History of the Brisbane Broncos facts for kids

The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club started in the mid-1980s. They joined the NSWRL's Winfield Cup competition in 1988. The Broncos surprised everyone by winning their first six games! They played in the finals for 18 years in a row, from 1992 to 2009. The team won six championships: in 1992, 1993 (NSWRL), 1997 (Super League), and 1998, 2000, and 2006 (National Rugby League).

Starting the Team (1980s)

Brisbane had its own rugby league clubs since 1909. But the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership wanted to grow. In the 1980s, they decided to add teams from outside Sydney. This started in 1982 with the Canberra Raiders and Illawarra Steelers.

Brisbane first tried to join the NSWRL in 1986. However, the NSWRL chose Newcastle instead. They worried about the high cost of flights to Brisbane.

The VFL (now AFL) also planned to expand. They added the Brisbane Bears in 1986. This made the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) and NSWRL act fast. QRL officials wanted a NSWRL team to compete with the VFL.

The NSWRL then decided to add three new teams. These were the Newcastle Knights, Gold Coast-Tweed Giants, and a Brisbane team. A special rule meant only the Broncos could play in South-East Queensland. This made the Broncos the first and only Queensland club in the league.

Queensland's success in the State of Origin series helped their bid. The QRL chose a plan from former players Barry Maranta and Paul "Porky" Morgan. The new Brisbane Broncos had to pay a $500,000 fee to join.

The club thought about names like Bulls and Bombers. They finally chose the name Broncos. John Ribot became the club's first chief executive. As the Broncos grew, interest in the local Brisbane Rugby League (BRL) competition went down.

The Brisbane Broncos played their first game in the 1988 Winfield Cup. The team had Australian Kangaroos captain Wally Lewis. He was the first player to sign and the first Broncos captain. Most players on this team later played in the Rugby League State of Origin. Wayne Bennett was the first coach. He stayed for 21 years!

On March 6, 1988, the Broncos beat the 1987 champions Manly-Warringah 44–10. This was at Lang Park in Brisbane. The Broncos won their first six games. But a slump in the middle of the season meant they missed the finals. They finished seventh.

In their second year (1989), the Broncos won their first trophy. They won the mid-week Panasonic Cup. They beat the Illawarra Steelers 22–20 in the final. The club finished sixth in the 1989 season. They just missed the finals after losing a play-off game.

Success and Challenges (1990s)

In 1990, coach Wayne Bennett made a big change. He removed Wally Lewis as captain. He gave the role to Gene Miles. Brisbane finished second in the regular season. They reached their first finals series. They lost to the Canberra Raiders in the Preliminary Final. At the end of the season, Wally Lewis left the Broncos.

In 1991, the Broncos won the pre-season 1991 Panasonic Cup again. They were kept scoreless for the first time by Manly-Warringah. The club finished seventh, missing the finals.

After Gene Miles retired, Allan Langer became captain for the 1992 season. The Broncos were at the top of the ladder for most of the year. They lost only four games. They won their first minor premiership. Captain Langer also won the Rothmans Medal. In their first Grand Final, the Broncos beat the St. George Dragons 28–8. The Winfield Cup came to Queensland for the first time! A month later, the Broncos beat British champions Wigan 22–8 in the 1992 World Club Challenge. No Australian club had won in England before.

For the 1993 season, the Broncos moved to ANZ Stadium. This stadium was much bigger. The club lost two of its first three games. But they bounced back, beating the Balmain Tigers 50-0. This was their biggest win margin at the time. The Broncos finished fifth. They had to win four straight games to defend their title. They beat Manly, Canberra, and Canterbury. In the Grand Final, they beat the Dragons again, 14–6. This was special because no team finishing fifth had won the competition before.

Moving to ANZ Stadium helped attendance. The average home crowd jumped from 21,687 in 1992 to 43,200 in 1993. This was a huge increase.

In 1994, the Brisbane Broncos club bought the London Crusaders. They renamed them 'London Broncos'. The 1994 season started well for Brisbane. They reached the final of the Tooheys Challenge Cup. But they lost to the South Sydney Rabbitohs. The Broncos then had a bad start to the season. They struggled to win games. They also lost the 1994 World Club Challenge to Wigan. The Broncos made the finals but lost to North Sydney.

