London Broncos 2013 Squad List

1 Luke DORN (born 2/7/82 - Maitland, Australia) Stand Off or Fullback - Twitter

Luke Dorn spent is early career in the NRL where he represented the Northern Eagles, Manly and Sydney in the NRL making a total of 38 appearances and scoring 5 tries between 2002 and 2004.

He originally joined London Broncos in 2005 and despite scoring 41 tries in his first two seasons was released to accomodate Australian international Scott Hill.

He scored a total of 30 more tries for Salford and Castleford in 2007 and 2008 which included a hat-trick at the Stoop and he was signed back to our club in 2009.

Since his return he has scored a further 50+ tries.

He is classified as a non-Quota Player due to being in the UK since 2005 and Federation Trained due to arriving prior to the Federation rules being applied in 2008.

His contract expires at the end of the 2013 season and he is rumoured to be leaving to join the Castleford club.

2 Liam COLBON (born 20/9/84 - Wigan) Centre or Winger

Liam Colbon came through the Wigan ranks in 2004 making 55 appearances between 2004 and 2008 where he scored 19 tries before moving on.

His time at Hull KR was very similar statistically to at Wigan as he played 54 games, scoring 21 tries between 2009 and 2011 and he had a 53% win record prior to joining London.

His time at London has been frustrating for all involved as he played just 8 games in 2012 scoring 2 tries whilst 2013 up until the start of July has been near identical with just 7 games and 2 tries.

Colbon is a very good player and counts as both a non Quota Player and is Federation Trained but his limited availability makes a release near certain at the end of the 2013 season when his contract ends.

3 Jamie O'CALLAGHAN (born 21/9/90 - Hammersmith, London) - @jamieoc90

O'Callaghan is an Ireland international hwho has played 93 games for the club in the six separate seasons between 2008 and 2012 and has scored 14 Super League tries.

He seems to be more highly rated by staff than supporters such as when he won the Harlequins Young Player of the year when Ben Jones-Bishop seemed a class apart.

Zero Tackle do not show him as out of contract, but the last word from the club was that he signed a new contract for three years in 2010.

With just 20 wins from his 93 matches and only 7 appearances from 2013 up until July it may be the case that this is his last season with the club, but he may be saved by the club's requirement to have a certain level of homegrown players.

4 David HOWELL (born 18/11/83 - Camden, Australia) Centre - Twitter

Howell was on the books of St George Illawarra in both 2003 and 2004 and Canberra Raiders between 2005 and 2007 making a total of 60 appearances in his five seasons scoring 20 tries.

He joined Harlequins RL at the end of 2007 and has gone on to play 104 games in all competitions scoring 34 tries.

He signed a four year deal in 2009 which is rumoured to have been a six figure salary contract to keep him away from the lurking Wigan and at that point he looked a classy player.

Howell is classified as a non-Quota Player due to being in the UK since 2007 and Federation Trained due to arriving prior to the Federation rules being applied in 2008.

He is widely expected to be released at the end of the 2013 season given a single appearance up until July and having played just 20 times in two seasons.

5 Michael ROBERTSON (born 14/4/83 - Wellington, Australia) Fullback or Winger

Michael Robertson represented Manly, Canberra, NSW County and Scotland in the 2008 World Cup.

He has made 209 first grade appearances scoring 83 tries and has won 59.81% of all matches played.

In 2012 he played 24 games scoring 13 tries.

He signed originally for one year and surprised many be renewing his contract in July 2012 and will now remain until the end of the 2014 season.

6 Michael WITT (born 1/1/84 - Toowoomba, Australia) Stand Off

Witt came through at Parramatta in 2003 where he played 27 games in two seasons before playing 20 games for Manly in two seasons and then a further 43 games for the New Zealand Warriors in 2007 and 2008.

He ended his NRL career with 23 tries in 90 appearances and also kicked 258 goals from 319 attempts for an impressive 80.88% record.

He played another sport in 2009 before returning to Rugby League. He played 42 games for Crusaders in 2010 -2011 scoring 13 tries and kicking 110 goals but with a low win % of just 26.19%.

