London Broncos head coach Jason Demetriou has aired frustrations that the club are still unclear if they will be playing in Super League next year, admitting that it’s hindering recruitment and squad-building, though he’s insisted it has not impacted the club’s Championship Grand Final preparation.
The Broncos will host Doncaster on Sunday afternoon as they aim to win a historic treble, having already won the 1895 Cup and the League Leaders Shield, and in Doncaster they’re facing a familiar foe.
London have beaten Doncaster on all four occasions this year, including in this play-off series, and whilst the Dons are his main focus, Demetriou has admitted to frustrations over now knowing if victory in this game means promotion to Super League – as was the case when London last contested this game back in 2023.
Instead, IMG gradings will dictate the composition of Super League in 2027 though it’s been reported by Love Rugby League that the NRL, who are in discussions over investment in Super League, will insist on the Broncos being promoted.
Speaking to Serious About Rugby League on Thursday, Demetriou said: “We don’t know in terms of what’s happening in terms of promotion, but even if we were able to get in there, we always wanted to make sure that we did it on performances as well, and that’s important in terms of justifying our place here, but also giving us confidence to go to the next level.”
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London aiming to ‘compete with the biggest clubs’ in Super League
With a big crowd expected at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, Demetriou has argued that this is the perfect game to truly make a case for their inclusion in Super League, calling on his players to put in a performance that highlights the club’s trajectory.
“It’s up to the players to make sure that when we have this amount of people coming down to watch us play, that we put in performance that excites them about the direction the club’s going in,” he said.
“We’ve said all along we don’t just want to be in Super League, we want to be in Super League and compete with the biggest clubs in the game, and that’s what we’ve been trying to build this year.”
Despite that, London still do not know if victory on Sunday earns them promotion or if they’re in regardless of the result against the Dons, and that uncertainty has been a point of contention in recent weeks.
“It’s been extremely difficult to be honest. Concentrating on the footy is the easier part, but it’s the externals that come with that,” Demetriou admitted.
“A lot of players are trying to find out what their futures are, and if we’re in Championship, it’s a very different proposition than we’re in Super League, so it’s really hard to give people some certainty on what we’re doing or what they’re doing without knowing what competition we’re playing in.”
London Broncos’ 2027 recruitment on hold amid uncertainty
As well as impacting the current squad, it’s impacting recruitment, with Demetriou adding: “There’s players in the peripheral and staff and all that kind of thing that are interested in coming to the club, but again, we’re just sitting here now.
“I’ve been contacted by agents probably the last two weeks pretty much non-stop, but I can’t do anything or say anything because I can’t even tell my players what’s happening, let alone external players.”
Whatever those difficulties and frustrations, the London boss has backed his side to overcome the external noise and put in a performance that secures them a historic treble and also serves to show the value of the capital side being in Super League.
He said: “It is difficult, but I think this group, one thing that’s been real special about this group is how connected they are and how much they really enjoy playing footy together.
“That’s one of the things that we’ve touched on in the last couple of weeks is no squad stays the same year on here. There’s always changes, and this group want to really enjoy playing together… The result on Sunday will make a very special year for this group.”
