London Broncos to start Super League season under sad shadow

The Super League returned with a Hull derby on Thursday, as London’s only side start their campaign tonight with a trip to St Helens in a formidable opening fixture. 

The Broncos are back in the top-tier for the first time since 2019 after they stunned Toulouse Olympique in the Championship Grand Final. 

This season promises to be a difficult one for the Londoners because not only do they face the most successful sides in Super League history, they are also likely to be relegated regardless of their performance according to new IMG ratings.

Super League rankings

According to the Super League, the aim of the IMG rankings is to encourage clubs to grow their fan bases, revenues, fan engagement, as well as ensure strong governance and encourage sustainable investment with the aim of growing the game in Britain. 

The rankings judge clubs in five areas – fandom, performance, finances, community and stadium – and the Broncos placed 24th out of 35 sides, with a score of 8.07 out of 20. 

Championship sides Wakefield and Toulouse both placed higher than the London side and are expected to take their place come the end of the season. 

The grading system therefore means that even before the start of the season they are up against the odds.  

To add injury to insult, the club lost hooker Bill Leyland to a season-ending ACL injury and new-signing Josh Rourke to a broken leg, further hampering their season before it has even begun.

Uphill challenge

Despite the challenges, the Broncos have made efforts to bolster their playing squad and have added Italy half-back Jack Campagnolo, French utility back Hakim Miloudi and prop Rhys Kennedy, among others. 

The team have had to transition drastically from a largely part-time Championship team to a full-time Super League outfit. 

They also play their home games at the Cherry Red Records stadium, known as Plough Lane, which they share with AFC Wimbledon and have their first home game of the season there on February 23. 

Even that will be a challenge as they face last season’s beaten finalists Catalan Dragons, giving them arguably the hardest possible start to life back in the top tier.  

The Broncos are sure to give their all and could shock some of the more established Super League sides, but there genuinely seems to be very little they can do to turn their fortunes around.