Brisbane Broncos History
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This article details the history of the Brisbane Broncos rugby league football club.
Contents |
[edit] Formation
In the mid-1980s, the New South Wales Rugby League decided to expand the Sydney competition outside of its traditional areas. This began in 1982 with the introduction of the Canberra Raiders and the Illawarra Steelers, and continued with the entrance of the Broncos, Newcastle Knights and Gold Coast - Tweed Giants in 1988. After tough competition between the various syndicates for the Brisbane license, the Queensland Rugby League chose the bid that belonged to former BRL players Barry Maranta and Paul "Porky" Morgan. After deliberating over such names as Bulls, Bombers and Kookaburras, the club eventually decided on the name Broncos. Former Austrralian representative John Ribot was appointed the club's first chief executive officer.
As can be seen from the first ever team's player lineup, the Broncos attracted a large number of high-profile Queensland rugby league players wanting to play club football in their own state. Queensland State of Origin legend Wally Lewis was the first player to sign on with the new club, and was the inaugural Broncos captain. Wayne Bennett was the inaugural coach for the Broncos, and is today still the team's coach.
| Player | Position |
|---|---|
| Colin Scott | Fullback |
| Joe Kilroy | Wing |
| Chris Johns | Centre |
| Gene Miles | Centre |
| Michael Hancock | Wing |
| Wally Lewis (C) | Five-eighth |
| Allan Langer | Halfback |
| Terry Matterson | Prop |
| Brett Le Man | Hooker |
| Keith Gee | Prop |
| Greg Dowling | Second Row |
| Greg Conescu | Second Row |
| Bryan Niebling | Lock |
| Mark Hohn | Interchange |
| Billy Noke | Interchange |
| Craig Grauf | Interchange |
| Wayne Bennett | COACH |
[edit] New South Wales Rugby League Premiership
[edit] 1988
On March 6, 1988, at Lang Park in Brisbane, the brand-new Broncos defeated the 1987 Winfield Cup Premiers Manly-Warringah 44-10 in their first premiership game. Although the Broncos won their first six games in their inaugural season, a midseason slump cost the club a debut finals appearance, but that start set the Broncos for a future of success.
[edit] 1989
The following year they won the midweek knockout Panasonic Cup competition, but again failed to make the finals, eventually eliminated by Cronulla in a play off for fifth spot.
[edit] 1990
In order to increase the Broncos' success in the Winfield Cup, Wayne Bennett controversially sacked Wally Lewis as club captain and gave the role to centre Gene Miles. Miles had retired from representative football, and Bennett hoped he could remove the team's reliance on Lewis. It largely worked, as Brisbane qualified for their first finals campaign. In the Preliminary Final against the Canberra Raiders the Broncos were knocked out 30-2 so finished the 1990 season in third place. Canberra went on to win the competition.
[edit] 1991
In 1991 the Broncos again won the Panasonic Cup competition but didn't make the finals despite winning their last 5 games in a row.
[edit] 1992
After the retirement of Gene Miles, the captaincy role fell onto half-back Allan Langer, in 1992. The Broncos were at the top of the ladder for most of the competition, losing just four matches to gain their first minor premiership with a 6-point buffer over second placed St George Dragons.
Finally the Winfield Cup was transported to Queensland for the first time when the Broncos comprehensively defeated the Dragons 28-8 at the Sydney Football Stadium in their first Grand Final. A month later, the Broncos had a World Club Challenge match against dominant British champions Wigan. No Australian side had gone to England and won, and many expected the Broncos to follow that trend. They didn't, smashing the cherry pickers in emphatic fashion 22-8.
[edit] 1993
After years of dispute with the Lang Park Trust over brewery advertising, Fourex had pouring rights for Lang Park while Powers Brewing was major sponsor of the Broncos. For the 1993 season the Broncos moved to the Council-owned ANZ Stadium, in suburban Nathan.
Signs of a hangover existed with the club losing two of its first three matches, including their debut at the new home ground against the struggling Parramatta Eels. But the Broncos bounced back to establish themselves solidly in the upper echelons of the competition. A last round lapse against St George relegated the Broncos to fifth spot, meaning they had to win four straight elimination games to defend their title.