Before the 1995 season, the Broncos started legal action. This was about salary cap rules. The Super League War had begun. The team wanted to do better after 1994. They won their first seven matches. But then they lost four games in five weeks. They finished the regular season by winning their last six games. However, they lost in the finals to Canberra and Canterbury. An injury to Allan Langer hurt their chances. But a new young player, Darren Lockyer, joined the team. He was named rookie of the year.

In 1996, the Broncos had another losing streak mid-season. But they recovered to finish second. Captain Alfie Langer won the Dally M Medal for best player. But the Broncos lost in the finals again. At the end of 1996, some key players left the club.

The Brisbane Broncos were involved in the Super League war from the start. The Super League competition began in 1997. The Broncos won their first seven matches again. They won their second minor premiership. In the Major Semi-Final, they beat Cronulla. They moved into their first home Grand Final. The Broncos beat the Sharks 26–8 for their third premiership. Almost 60,000 fans watched. After this, the Broncos also won the 1997 World Club Championship.

In 1998, the National Rugby League (NRL) was formed. This was after the Australian Rugby League and Super League merged. Brisbane started the 1998 season strongly. They won five of their first five games. They had huge wins by 54 points. They finished the regular season undefeated. After winning the minor premiership, they had a week off. They lost their first finals match to Parramatta. But they bounced back against the Melbourne Storm. They had a huge win over Sydney City in the preliminary final. In the first NRL Grand Final, the Broncos beat Canterbury 38–12. They won their fourth premiership in seven seasons. Darren Smith was the league's top try-scorer.

In 1999, the Toowoomba Clydesdales became a feeder club for the Broncos. The 1999 season saw Allan Langer leave the club. Kevin Walters became captain. The team had a bad start. But they made an amazing comeback. They won 11 games in a row. They made the finals in eighth place. But they lost easily to the Cronulla Sharks.

New Millennium (2000s)

In 2000, Brisbane was in first place from round four. Veteran winger Michael Hancock and captain Kevin Walters played their last seasons. They helped the Broncos win the last daytime Grand Final. They beat the Sydney Roosters 14–6. It was the club's fifth premiership in nine seasons.

Walters left the Broncos at the end of 2000. Gorden Tallis became captain. In 2001, the Broncos struggled to win many games in a row. They lost six games in a row. This was their worst losing streak at the time. But they finished fifth and reached the preliminary final. They lost to Parramatta.

The 2002 season saw Allan Langer return to the team. This was also the start of Brisbane's "post-Origin slump." Many Broncos players play for Queensland in the State of Origin. This extra work often made the club lose form. The Broncos finished third in 2002. But they lost in the Preliminary Final to the Sydney City Roosters.

In 2003, Shane Edwards was replaced by Bruno Cullen as CEO. The Broncos started 2003 well. They won 11 of their first 14 games. But they then lost their last 8 games in a row. This was their longest losing streak ever. Brisbane still made the finals in eighth place. But they lost to the Penrith Panthers. 2003 was the first time the Broncos lost more games than they won.

In 2003, the Rugby Union World Cup was in Australia. Three former Broncos players played in the top teams. Lote Tuquri and Wendell Sailor played for Australia. Brad Thorn played for New Zealand. All three had played in the Broncos' 2000 premiership team.

Brisbane vs Bulldogs, Round 23, 2004

The 2004 season was Darren Lockyer's first as a five-eighth. Brisbane started 2004 by winning their first game since 2003. But they lost their next game to the Parramatta Eels. They then won five games in a row. In Round 10, the Broncos and Newcastle Knights played the first ever golden point match on free TV. Newcastle won 17–16.

The 2004 Finals Series was captain Gorden Tallis' last match. The Broncos lost to the North Queensland Cowboys 10–0. This was the first time the Broncos had lost to the Cowboys.

After Tallis retired, Darren Lockyer became captain. In 2005, the Broncos got revenge on the Cowboys. But the Melbourne Storm gave the Broncos their biggest defeat ever, 50–4. It was the first time they had given up 50 points. The next week, Brisbane scored 54 points against Parramatta. From Round 5 to Round 15, Brisbane won 10 games straight. But then they lost 7 games in a row. This was their second longest losing streak.

