Six of London Broncos’ Championship-winning squad will go to the Rugby League World Cup with Papua New Guinea, Jason Demetriou has confirmed.
Demetriou has been in charge of PNG since August 2024, and at club level, heads up London having been appointed ahead of the 2026 campaign.
Sunday afternoon saw his Broncos side complete the domestic treble, hammering Doncaster to win the Championship Grand Final having already lifted both the Championship League Leaders’ Shield and 1895 Cup.
The capital club will discover within the next month or so whether they will be permitted entry to Super League for 2027, as is expected to be the case.
But for Demetriou and a big contingent of the Broncos squad, attention turns to this autumn’s World Cup with the Kumuls.
Kumuls squad to have heavy London influence
Circa 48 hours on from guiding his side to their Grand Final triumph, Demetriou flew out to Papua New Guinea on Monday.
And he has confirmed that six of London’s stars will be on the plane come Wednesday to join him, with Jeremiah Simbiken the only Kumul in the Broncos’ squad that has not made his 23-man international squad.
Demetriou said: “The other six boys will be on the plane on Wednesday and we’re looking forward to getting into camp with the Kumuls boys.
“They took a fair risk to come over here with me and they’ve spoken about the opportunity I’ve given them, but they’ve given me a lot more. I’m just thankful that they believed in what we were doing.
“The way we play is similar with the Kumuls. We’re fortunate to have an electric nine in Edwin (Ipape) and we play upstream and fast.
“It’s all very similar, but with any World Cup, you’re sitting around waiting and hoping your best players are available. Alex (Max) and Epel (Kapinias) got a touch up in training because they didn’t play on Sunday.
Demetriou has flown out to Papua New Guinea on Monday and six
The Kumuls host Lebanon (October 17) and Samoa (October 24) in Port Moresby before playing their final group game against England in Wollongong on October 30.
London in limbo
Back at club level, Demetriou explained London remain in limbo around their divisional status for 2027, explaining: “We’ve got 20 signed for next year so there’s still eight-to-ten players waiting to see what happens.
“I can’t say what’s happening because it changes things dramatically if we’re in Super League with overseas players.
“I still haven’t got my head around what the Championship looks like if that happens, so there’s a lot of things that need to fall into place. But we’re confident we can pull the trigger if and when that happens.”