The Broncos were expected to challenge for a top-eight spot last season after spending up to the full salary cap with the addition of several high-profile overseas signings. But they never recovered from a disastrous start and sacked coach Rob Powell after winning just three games in the first six months.
"You don't want to go through a season like that again," said Gower, who was one of the newcomers. "We've got to perform."
The Londoners produced an end-of-season rally, winning four of their last five matches under new coach Tony Rea, to avoid the wooden spoon but Gower says it would be wrong to read too much into those results.
"That means nothing," he said. "It was the end of the season and there was nothing to play for. Going into a brand new season we need to perform well and we need to play consistently well week to week."
Rea, who had initially intended for his return from Australia to be temporary, has signed a two-year contract and kept last year's squad virtually intact going into Sunday's opening game against Widnes at the Twickenham Stoop.
Gower, 34, a dual-code international who plans to represent Italy in the 2013 World Cup, also signed a new two-year deal and is confident the team can at last begin to fulfil their potential.
"There were a few things there last year that I don't really want to go into," he said. "That's in the past now, we've got to worry about what's in front of us and that's this weekend.
"Obviously Tony's made a difference. He put confidence into the team. It's a new stage now. We've had a year together and all the excuses have gone out of the window now.
"It's about the group performing well in our first match. It's at home and it would be good to get off on the right note."
