LONDON BRONCOS back Luke Polselli is liking life at the club – if not the results so far.
The 26-year-old Italy international, who comes from Sydney and first caught the eye with Newtown Jets in the New South Wales Cup, signed up for a season in the UK in January.
That was as the Broncos were adjusting to life after Super League without the financial support of David Hughes.
Coach Mike Eccles was working hard and fast to assemble a squad in time for the start of league fixtures in February, and brought in Polselli from Sunshine Coast Falcons primarily as a halfback.
He’d had four solid seasons in the Queensland Cup, having joined the Falcons after spending a frustrating Covid-hit 2020 campaign with their competition rivals Mackay Cutters.
Polselli, who scored 38 tries in 71 games for Sunshine Coast, helping them reach the play-offs in all his years there, had experience of England after playing in all three of Italy’s 2022 World Cup ties – the win over Scotland and defeat by Fiji at Kingston Park in Newcastle and loss to Australia at St Helens.
Each time he turned out at fullback, a position he reprised for the Broncos away to Halifax, where Eccles’ side were beaten 40-12, a fourth straight defeat after those at Featherstone in the quarter-finals of the 1895 Cup and at home to Batley and away to Barrow in the Championship.
That sequence became five when York won 36-6 at Wimbledon on Saturday.
“Obviously results on the field have not been what we’d have wanted so far,” said Polselli, who has four tries in eleven appearances.
“People can point to our small squad, but we’re not into excuses, we want to get wins on the board, and we’ll keep working hard.
“The boys here are great and the spirit is good. I’m really enjoying being here. Other than those defeats, everything else is good.”
