London Broncos to play role in World Club Challenge build-up with Brisbane link

NRL champions Brisbane Broncos will train with London Broncos in the run-up to their historic World Club Challenge showdown with Hull KR next month.

Michael Maguire’s side will head to England to take on the Super League champions at a sold-out MKM Stadium in Hull. Maguire, himself a winner of the English league with Wigan Warriors, admits he is excited by the opportunity to lead Brisbane in such a contest.

But their preparation will involve working with Darren Lockyer’s London, which Maguire called the ‘most important part’ of their preparation for the game.

“I think that is great from a rugby league point of view,” Maguire told AAP. “One of our special players in Locky has now got the ownership.. to get them going.

“They need a bit of an injection, so it is good to be able to be there in London and train with those guys to prepare. That is the most important part for us.”

It is another big moment for the new-look London, with Lockyer’s influence once again proving to be significant in increasing and improving the club’s reach beyond their traditional boundaries.

Maguire was also quick to dispel any notion of Brisbane not taking the trip to England seriously – promising that the Broncos are determined to etch their name alongside previous great squads that have represented the club on the world stage.

“It will be an unbelievable experience because the crowd will be going crazy,” Maguire said. “I know from my time over there what it really means. It also means a lot to us.

“You have got to remember that the World Club Challenge has been won by Brisbane so to put ourselves up with the likes of those great players before us is something these guys have the opportunity to do.

“You can go into the history books by doing something many of our greats have done in the past.”