Broncos seek redemption as world title fight looms large

Almost 19 years to the day after suffering a heartbreaking loss to St Helens in the 2007 World Club Challenge, the Broncos head to Hull hell bent on righting the wrongs of three failed attempts to claim the title of world champions.

After beating St George in the 1991 NSWRL grand final the Broncos headed to Central Park in Wigan the following October for their first crack at the WCC title and prevailed 22-8 in a spiteful encounter.

Two years later, Wigan reversed the result with a 20-14 victory in front of 54,220 fans at Brisbane's ANZ Stadium.

In 1997, Wayne Bennett's men won Super League’s World Club Challenge competition involving Australia’s 10 Super League clubs and 12 from the Euro Super League, defeating the Hunter Mariners 36-12 in the final.

In 2001 and 2007 the Broncos made the trek to the northern hemisphere to face the might of St Helens, both times suffering narrow defeats as Sean Long and Paul Sculthorpe combined with a sprinkling of Aussies including David Fairleigh, Matt Gidley and Jason Cayless to plot Brisbane's demise.

Come February 20 and the men from Red Hill will again find themselves in foreign territory, looking to take down Willie Peters' Hull KR outfit that completed an historic treble in 2025 by winning the Super League, Challenge Cup and League Leaders' Shield.

Much like the Broncos ended Penrith's domination in the NRL. the Robins broke the Super League stranglehold of Wigan, St Helens, Leeds and Bradford, who between them had claimed every title since 1996.

In 29 World Club Challenge games played in a one-off format since 1976, UK clubs have won 15 to Australia’s 14, with the last two clashes in 2023 and 2024 being won by St Helens and Wigan to give the Poms the overall edge.

Prior to that, the Roosters had gone back-to-back in 2019 and 2020, both times travelling to the UK to fly the NRL flag and getting the job done against Wigan and St Helens.

The Roosters and Wigan have been the two most successful clubs in the history of the WCC with five wins apiece, while Leeds, St Helens, Bradford and Melbourne have notched three each.

Victory at MKM Stadium next week would give the Broncos a third title and help ease the disappointment of the 2001 and 2007 defeats when an array of superstars including Darren Lockyer, Shane Webcke, Gorden Tallis and Petero Civoniceva came home empty handed.

"I think definitely the weather is a huge factor," Civoniceva told NRL.com.

"It's such a climate shock for all of us. We've had a hot pre-season and then all of a sudden you go out over there to the cold, but no doubt, they've spoken about that, they'll address that.

“It's going to be a huge challenge, no doubt, but I think Madge [Maguire] and the boys have been working really hard.

“It was wonderful to win the premiership, but to do one better....

“We weren't fortunate enough to do that in 2007, but I know this current squad are primed and ready to go.”

Grand final hero Reece Walsh, forward leaders Pat Carrigan and Payne Haas, and playmakers Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam will be crucial to the Broncos' chances of success against a Hull KR side featuring England Test stars Mikey Lewis, Jez Litten, Tom Davies and Joe Burgess along with former NRL players Tyrone May, Rhyse Martin, Peta Hiku and Karl Lawton.

Just as Walsh took his game to another level in the NRL decider so too Lewis, who claimed the Rob Burrow Award as player of the match in the Super League decider.

Walsh took the honours when he and Lewis clashed in the Ashes series, named player of the match in the first Test and averaging 150 run metres to go with his four tries in the Roos' 3-0 whitewash.

Still riding high after a phenomenal 2025 season, Walsh looks to put the icing on the cake by leading the Broncos to WCC glory, exorcising the demons of 2002 and 2007 and ensuring the tag of 'world champions' belongs to an NRL team for the first time in six years.

Broncos squad: Grant Anderson, Patrick Carrigan, Jack Gosiewski, Payne Haas, Ben Hunt, Jaiyden Hunt, Corey Jensen, Josiah Karapani, Ezra Mam, Deine Mariner, Blake Mozer, Cory Paix, Adam Reynolds, Jordan Riki, Gehamat Shibasaki, Kotoni Staggs, Ben Talty, Aublix Tawha, Reece Walsh, Xavier Willison.