Magic XIII

It's hardly a statement more an ad you'd see in the local rag classified section.

He's announced he is leaving the London Broncos after 27 years at the helm. Sad day really, he has so much passion for the club and pumped many ££££ in but also has been the architect of many of the worst decisions and appointments. Thanks David.

Yes, but, the NRL teams give up home advantage on other fixtures and take them 'on the road', this season alone to such places as Bundaberg, Perth, Gosford, Coffs Harbour, Wollongong, Tamworth, Darwin, Bathurst, Christchurch and dare I say Vegas. The majority of those grounds arent super sparkly 50k seaters (note IMG), they are suburban grounds and they are pretty much full. Remember the days when the SL expansion concept was 'on the road' games which morphed into Magic, played around the UK,and now it's in Leeds.

Isn't that the point - potential ?

Are you saying if it had been say Castleford or Salford or Huddersfield or any other smaller M62 side it would not have got the attention ?

No Skolars team entered in the London Junior League, but they aren't alone with the LJL only running 2 age groups and 3 /4 teams in each. Watch this space but I believe another long standing club in the region are really struggling at open age for players, as a result of, amongst other things lack of effort from management.

Read this on Twitter and it painited a bad picture, but maybe everything isnt as bad as it seems. London Broncos normally attend an end of season Origin series - which itself has decreased in age groups - and identify the talent, now it looks like they are running their own Origin as they are promoting it on social media.

Why move again ?

Agree, w/o the IMG grading it's conceivable Hughes might have dug deep and put a competitive side together.

It's not for IMG to restore London, it's David Hughes as the current custodian. If he isn't able or doesn't want to, then he should find someone who will (easier said than done) or we, the fans, have to accept where we are at.

Like all things Broncos, several highs - World Club Championship beating Canberra, 2nd in league, McLinden, Hill, Retchless, Gill, Wardy, vibrant bar and post match music, kids zones and lows - Gus Mackay, heavy defeats, heavy opening night defeats, downward trajectory, falling out (again) with landlords ....... and funnies, Warrington fan(s) burning jerseys after getting flogged, will always stick with me!

Is currently a basket case, ill run and underperfomring since the 00s. Done well, it would be a different story.

I hate comparing to Aus but NRL franchise based (with the glass ceiling) below which hugely popular, well supported, TV screened, vibrant Queensland and NSW Cup competitions, some teams twinned with NRL clubs. It's a mind set thing, with SL being seen as the be all and end all.

NRL might fancy dipping their toes in the SL water. What does Greater London / SE offer, that M62 doesn't and the NRL are desperate to find ? Untapped potential player pool. Buy Broncos for a song from DH, put in place capable off field staff and most importantly a well structured player identification and development programme.

I have never known Meadows position, he is awful, a turnstile in defence and a poor mans Lee Gakell in attack. I would begrudge giving him the water to run on.

In my time connected with London Junior League they have done very very little other than turn up to the end of season Origin Series and promote their pathways. Granted the London League runs clubs from Ipswich to Bromley, Elmbridge to Hemel, ie a huge area.

Says their involvement in SL this year is pointless from the IMG perspective for 2025, and as a result, the squad they have assembled has no recognisable w/class talent that folk will tune in to watch.

St Albans (Hertfordshire) straight to Haydons Road, perfect, then 10mins walk. Only been a couple of times but other than one way 90mins, its an ok experience, IF the team are competing.

Year 1 is the embryo, stick with it and by year 5 the investment of time and money will come to fruition. Everything has to start somewhere !!

Thank goodness for some big picture thinking on what is a well planned, highly financed, well produced investment vs some small fry minor issue. M62 thinking yet again.

Actor, Mike Walling, sadly now deceased was a big Salford fan and spent many summer Saturday afternoon in 00/10s watching St Albans Centurions.

David Hughes will be fed up of funding a decent academy set up and having the best harvested off for little gain. Now he is saying 'up yours' to the RFL, if you want to tap into development potential outside the saturated M62 corridor, you need to do it with your own money. Cuttign his nose of, possibly, but understandable.

Plans - hahaha

IMG are shining a torch on each club. London Broncos (and I am a fan) are not immune to this. We've done well to get promoted, really well. But our preparedness for SL is what it is. We are signing Londoners back who either were cast offs, or who left at the first opportunity and NONE are SL standard, so we can infer David is planning for 25 in Championship and thereafter oblivion.

More importantly how active are they in non local areas, tapping into the nationwide potential - I am sure they realise that lads can be outstanding rugby league players even though they aren't born on the M62