Reagan Campbell-Gillard admits he had other options but joining London Broncos was a no brainer for him at this stage in his career.
The former Australia international is one of the biggest names to make the move over from the NRL to the Northern Hemisphere this year but he won’t be playing in Super League. Instead, the prop, who made 24 appearances for Gold Coast Titans last season, will spend the season in the Championship with the Broncos, who have seen heavy investment since Darren Lockyer and Grant Wechsel completed their takeover.
It’s a move that caught many by surprise, especially given Campbell-Gillard’s pedigree, having represented Penrith Panthers, Parramatta Eels, New South Wales, Fiji and the Kangaroos during his time in the game.
But, the opportunity to join London was just too good to turn down for the 32-year-old, with Campbell-Gillard admitting he was immediately sold on Lockyer and Wechsel’s vision.
“It was sort of the back end of the year,” Campbell-Gillard told Serious About Rugby League on when he first heard of London’s interest. “I got told that I was free to leave [Gold Coast] and what not and it happened pretty quick.
“Behind closed doors all the exit stuff happened and I had a meeting with Lockyer and Grant, they didn’t really have to preach too much, I heard London Broncos and straight away, I thought it was a no brainer. I always said I wanted to finish over here and the name ‘London’ is an attraction in itself.
“To play rugby league for London Broncos is an honour and a privilege so I’m excited to see what we can do as a team and a club and get to a goal where we want to go.
“It’s a massive challenge. Everyone involved in London Broncos has an opportunity to make sure we get ourselves back on the map and I think they’ve had about 600 owners since they came into the league.
“They have the right owners now and the right squad so it’s up to us to make sure we’re playing the football we need to play and make sure we’re putting London back on the map. I think the club is going in the right direction with the ownership and they’re attracting the right players as well.”
London were one of seven Championship clubs to apply to make the jump up to Super League at the end of the 2025 campaign. Given their project is only just getting off the ground, though, they were overlooked with the suggestion being that they would stand a much better chance in 12 months.
“I couldn’t care less, I just thought ‘that’s alright’,” the prop said regarding his initial reaction to the news. “I’d rather do it like this and we can have a solid year and know what sort of team we are instead of going up and getting flogged by 60 or 80 each week.
“It will be a massive lesson for us, this year, and build for the whole year to make sure we get to where we want to go and that’s the Super League. It’s the right decision for the club to get everything in order before we go up into Super League.”
Campbell-Gillard was linked to St Helens briefly before the emergence of London’s interest and while he did consider options and speak to Super League clubs, he insists that St Helens was not one of them.
“I spoke to Castleford because I know Ryan Carr, and my best mate is Paul Vaughan and he’s gone to York so he was trying to get me to York, but I thought that can’t happen,” he said.
“In my head I was always committed to London Broncos, you have to see what your options are around football but also life, so yeah I thought this option was best for myself and my family.”
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