One win from three games may not represent the most eye-catching start in the Qualifiers: but Broncos coach Andrew Henderson is abundantly clear about the fact that his team are still right in the promotion mix this season.
Like Henderson’s broad and impressive knowledge of the game, it is easy to overlook the Broncos’ promotion chances given how they’re 200 miles or so down the road from everyone else.
But with four games and eight points still to play for, London still have a chance of promotion – although Henderson concedes to TotalRL.com that they cannot afford too many more slip-ups.
“I think we’ve still got a chance,” he says.
“We’re not in a bad position being one from three, and we’ve lost to the top two in the competition. The telling moments will be in the next few games; as I say we’ve now got to get results and that’s the crux of it.
“The great thing is that we go into these next few weeks under no pressure; we know we’re a quality side and we’ve got belief and confidence in what we stand for.
“If you win three out of four from here, you’ll be in the Million Pound Game I reckon. Two out of four for us may also sneak us in there relying on other results.
“We’ve spoke about points difference being a factor and because our difference is good, we’re in fifth at the moment: so it could come down to that. We’re still a chance of pulling something extraordinary off here.”
London have earned plenty of positive reviews for the way they have performed in their first three Qualifiers games – with a convincing victory against Batley sandwiched between narrow yet admirable defeats to Leigh and Leeds, the competition’s two unbeaten teams.
Yet Henderson knows that the time is coming to an end for performances to be the priority. He says: “I’m pleased with our levels of performance but in reality, it changes now.
“It’s winning games what matters – that’s the reality for the last four weeks. There’s a big test ahead with three Super League clubs in a row but we’re ready after a week off to get over a few niggles in the camp.
“I’m pleased with where we’re at. We competed really hard against Leigh and Leeds and gave a really good account of ourselves. If we had a few more minutes on the clock against Leigh, who knows what might have happened.”
And after back-to-back wins heading into the break for the Challenge Cup final, Henderson is wary of a rejuvenated Huddersfield side on Friday night.
“Huddersfield have got great strike all across the field. Having (Danny) Brough and (Jermaine) McGillvary back will give them a boost and we’ll have to be very good, believe me. I’ve got no qualms that the attitude will be spot on and so will the commitment, but we’ll have to execute a lot better.
“They’re in a transitional phase but there’s some real good talent out there, we’re not kidding ourselves – believe me.”
And should London claim a scalp on Friday night, those behind the scenes frantically doing the math to work out who will finish where will have a much clearer idea about London’s final spot – as well as their chances of making the Million Pound Game.
