replace Darren Lockyer,” says Griffin, aware he’ll be answering the same question many times in the coming months.

“You’d be frustrated for a long time if you tried to do that, there’s only one Darren Lockyer.

“What we’ll do is get the next best talent in there (at five-eighth), whoever that is, and they’ll bring their own game to the team.

“We knew this day was coming. I don’t worry about it. I don’t say that flippantly because the organisation and the team are always on your mind.

“But we’ve done the best we could and that’s produce a couple of elite kids, Corey Norman and Ben Hunt.

“If they were on the open market every club would have some interest in them.”

Griffin is blessed to have a representative forward pack of Australian and Kiwi Test representatives at his disposal.

With the exception of young hooker Andrew McCullough, he could name Civoniceva and Ben Hannant up front, Sam Thaiday and Alex Glenn in the back-row and lock them up with Parker who burst back onto the Origin and Test scene last year.

That’s leaving out the likes of 2010 rookie of the year Matt Gillett and youngsters Ben Te’o and bullish young prop Josh McGuire who finished 2011 so impressively he was named in the Kangaroos train-on squad.

With so much depth in the forwards, the loss of Lockyer may be lessened, especially if his successor can service a set of young, exciting outside backs.

In dynamic young fullback Josh Hoffman, freakish winger Jharal Yow Yeh – already tipped by former Bronco flyer Wendell Sailor as potentially the best winger in the club’s history – and Gerard Beale, they have a back three as dangerous as any side in the NRL.

In the centres Jack Reed, who went from Queensland Cup to playing Tests for Great Britain and a rejuvenated Justin Hodges looking for a break-out year, they possess the strike power to worry any side.

Halfback Peter Wallace will take over a lot of the fifth play decision-making at which Lockyer was so brilliant, a challenge that could bring the best out in the red-haired No.7 keen to regain his NSW Origin jumper in 2012.

Despite taking Brisbane to within one win of a grand final the year after they missed the play-offs for the first time in 19 seasons, Griffin knows he has to take things up another level in 2012.

“That’s probably the biggest challenge,” he smiles.

“The halves thing will take care of itself, someone will fill that role.

“For us as a group to continue to strive for that mark of excellence, or whatever you want to call it.

“That’s the biggest challenge.”