{"id":145812,"date":"2025-09-15T21:01:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T21:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/145812\/"},"modified":"2025-09-15T21:01:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T21:01:11","slug":"nrl-2025-jason-demetriou-nrl-stars-to-head-up-darren-lockyers-new-look-london-broncos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/145812\/","title":{"rendered":"NRL 2025: Jason Demetriou, NRL stars to head up Darren Lockyer’s new look London Broncos"},"content":{"rendered":"

PNG Kumuls coach and former Rabbitohs mentor Jason Demetriou is set to take charge of a new-look London Broncos team stacked with NRL talent under the ownership of Darren Lockyer.<\/p>\n

London Broncos have formally applied to return to the Super League next season with a new ownership group comprising of Lockyer, successful businessman Grant Wechsel and long-time Leeds supremo Gary Hetherington.<\/p>\n

The Broncos announced that Demetriou, who coached South Sydney from 2022 until 2024, had agreed to a three-year pre-commitment in anticipation of London being admitted to the Super League.<\/p>\n


\n
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\n \"Superstar
\n
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\n Superstar fullback Tom Trbojevic could be a target for the new London Broncos.
\n \u00a9Anthony Kourembanas\/NRL Photos
\n
\n <\/p>\n

In a statement issued by the club on Monday, the Broncos also said they were “in the process of securing pre-commitments from leading NRL players, including several internationals, that would comprise up to half the run-on team”.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With reports that Tom Trbojevic was considering leaving Manly after his contract expires at the end of the 2026 season and was eyeing a move to Super League, Lockyer confirmed the superstar fullback could be a potential target.<\/p>\n

“He’d be awesome in the Super League,” Lockyer told Nine’s 100% Footy on Monday night.<\/p>\n

“He would light the Super League up and, if he is available, I think a lot of clubs over there would be trying to find some money for him.”<\/p>\n

While Demetriou will continue to coach the Kumuls, he has agreed to a long-term arrangement with London to help implement new winning systems, curricula and culture in the club.<\/p>\n

The comprehensive bid for Super League entry represents a clear vision for the future of the Broncos and for the growth of the game in London.<\/p>\n

Rabbitohs halfback Jamie Humphreys and Wests Tigers-bound secondrower Kai Pearce-Paul have come through development programs at London Broncos.<\/p>\n

The submission clearly articulates the benefits to the game and the Super League of a London team, outlining strategies to grow grassroots participation, elite talent pathways to expand the game\u2019s talent pool and increase attendance and fandom.<\/p>\n


\n
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\n \"Rugby
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\n Rugby league great Darren Lockyer is a major stakeholder in the new London Broncos.
\n \u00a9NRL Photos
\n
\n <\/p>\n

\u201cA successful London club will help the Super League achieve maximum growth and potential,\u201d Lockyer said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be a truly national competition and to grow the game\u2019s exposure, finances and talent pool, the game should be represented in the nation\u2019s capital, and the largest financial market in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cLondon is the largest greenfield market for rugby league growth; if anchored by a strong and sustainable club, the benefits to rugby league could be huge.”<\/p>\n

The new ownership group believes the changes will provide the Broncos with the capital, commitment, credibility and capability that are required to be a competitive force in the top-tier competition.<\/p>\n

The proposal is a detailed operational and financial plan for the club to achieve financial sustainability and success both on and off the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have undertaken a root-and-branch review of all operational aspects of the club and will be recalibrating the club across all operational disciplines to achieve excellence,” Wechsel said.<\/p>\n

“We want the London Broncos to be the standard bearer for the Super League; that\u2019s our commitment to the governing body, London Broncos fans, and the rugby league community.”<\/p>\n

The new ownership will be supported by London’s dedicated and long-serving staff, and a team of highly experienced club administrators and consultants who have been appointed to assist in the next chapter of the Broncos\u2019 financial and footballing future.<\/p>\n

The bid outlines a clear forecast and plan to ensure the operational and financial sustainability of the Club through investment in resources, systems, and robust governance, as well as a plan to diversify revenue away from its current reliance on centralised funding.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PNG Kumuls coach and former Rabbitohs mentor Jason Demetriou is set to take charge of a new-look London…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":145813,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-145812","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nrl","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-national-rugby-league","11":"tag-nationalrugbyleague","12":"tag-nrl","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145812\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}