Exclusive: Mike Eccles reveals what London Broncos’ Super League squad will look like next season

London Broncos Head Coach Mike Eccles has detailed how his squad will look like in Super League next year, citing a potential turnover of nine players. 

The Londoners will be plying their trade in the top flight for the first time since their relegation in 2019 next season, but boss Mike Eccles has suggested the core group that won promotion will stay together.

Speaking exclusively to Serious About Rugby League about his squad will look next year, Eccles said: “there’ll be a decent turnover, but at the same time there’ll be a lot of retention too.

He added: “The players were going to move on anyway, whether we got promoted or not. When I actually look down the squad it’s probably as it was going to look anyway, even if we were to stay in the championship, in terms of the turnover.”

He further exclaimed: “the turnover will be around 9 players, but we’ll still look to retain 20 players from the squad this year”

During the interview with SARL, Eccles detailed why he thinks it’s important to retain such a large number of the group which won promotion back to the top flight.

“When you work so hard for something and you achieve it, you don’t want to let it go,” he said. “Whereas teams have had substantial turnover and players that come in and they’ve not been on that journey with you, it’s like ‘oh here’s a Super League contract, off you go’; I don’t see that that works often.”

“It’s up to us make sure the players that we do bring in are willing to you know fight like the players fought to get into Super League.”

The Londoners have had to work incredibly hard this season to return to the top flight. They had to overcome tough tests against Sheffield Eagles and Featherstone in the playoffs, before downing Toulouse in the Championship Grand Final.

Furthermore, all their playoff matches were away from home, and in the middle of a mini COVID outbreak within the squad.

Whilst he highlighted the core of his squad had already had to fight to reach Super League, he cited his new additions also need this same quality to help them retain it.

“But at the same time keeping as many players together as possible and adding a bit of quality, but also some fighters alongside that, people who really want to fight to retain this Super League status for us to get up as far as the ladder as we can.” said Eccles.

The Broncos have already started their recruitment for the 2024 season, with the addition of former Broncos forward Sadiq Adebiyi from Keighley Cougars; but will we see them add anymore names come to the squad in the near future?