They went on to demolish the Manly Sea Eagles defence in a 36-10 romp. Canberra dropped dead with the loss of Ricky Stuart and the Broncos ran roughshod over them with a 30-12 win. Against Canterbury in the preliminary final, Brisbane were trailing 16-10 at half time, but Allan Langer scored immediately in the second half to level, then potted a field goal to break the dead lock late in the game.
In the grand final, again against the Dragons, the Broncos were victorious again, this time 14-6. This win was significant because it was the only time a team which had finished 5th in the minor premiership had gone on to win the competition.
[edit] 1994
In the English spring of 1994 it was announced that the Brisbane Broncos was buying the London Crusaders club, which would be renamed 'London Broncos'.
The Australian 1994 rugby league season started in fine fashion for Brisbane. They cruised through to the final of the Toohey's Challenge for the fifth time, but amazingly were pipped by South Sydney in the decider. That started a shocking opening to the premiership that saw them win just one game in the first month of the competition and leave them languishing near oblivion. They were flat out winning two games in a row for much of the season.
Behind the scenes, Broncos chief executive John Ribot sent his first report on the Super League concept to News Ltd chief executive Ken Cowley.
On-field Brisbane continued to struggle, with frustration reaching boiling point against the Newcastle Knights. Referee Greg McCallum sinbinned Allan Langer for dissent as the Knights beat the Broncos for the first time. More disappointment came when Wigan avenged their 1992 loss in the World Club Challenge at ANZ Stadium.
A late season revival catapulted the Broncos into fifth spot, narrowly beating out the Illawarra Steelers for a spot in the finals. A 16-4 victory over Manly revived some hope of a 'three-peat'. The following week they played against the North Sydney Bears, and after trailing 14-4 the Broncos staged a comeback to level at 14-14. In the end, a Jason Taylor field goal won the game for North Sydney 15-14 shortly before fulltime.
[edit] Australian Rugby League Premiership
[edit] 1995
Before the start of the 1995 season, the Brisbane Broncos started Federal Court action against New South Wales Rugby League over salary cap rules. The Super League war had arrived.
The team was hoping to avenge their on-field disappointment of 1994. They started perfectly, winning their first seven matches in their best start ever. But a 26-0 humiliation against Canberra sent the Broncos on another tumble that saw them lose four matches in five weeks. Despite again faltering mid-season, the Broncos went on to win their last 6 matches of the regular season. In the finals though, they suffered close defeats at the hands of defending Premiers Canberra and eventual 1995 winners the Canterbury Bulldogs. An injury to Allan Langer resulted in crucial missed tackles in both matches by the Brisbane skipper, and played a contributing factor in the Broncos' failure to win.
[edit] 1996
In 1996 the Broncos once again went through a losing streak mid-season but once more recovered to finish second. However again they capitulated, losing to North Sydney and Cronulla to lose their fifth straight finals match. At the end of the 1996 season, players Kerrod Walters, Alan Cann, Willie Carne and Michael Hancock were asked to leave the club, as they could no longer be guaranteed regular places in the Broncos first grade team.
[edit] Super League Premiership
Since 1995 Brisbane had been embroiled in the Super League war, along with several other teams which defected to the rebel Super League competition in 1997.
[edit] 1997
The Broncos again won their first 7 matches, before finally losing to the Penrith Panthers in round 8. The Broncos won their final three regular season games to finish their second minor premiership.
In the Major Semi-Final against Cronulla the Broncos thrashed the sharks to move into their first home Grand Final. The Sharks recovered to make the big one, but they were no match for the Broncos. Despite being hampered by a troublesome groin injury, Langer led his side to victory 26-8 for their third premiership in front of almost 60,000 home fans.
