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WHO HAS PLAYED FOR BOTH? London Broncos and Bradford Bulls
Jake Watson • 15 February 2025
WHO HAS PLAYED FOR BOTH? London Broncos and Bradford Bulls
It will be a reunion of such for a few of the opposition players this weekend with James Meadows, Emmanuel Waine, Matty Gee, Guy Armitage and Joe Keyes all wearing the colours of the Bulls in 2025.
None of the current Broncos squad have played for the Bulls but it is a path that has been trodden many times over the years.
Who else would you include in this list?
Henry Paul
Most famous for his time at Wigan and Bradford the New Zealander was a prolific winner and points scorer during his time in England. In the 2001 season Paul would break the record for the most points scored in a single season with 178.
Paul would then successfully cross codes and play for Gloucester for 5 years before returning to League and playing for Harlequins for two seasons.
Iliess Macani
Ranked 8th all-time for London Broncos tries scored the 31-year-old Tottenham born winger spent a year playing for the Bulls in 2017.
That year would see Bradford go into liquidation however Macani would still play 25 times and score 10 tries before leaving for Sheffield Eagles.
Shaun Edwards
A man who needs little introduction to fans of either code but of course most famous for his 400+ games for Wigan before being a key player for the Broncos across two spells at the club.
However, sandwiched between those two spells in London was a year in Bradford for Edwards. In 99 he would return to London as the team came agonisingly close to winning the Challenge Cup.
Luke Gale
A long and illustrious career came to an end at the end of last season for Gale after helping Wakefield secure a place back in Super League. However, you can argue that his career really kickstarted in London, then named Harlequins RL.
Gale spent two years in London scoring nearly 300 points but relegation from Super League saw the Leeds born man make the move to Odsal where he would play for two years before moving on to Castleford.
Paul Sykes
London Broncos highest ever points scorer is another to have played for both teams. The 43-year-old started his career in Bradford before a loan move to London soon turned permanent in 2002 which would see him go on to score 721 points.
Sykes enjoyed 5 years in London before moving back to Bradford in 2008. Now aged 43, Sykes is still playing and will be turning out for Dewsbury Rams once again in 2025.
SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: Bradford Bulls vs London Broncos Mike Eccles has named his squad for the season opener away to Bradford Bulls on Sunday (16th). Five players could make their debuts after being named in the squad with; Chris Hellec, Sam Winney & Lukas Mason included. Meanwhile, Warrington Wolves duo Jake Thewlis & Zac Bardsley-Rowe joined the club on loan this week and are in line to play this weekend. The full squad is available below;
MATCH PREVIEW: Bradford Bulls vs London Broncos London Broncos kick off a brand new season with an away trip to Bradford Bulls. London Broncos Director of Rugby & Performance Mike Eccles has urged supporters to stick with the team as it looks to build through the season. In 2024 the team was dogged by a number of significant injuries to key players which thankfully have been avoided this time around. Pre-season has seen a number of new players joining the team however the ongoing transition with the club has meant that pre-season friendlies have been few and far between. Just the one match prior to this one was a Challenge Cup tie against Goole Vikings which was used as an opportunity to take a closer look at a number of trialists. Since then 3 of those 8 have signed permanent deals.
DEAN PARATA IN THE LEGENDS LOUNGE London Broncos are delighted to announce that our first guest for the newly named Legends Lounge for the opening league game of the season will be Dean Parata. The Legends Lounge will be replacing the Gold Lounge at The Cherry Red Records this season offering an improved level of hospitality. Dean retired at the end of last season after 3 stellar seasons at the club which saw him; be named as vice-captain to Will Lovell, win promotion to Super League and won Championship Player of the Year in 2023. The Aussie born former Italian international also played for the visitors, Featherstone Rovers prior to moving to London. In the lounge you can enjoy; - Padded seat for match - Lounge access and private bar - One course hot meal - Arrival drink - Half time teas and coffee - Matchday 'Legend' Q&A with a London Broncos heritage player - Dedicated matchday host
SEASON TICKET COLLECTION If you are yet to receive your London Broncos season ticket then we please ask you to collect these from the main reception on matchday. Season ticket numbers are up significantly from last season and with a deadline of March 1st to purchase we encourage fans to continue to take advantage of the fantastic prices available. Adults - £120 12-18s- £60 U12s - FREE
2025 SQUAD NUMBERS Ahead of this weekend’s season opener away at Bradford Bulls we are delighted to announce the squad numbers for the season. In what is a largely brand new squad, only Will Lovell, Lewis Bienek and Alex Walker keep the same shirt numbers as last season. With fellow returning players; Marcus Stock, Sadiq Adebiyi and Jensen Monk picking up new numbers respectively. New signings Chris Hellec, Luke Polselli, Curtis Davies and Huw Worthington all pick up numbers within the starting 13. For a full list of the squad numbers please look at the graphic below.
Resilient Roofing offer London Broncos discount As one of the club’s Sponsor, Resilient Roofing & Property Maintenance Ltd have kindly offered exclusive discount for all 2025 London Broncos membership and season ticket holders on *any roofing work: - 10% off for 40/20 Membership Holders - 20% off for Season Ticket Holders *Orders must match the name associated with membership or season ticket To find out more about Resilient Roofing please visit the following link.
NYCDA Weekly Draw winners for Week 38 The rollover this week is £2000 and remember it can reach up to a life changing £10,000!! Please see listed below the full list of NYCDA Weekly Draw winners for this week’s draw: To find out more about the NYDCA and how you can support the London Rugby League Foundation - CLICK HERE!
Chris Ball signs following successful trial London Broncos are delighted to announce Chris Ball has signed a permanent deal with the club after a successful trial. The 24-year-old centre featured regularly for the Reserve side last season and also played the full 80 minutes in the Challenge Cup tie with Goole Vikings.
London Broncos sign Warrington Wolves duo on loan London Broncos can confirm Warrington Wolves duo Jake Thewlis and Zac Bardsley Rowe have joined the club on two week loans. Jake Thewlis is the younger brother of Josh and made his Super League debut in 2024 against Wigan Warriors and also scored twice in the Challenge Cup victory against Whitehaven last weekend. The 19-year-old outside back has impressed in Sam Burgess’ team during pre-season also scoring tries against Widnes and Leigh Leopards. Bardsley-Rowe is another exciting back who was named by Burgess in Super League 21-man squad to face London Broncos at Plough Lane last season. Despite not featuring that day he went on loan to Widnes Vikings where he would go on to play 10 times scoring 1 try. The pair will be in contention to play in the season opening league fixture against Bradford Bulls on Sunday. We thank Warrington Wolves for their cooperation in completing the deal. #WeAreLondon
GAMEWEEK! London Broncos kick off a brand new season this weekend as we head up to Bradford to take on the Bulls in the Betfred Championship on Sunday. Tickets for away supporters are still available to purchase from this link.
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