He is classified as a non-Quota Player and has a Federation Trained status exemption for the duration of his three year contract due to the RFL awarding a dispensation due to the Crusaders folding.

If Michael is still playing in the UK in 2015 he will have been here five years and then gain non-Quota status.

He signed a three year contract till the end of 2014.

7 Craig GOWER(born 29/4/78 - Penrith, Australia) Scrum Half or Stand Off

Craig Gower represented Australia 23 times with 8 tries scored and made 238 appearances for Penrith scoring 55 tries in a distinguished 12 year career.

He has also represented New South Wales at NSW County and at State of Origin level. He played another sport between 2008 and 2011 before signing a new two year deal with our club.

He appeared 23 times in Super League and 4 times in the Challenge Cup scoring 4 tries in total.

He was classified as a non-Quota Player due to European Passport but Non-Federation Trained.

Craig Gower was a player with high standards and very influential but it was considered that he had a negative effect as Captain and he was told to stand down as Captain.

Within a week he had fixed up a move to Newcastle Knights and a great player was lost.

8 Antonio KAUFUSI (born 27/11/84 - Matahau, Tonga) Prop

This 27 year old represented Melbourne between 2003 and 2008 before playing 33 times for North Queensland and a further 33 times for Newcastle making a total of 144 NRL appearances in which he scored 10 tries. He has represented Australia, Tonga, Queensland and the Exiles. His London record is an impressive 8 tries in 27 games with a win % just under 30 in his first season. He is signed for two more seasons until the end of 2014. He is classified as a non-Quota Player due to the Cotonou Country Passport from Tonga but Non-Federation Trained.

9 Chad RANDALL (born 30/12/80 - Manly, Australia) Hooker - Twitter

This 31 year old made 66 appearances for Manly between 2002 and 2005 scoring a total of 7 tries. He joined Harlequins in 2006 and has played 184 games for the club scoring 46 tries with a win % of 36.41. Randall has proven to be very durable in his seven seasons and has been Man of Steel on several occasions including 2012 and if regularly selected in 2013 this will see him pass the appearance records of Rob Purdham (195) and record holder Steele Retchless (202). He is in the last year of his contract and if he could return to his 2009 form when he was averaging 7-9 tries per season from Hooker perhaps a new deal will be tabled. He is classified as a non-Quota Player due to being in the UK since 2006 and Federation Trained due to arriving prior to the Federation rules being applied in 2008.

10 Mark BRYANT (born 10/4/81 - Cowra, Australia) Prop - - Twitter

This 31 year old made 100 appearances in the NRL. He began at the Canberra Raiders club where as a young Prop he made just seven appearances between 2002 and 2004 at first grade level. However he then made 16 appearances for Manly in 2005 and then a further 77 appearances as a constant regular for Manly over the next three seasons. He then joined the Celtic Crusaders where he again averaged over 25 games a season for his three years before playing every game for London in 2012 winning Man of Steel. Mark is classified as a non-Quota Player and has a Federation Trained status exemption for the duration of his two year contract due to the RFL awarding a dispensation when the Crusaders were forced out by the RFL. He has just a 26.85% win record in European Super League but this does not reflect his ability. If Mark is still playing in the UK in 2014 he will have been here five years and thus gain non-Quota status.

11 Shane RODNEY (born 15/8/83 - Tamworth, Australia) Second Row

This 29 year old emerged at the Penrith Panthers in 2002 and played regularly between 2003 and 2005 where he played 62 games scoring 7 tries. But it took him a further five seasons to make just an additional 67 appearances at NRL level. He had surgery on his ankle, spine and two shoulder reconstructions. At Manly in 2009 he played 40 games in his first two seasons before knee and back problems saw him miss most of 2011 before he returned to end the season strongly. He was released whilst within contract to sign a three year deal with London Broncos lasting till 2014. His run of injuries in 2012 saw him play just 12 SL matches with a 16.67% win record and again on the operating table with a serious neck injury. It will be a big surprise if he features regularly in 2013 or 2014. He is classified as both a Quota Player and also Non-Federation Trained.