[edit] National Rugby League
[edit] 1998
In 1998 the National Rugby League (NRL) was formed, after a merger deal was struck between the Australian Rugby League and Super League organisations. Brisbane were solid in their first five matches, snatching five victories. Shock losses to the Sydney City Roosters and Cronulla had the side in trouble, but Langer led them to a big win over Canterbury only to see two more club losses. But the Broncos recovered to post huge wins over Penrith and the Western Suburbs Magpies. The Broncos finished the remainder of the regular season undefeated, but far from in form.
After a week off granted by winning the minor premiership, the Broncos were smothered out of the game by Parramatta in their opening finals match. But the Broncos lifted and provided some miracle spark against the Melbourne Storm a week later, resurrecting their premiership hopes. A huge win over Sydney City in the preliminary final installed them at near unbackable odds against Canterbury in the first NRL Grand Final. The Broncos came back from a 12-10 half time deficit to again win their second consecutive premiership with a 38-12 Grand Final victory.
[edit] 1999
1999 saw the departure of one of Brisbane's favourite sons, Allan "Alfie" Langer, after the Broncos had a shocking start to the season. The captaincy was passed onto Kevin Walters part way through the season. Brisbane recovered towards the end of the year, but were bundled out of the finals 42-20 by the Cronulla Sharks at Toyota Park.
[edit] 2000
In 2000, with Broncos star Michael Hancock and captain Kevin Walters playing their final season, the Broncos won the last daytime Grand Final at Stadium Australia, defeating the Sydney Roosters in a tight match 14-6. The result had been in doubt right up to the final minutes when Brad Thorn crashed over for a decisive try. Kevin Walters moved from the Broncos' to England at the end of 2000, and the captraincy was passed onto Gorden Tallis.
[edit] 2001
The 2001 season was unusual for the Broncos in that they were unable to string together more than three wins at any time during the season.
[edit] 2002
The 2002 season saw the return of club legend Allan Langer to the Brisbane Broncos, following his successful comeback to Australian rugby league in the previous year's State of Origin decider. It was also the beginning of Brisbane's recurring "post origin slump", which was to haunt the club for the next four years. As many of the Queensland Maroons who compete in the mid-week State of Origin matches are Broncos' players, this extra workload often results in a loss of form for the club around and after the time of the Origin series.
[edit] 2003
In 2003, Brisbane were once again in the upper echelons of the ladder before losing their last eight games and falling to eighth place, nearly missing the finals for the first time since 1992.
Also that year the Rugby Union World Cup was played in Australia. As a testament to the quality of the athletes produced at the Broncos, three of the club's former players would feature in two of the top three finishing teams of the rugby union world's top competition, all of them having played together in the Broncos' 2000 premiership-winning side: Lote Tuquri with Wendell Sailor for The Wallabies and Brad Thorn for The All Blacks.
[edit] 2004
The Broncos made it to the finals again in 2004, but here knocked out of contention by the North Queensland Cowboys. With Gorden Tallis' retirement at the end of the season, the Broncos' captaincy was passed onto Darren Lockyer.
[edit] 2005
In Round 1, 2005 the Broncos got their revenge for their 2004 Semi-Final loss to the North Queensland Cowboys, defeating them 29-16. The Melbourne Storm gave Brisbane their biggest defeat in the club's history with a 50-4 rampage in Round 4 (It was the first time ever the Brisbane Broncos conceded 50 points). Then the following week the Broncos scored 54 points when they beat Parramatta Eels 54-14. From Round 5 to Round 15 the Brisbane Broncos won 10 games straight. Then from Round 22 to Semi Final the Brisbane Broncos lost 7 games straight.
[edit] 2006
In 2006, The Broncos did not start the season well, with a big 36-4 defeat by the previous year's runners-up North Queensland Cowboys in the first round. The Broncos then had a good first half of the season winning 11 of their first 17 games. But the year's biggest upset came when the team lost to the last-placed and previously winless South Sydney Rabbitohs 34-14 in Round 14.
