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Live sport on SN this weekendWhy the London Broncos are confident they'll sign NRL stars
Sam Kosack • January 23rd, 2026 4:57 pm
London Broncos co-owner Grant Wechsel believes his club will be able to sign top NRL talent after the positive reception from Kangaroos’ players on the Ashes tour.
Following Australia’s Ashes tour of England, which they won 3-0, several players have identified a move to England at the end of their careers as an appealing prospect, with the London Broncos determined to secure a number of the NRL’s biggest stars.
Cameron Munster was one player to reveal he’d be interested in a Super League stint at the end of his career, saying “It’s a great spectacle over here in England, and I’d love to come over here and play.
“I love the way the English go about their footy, I love the grind… obviously, it’s a bit unfortunate that the London Broncos couldn’t get in the Super League this year, but I’m sure they’ll be knocking down the door.”
The London Broncos have already made moves in the NRL transfer market in their bid to return to the Super League.
245-game veteran Reagan Campbell-Gillard is their biggest name to join, while Siliva Havili and Dean Hawkins also joined the club this season and boast NRL experience.
Led by former Rabbitohs’ coach Jason Demetriou and part-owned by Broncos’ legend Darren Lockyer, the Broncos are determined to restore London to a powerhouse of rugby league and expect to have the NRL talent to do so.
“When the Kangaroos were here, a lot of the boys were actually really up-and-about about coming to London at some point," Wechsel told Sky Sports UK.
“They loved being in London, but even with Reagan Campbell Gillard, so far, he's been reporting back to different players about how much he's enjoying it.
“I think it's like, if we're successful this year on the field, and we go up and the people we've had come here speak highly about it, there's going to be a lot of interest.
“I think (players’ families) will love to come to London and you can go to Europe and travel.
There's a lot of attraction out of a city like this.”
There's a lot of attraction out of a city like this.”
However, to reach their lofty goals, Darren Lockyer identified the problem the English Super League must rectify to attract star NRL players, particularly while they’re still in their prime.
The total salary cap of an NRL club in 2026 is $11.8 million, which will rise to $12.1 million by 2027.
That’s compared to the salary cap of an English Super League club which is £2.1 million, or roughly $4.1 million AUD.
“I guess one of the challenges (is)... we need to find ways to create more revenue because the players' wages in Australia just continue to go up and up,” Lockyer said.
“They give us some insight into what a player like Cam Munster or Reece Walsh is getting paid.
“In pounds it'd be around 700-to-750 (thousand) pounds… and those numbers are just going to keep going up.
“20 years ago, there were a lot of players that would come over here at the back end of their career because… it was obviously the experience of travelling, but the money was significant.
“I mean our top players, I think probably 350 (thousand pounds) is kind of the benchmark of top talent here.
“I think that part is how do you bring more revenue into the game so you can pay your players more but also give the clubs more money so they can reinvest it back into the grassroots and the club.”
London won their opening game of the Championship 44-12 over the Widnes Vikings.
