London coach shares sympathy for at risk Super League clubs as IMG frustrations aired

London head coach Jason Demetriou believes the Broncos’ frustrations around the unknown of the IMG gradings system will be shared by numerous clubs in Super League.

Monday afternoon saw London clinch their second piece of silverware in as many weeks, beating Widnes Vikings 32-10 at the Halliwell Jones Stadium to lift the 1895 Cup.

That triumph came just eight days after the Broncos lifted the Championship League Leaders’ Shield having lost only one of their 23 games in the competition this term – concluding this weekend at home against lowly Swinton Lions.

Neither of those two trophies earned any IMG points for the capital club, who are without question the dominant force in the second tier.

0.5 IMG points can be claimed by winning the Championship Grand Final to claim the title, but even if London go on to achieve that as they are expected to, there are no guarantees they will be in Super League next season.

‘I’m sure there are clubs in Super League at that bottom end that want to know’

London were overlooked for promotion ahead of 2026, with Toulouse Olympique and York Knights promoted instead alongside Bradford Bulls, whose elevation came as a direct result of the IMG gradings system.

The Bulls’ spot in Super League for 2027 is guaranteed given they will play Leigh Leopards in Las Vegas. But neither Toulouse or York can be absolutely sure of top-flight security for now.

Speaking after his side’s 1895 Cup success, London head coach Demetriou said: “We can’t control it.

“I’m sure there are clubs in Super League at that bottom end that want to know (if they’ll be in the top-flight next season).

“It’s tough to recruit, just like it was for the three teams that got promoted this year.

“It’s really difficult, and we’re seeing that with their squads getting tested at the back end of the year, particularly York and Bradford.

“Those teams would have loved to find out (they’d be promoted) in May, June or July last year… but they didn’t.

“We’re not stressed about it. We’ve got a really strong squad and we’re achieving great things on and off the field. If and when it happens, we’ll be ready to go.”

‘As it stands, IMG is our best route into Super League, so we want to make sure we’re ticking every box we can on the field’

The Broncos have lost just two games so far in 2026: being beaten by Super League outfit Bradford in the Third Round of Challenge Cup as well as suffering a shock first league defeat away at Oldham a few weeks ago.

They will conclude their regular season campaign against lowly Swinton this weekend before entering the Championship play-offs in the second of a five-week schedule.

Notably, having topped the tree, any play-off games the Broncos are involved in will come on home soil – and they’re determined to finish the job in style.

Demetriou explained: “As it stands, IMG is our best route into Super League, so we want to make sure we’re ticking every box we can on the field.

“If we’re doing that, then it’s up to the team off the field – and we’ve done some great things off the field as well that have raised our (IMG) points.

“All we can do is keep doing that, and fingers crossed, we get that opportunity.

“This group is a special group. They’ve come together so quickly and they’ve got an opportunity now to have some magic moments over the next month.

“The bigger focus is for them to go out and enjoy that time, enjoy playing in London.

“Whatever happens after that will take care of itself.”