London Broncos head coach Mike Eccles has revealed that they won’t be too far off a Super League spot when the IMG grading is confirmed on Wednesday.
The side just about finished last in the league, meaning they would have been relegated back to the RFL Championship with or without IMG.
However, much has been made of the fact that since they were ranked so low last time in the provisional gradings, they were far less able to build a good squad ready for Super League action.
Speaking to Talksport this week, Eccles said: “We went into the season with only one established player at that level in Rhys Kennedy.
“I’ve never coached in the Super League so it was always going to be tough to get going. We struggled to recruit and attract players because, as you’ve said, before the season started we knew we were relegated.”
Despite this, the side finished level on points with Hull FC and gave it a real go in a number of games that they ended up losing, perhaps most memorably two defeats in golden point extra-time against Leeds Rhinos, home and away.
“50% rise” – London Broncos head coach on how close they will be to a Super League spot
Credit: Imago Images
Although they were a long way off the top 12 a year ago, Eccles has revealed that he believes the club will be a lot closer to a Super League spot than many people may have thought.
He said: “There’s many factors go into it. I actually do think that in the long run, this could be a good thing for the game. It’s just, it’s really hurt us at this moment in time.
“We were ranked 24th last year and we think we’re going to get around a 50% rise in grading, which will leave us somewhere around the 12 and a half mark, we believe.
“So we’re only two and a half points off an automatic return to Super League. Realistically, that would take around two years to get there. If we take a step back now, it will take even longer.”
Losing the investment of David Hughes could well be the step back they don’t want, and it’s clear that they’re in desperate need of money ahead of 2025.