The Broncos did not start their 2006 season well. They lost to the North Queensland Cowboys 36–4. This was their eighth loss in a row. It tied their longest losing streak from 2003. In Round 2, the Broncos got their first win. They beat the Cronulla Sharks 16–12. Brisbane had a strong first half of the season. They won 11 of their first 17 games. In Round 8, Brisbane made their biggest comeback ever. They came back from 18–0 down to win 30–28 against the Canberra Raiders.

After the 2006 State of Origin series, Brisbane had another "Post-Origin Slump." They lost 5 games in a row. But strong games against Melbourne Storm and Canterbury Bulldogs helped them recover. They beat the Parramatta Eels 23–0 and the New Zealand Warriors 36–12.

Brisbane went into the finals with great momentum. But they lost to the St George Illawarra Dragons 20–4. Brisbane bounced back in the semi-final. They beat the Newcastle Knights 50–6. Captain Darren Lockyer became the club's highest ever point-scorer. After being down 20–6 at half time, the Broncos came back to beat the Bulldogs 37–20. This earned them a spot in the 2006 NRL Grand Final.

2006 NRL Grand Final

It was the Broncos' sixth Grand Final. They played the Melbourne Storm. Brisbane won the game 15–8. This was a great farewell for prop Shane Webcke, who retired. The win meant the Broncos kept their perfect record in Grand Finals. Wayne Bennett became the most successful coach, winning 6 out of 6 Grand Finals.

In December 2006, the Toowoomba Clydesdales stopped being the Broncos' feeder club. The Aspley Broncos became the new feeder team.

In February 2007, the Broncos played against Super League champions St. Helens. St. Helens won 18–14. The Broncos had a poor start to the 2007 NRL season. Captain Darren Lockyer was injured. Brisbane lost their first three games in a row. This was the first time since 1999. They got their first win against the Sydney Roosters.

In Round 11, Brisbane was at the bottom of the ladder. But they then had their biggest win ever. They beat the Newcastle Knights 71–6. This was also the Knights' biggest loss. Coach Wayne Bennett gave the players time off. This helped the team win five games in a row. However, Lockyer tore his knee ligament. This ruled him out for the rest of the season. Other key players were also injured. Brisbane won only two of their last eight games.

In the final round of 2007, the Broncos lost 68–22 to Parramatta. This was their worst defeat ever. But the club still finished eighth. They made the finals for the sixteenth year in a row. However, they lost to the Melbourne Storm 40–0 in their last game. In 2007, the Broncos lost more games than they won for only the second time.

In October 2007, the club ended the contracts of Ian Lacey and John Te Reo. This was after they were involved in an assault.

The Broncos had a strong start to their 21st season in 2008. They beat the Penrith Panthers 48–12. Corey Parker kicked 10 goals from 10 attempts. The Broncos won their first two games. They were in first place until Round 6.

In 2008, the Broncos signed teenage star Israel Folau. Coach Wayne Bennett and several key players left the club. In mid-2008, Ivan Henjak was named the Broncos' second ever coach. He took over from Bennett in 2009. Star fullback Karmichael Hunt announced he would switch to Australian rules football in 2011. The Broncos reached the Preliminary Final in 2009. They lost to the Melbourne Storm.

Recent Years (2010s)

In 2010, Broncos captain Darren Lockyer played his 329th game for Brisbane. This was a record for most games with one club. The Broncos' amazing run of 18 straight finals appearances ended in 2010. They lost to the Canberra Raiders in the last round. This meant they missed the finals for the first time since 1991. All their premierships came during that 18-year period.

In 2011, the Brisbane Broncos had a new coach. Their defense was very strong. They won 6 of their first 7 matches. This put them at the top of the ladder.

A 2013 report said the Brisbane Broncos had the highest brand value of any Australian sports brand.

The 2015 Grand Final against the North Queensland Cowboys was very exciting. It went into Golden Point overtime for the first time. Jonathan Thurston kicked a field goal to win the match for the Cowboys, 17–16.

As of 2017, the Broncos are in their longest premiership drought. They have not won a premiership since 2006.

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