After the State of Origin series finished, the Broncos began a losing streak (as happened in 2005), calling it the usual 'post-Origin slump'. However strong performances against the competition leaders Melbourne Storm (only losing 18-12) and beating the Canterbury Bulldogs 30-0 saw a return to form. The Broncos defeated the injury-struck Parramatta Eels 23-0 in Round 25. The team was heading into the finals with momentum not seen since 2000, but lost to the St George Illawarra Dragons 20-4 in the qualifying final. The Broncos bounced back in the semi-final defeating the Knights 50-6 and captain Darren Lockyer became the Broncos highest point-scorer with 1,077 (beating Michael De Vere's record of 1,062 points). After trailing 20-6 at half time against the Canterbury Bulldogs in the grand final qualifier the team came back in the second half to earn a place in the 2006 NRL Grand Final with a 37-20 victory.
It was the sixth time the Broncos made the Grand Final. Their opponents were the Melbourne Storm and the game was the first ever National Rugby League Grand Final not to feature a New South Wales-based club. Brisbane won the game 15-8. This saw a fitting farewell to the NRL's Number one prop Shane Webcke who retired at the end of the season.
[edit] 2007
On February the 23rd, 2007 The Broncos played against English Super League champions St Helens RFC in the World Club Challenge. St Helens took the match 18-14 in the last minutes.
Currently Brisbane is the only team to have made every finals series since 1992 and the only team to have won every Grand Final they have contested. This is an incredible achievement of 15 finals series in a row, of which they won the premiership 6 times in 15 seasons.
[edit] Sponsorship History
| Year | Jersey Manufacturer | Major Sponsor | Sleeve Sponsor | Shorts Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Peerless | Powers Brewing | ||
| 1989 | Peerless | Powers Brewing | ||
| 1990 | Peerless | Powers Brewing | TR Auscel | |
| 1991 | Peerless | Powers Brewing | TR Auscel | |
| 1992 | M Sport | Powers Brewing | TDK | Powers Brewing |
| 1993 | M Sport | Powers Brewing | TDK | Powers Brewing |
| 1994 | M Sport | Traveland | TDK | Ansett Australia |
| 1995 | M Sport | Traveland | MMI | Ansett Australia |
| 1996 | M Sport | Traveland | Ansett Australia | Ansett Australia |
| 1997 | Nike | Ansett Australia | Ansett Australia | Ansett Australia |
| 1998 | Nike | Ansett Australia | Ansett Australia | Ansett Australia |
| 1999 | Nike | 131 Shop | Ansett Australia | Keno |
| 2000 | Nike | 131 Shop / Ergon Energy | Ansett Australia | Keno |
| 2001 | Nike | Ergon Energy | Ansett Australia | Keno |
| 2002 | Nike | Ergon Energy | Keno | |
| 2003 | Nike | Ergon Energy | Keno | |
| 2004 | Nike | Ergon Energy | Mortgage House | NRMA Insurance |
| 2005 | Nike | Ergon Energy | Q.L.D. Group | NRMA Insurance |
| 2006 | Nike | Ergon Energy | Q.L.D. Group | NRMA Insurance |
| 2007 | Nike | Ergon Energy | WOW Sight and Sound | NRMA Insurance |
Strathfield (formerly Brisbane Car Sound) took up the sponsorship of the space beneath the player's jersey number in 2006, following the National Rugby League's decision to allow this practice. Toyota will take up this position in 2007.
[edit] Famous Fans
- Steve Irwin, deceased.
- Peter Beattie, Premier.
- Pat Rafter, retired tennis player.
- Young Divas, consisting of four former Australian Idol contestants, including 2005 winner Kate DeAraugo, and runner-up from the same series, Emily Williams, also from Brisbane.
[edit] External links
| Brisbane Broncos |
|---|
| The Club Representatives • History • Records • Honours • Players • Venues |
| Seasons 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 |
| Stadiums Lang Park/Suncorp Stadium • ANZ Stadium |
| Captains Wally Lewis (1988-1989) • Gene Miles (1990-1991) • Allan Langer (1992-1999) Kevin Walters (1999-2000) • Gorden Tallis (2001-2004) • Darren Lockyer (2005-present) |
| Coaches Wayne Bennett (1988-present) |