12 Chris BAILEY (born 5/7/82 - Inverell, Australia) Second Row or Loose Forward

This 30 year old played 75 games in the NRL for the Newcastle and Manly clubs scoring 17 tries and was a regular starter for Manly in both 2009 and 2010 during which time he made 46 appearances. Chris was offered a three year contract seeing him through to the end of the 2013 season and this meant Manly were kind enough to release him. Chris has played 52 times for London and Harlequins scoring 9 tries but has a win record of just 25.49% due to playing almost exclusively during the Powell era. This does not do justice to this excellent player who is nearly always available for selection and classified as both a Quota Player and also Non-Federation Trained.

13 Tony CLUBB (born 12/6/87 - Gravesend, Kent) Loose Forward, Prop or Centre

This 25 year old came through the Greenwich Admirals alongside Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Mike Worrincy. He has been loyal to the club which developed him and has played 143 games scoring 46 tries in his seven seasons for the club. Tony is on track in the long term to break the clubs appearance record but will need to sign a new deal in 2013 if that is to become a reality. However his loyalty will surely be tested once again in 2013 and Clubby will have a very difficult decision to make. His win record of just over 30% must surely be frustrating for a versatile international. He is classified as a non Quota Player and Club Trained.

14 Scott WHEELDON (born 23/2/1986 - Hull, England) Prop - Twitter

This 26 year old played 66 games for Hull FC scoring 6 tries between 2006 and 2008 and then played 77 games for Hull KR between 2009 and 2012 scoring 4 tries before being surprisingly released midseason. In 14 games for London he scored 3 tries and has a win % of 29 for London but a hugely impressive 50.32% win record during his career. Wheeldon signed a new two year deal in 2012 and is thus contracted for both the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He is classified as a non Quota Player and Federation Trained.

15 Michael CHANNING (born 23/2/1986 - Hull, England) Prop - Twitter

16 Chris MELLING(born 21/9/84 - Wigan) Utility player - Twitter

This 28 year old came through the Wigan club where he played 11 games at first team level scoring two tries between 2004 and 2006 with a career threatening injury curtailing his appearances. He has since played 143 games for the London club scoring 41 tries. Initially thought to be a replacement Hooker this one-cap Great Britain fullback in 2007 has played in a host of different positions including wing and centre but has regularly packed down in the forwards over the past few seasons. His win record of 34.27% do not really justify the hard work and contribution he has made. He is only signed up for 2013 and as a man with a young family he will likely be looking for security sooner rather than later. He is classified as a non Quota Player and Federation Trained.

17 Shane GRADY *new signing* (born 13/12/89 - Widnes, England) Utility - Twitter

This 22 year old came through amateur Rugby League as a fullback before singing for Widnes Vikings in 2008, playing 27 games, and scoring 14 tries from positions like centre and second row over the next couple of seasons. He then signed for Thirroul Butchers in the Illawarra Carlton League and play representative games for both the league and the NSW Country Origin side. He played 16 games for Thorroul Butchers in 2012 scoring 2 tries and kicking 30 goals for a total of 68 points. He was recommended to the club by former Broncos hooker Shane Millard. Supporters are perceiving this player as a Phil Bailey influenced signing given that Powell could not have scouted in the Australian minor leagues mid season. Grady is signed fo two years and is classified as a non Quota Player and Federation Trained.

18 Olsi KRASNIQ (born 28/6/82 - Tirana, Albania) Prop - Twitter

This 20 year old discoved by club legend Phil Jones has made 39 appearances in the past three seasons scoring two tries with a win record of 25.94%. Krasniqi has tended to be out of favour in the first half of each season but has then reappeared and played nearly every game in the second half of each of the 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons. He signed a three year contract in November 2011 so he is contracted for both the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He is classified as a non Quota Player and Club Trained

19 Dan SARGINSON (born 26/5/93 - Perth, Western Australia) Stand Off or Centre - - Twitter

This 19 year old played alongside Kieran Dixon at the Hemel Stags before breaking through into the London Academy set-up. He broke through into the squad in the second half of the 2011 season where he scored on debut against Gateshead Thunder and quickly followed up with several Super League tries. At present 2013 will be the last year of his contract as he is rumoured to have refused to sign a new deal for Rob Powell. In a relatively injury-stricken career to date he has made 27 career appearances in all competitions, scoring 11 tries. He has a win % of just 25.93 as he has been a standout player in poor sides.

20 Matt COOK (born 14/11/1986 - Warrington, England) Second Row or Centre - - Twitter

This 25 year old was in the London Broncos Academy as a teenager but an amazing financial offer for a 16 year old from Bradford Bulls was enough to lure him away. His early promise saw him represent England in the 2006 tournament at the Twickenham Stoop and he played 68 games for the Bulls between 2005 and 2009 scoring 6 tries plus had a short spell on loan at Castleford Tigers. He then signed for Hull KR as a second rower but the form of the two Super League Dream Teamers of Galea and Newton curtailed his appearances with just 28 games played but eight tries scored over a two year spell. He played 14 times for London in 2012 scoring 4 tries in what proved to be an injury stricken first campaign with a win % of 29.
He is contracted till the end of 2013 and is classified as a non Quota Player and Federation Trained at Bradford Bulls but if the club put forward a case he may be also classified as Club Trained due to being part of our scholarship program.

21 Kieran DIXON (born 22/8/92 - Hemel) Winger or Fullback - - Twitter

This 20 year old represented Hemel Stags before breaking through into the London Academy set-up where die-hard supporters who attended the Aldershot Military Stadium home games witnessed him regularly scoring length of the field tries. He signed a two year Super League contract in August 2011 and is contracted until the end of the 2013 season. He has made 22 appearances for London Broncos in the League scoring 10 tries and 3 appearances in the Challenge Cup scoring 4 tries. He has a career record win percentage of 28%. He is our current player of the year and was selected for the England Knights squad.

22 Will LOVELL (born 10/5/93 - around London) Centre or Second Row- Twitter

This 6'4" 19 year old has played ten times for the club, scoring three times and was a regular under Tony Rea playing 5 of the 7 games under his command. The club hold him in high regard as he made his debut away in Catalans and has played against the stronger sides like Warrington, Wigan, St Helens and Leeds rather than being saved for easier games. He is classified as a non Quota Player and Club Trained.

23 Tommy LEE *new signing* (born 1/2/88 - Hull, England) Hooker or Halfback - Twitter

This 24 year old came through the Hull FC system making 78 appearances between 2005 and 2009 and scoring 5 tries with a win record of 44.87%. He then played 12 times for Crusaders in 2010 and then every game for Wakefield in 2011 before joining Huddersfield Giants for 2012. He displaced England International Shaun Lunt from his Hooking spot and played 17 games but declined a new deal to sign for us on a two year deal. He has scored 14 tries in 134 games according to the Rugby League project and can play as a Hooker, which seems to be his best position, or a Half back. He is classified as a non Quota Player and Federation Trained at Hull FC.

24 Mike McMEEKEN (born 10/5/94 - around London) Centre or Second Row

This 6'5" 18 year old A-Level student has played three times for the club since being introduced to the first team by Tony Rea and gained wins v Warrington and Hull KR but lost to St Helens. His win record of 66.66% is one he will do well to preserve. He has been part of the England set up since 15 years old and could very well be the clubs young player of the year in 2013. He is classified as a non Quota Player and Club Trained.

25 Alex HURST (born 17/03/1990, Salford) Wing, Centre or Fullback - Twitter

This 21 year old played at the Salford City Reds and Warrington Wolves rugby league academies and additionally played rugby union with Premiership side Sale Sharks and Fylde and Sedgley Park. He played for both Rugby Union side Sedgley Park and Swinton Lions in 2010 before concentrating solely on Rugby League at Swinton Lions for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. According to 'Love Rugby League', Hurst was given the number #6 stand-off shirt in 2012 but made just seven starting appearances and one substitute appearance for Swinton and missed four months in mid season. He was apparently spotted by Tony Rea in the Alitalia European Cup playing for Scotland and London Broncos have stated that he is seen as a centre or fullback.

26 Ben FISHER (born 4th February 1981, New South Wales, Australia, Hooker - Twitter