Battle for Brisbane (rugby league)

Last updated

Battle for Brisbane
Other namesBattle of Brisbane
Location Flag of Queensland.svg Brisbane, Queensland
Teams Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos
Dolphins colours.png Dolphins
South Queensland colours.svg South Queensland Crushers (former)
First meetingBroncos 32 – 0 Crushers
(31 March 1995)
Latest meetingBroncos 28 – 14 Dolphins
(12 April 2024)
Next meeting31 August 2024
Stadiums Suncorp Stadium
The Gabba
Statistics
Meetings total3
Most winsBroncos (3)
Top scorer Selwyn Cobbo (24)
All-time seriesBroncos: 3 wins
Dolphins: 0 wins
Largest victoryBroncos – 14 points
(12 April 2023)

The rugby league Battle for Brisbane is the name for the series of matches between the professional rugby league clubs in Brisbane. [1]

Contents

The original series was between the Brisbane Broncos and the South Queensland Crushers during the ARL competition in the mid-1990s. The Brisbane Broncos won both encounters.

In 2023, the new Dolphins franchise re-ignited the series, [2] with the teams striking a new Battle Medal as the player of the match award, as decided by prominent rugby league commentators. [3] [4]

Results

Broncos vs Crushers

The Brisbane Broncos would meet the South Queensland Crushers just twice in the then ARL-controlled competition. The first meeting at Brisbane's ANZ Stadium came on the night the Super League war broke out in 1995. [5] The long-awaited clash between Brisbane's two teams ended up a bit of a non-event, with the Broncos having a glut of possession to race out to an early 12–0 lead, extending it further in the second half. [5] The Crushers lack of penetration in attack was their ultimate downfall, as they were held scoreless in just their fourth competition fixture. [6]

The second match between the teams came over a year later in the 1996 ARL season, with the Broncos again winners, in front of a then competition record crowd of 34,263 at Suncorp Stadium. [7] The Crushers would take an 8–6 lead into halftime, before the Broncos overwhelmed the Crushers in the final ten minutes with three tries. [7]

Due to the split caused by the Super League war, the two teams would not meet again before the Crushers' ultimate demise in December 1997. [8]

GameHomeScoreAwayDateVenueCrowd
1 Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos 32–0 South Queensland colours.svg South Queensland Crushers 31 March 1995 QE II 49,607
2 South Queensland colours.svg South Queensland Crushers 8–28 Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos 12 April 1996 Lang Park 34,263

Broncos vs Dolphins

GameHomeScoreAwayDateRoundVenueRefereeAttendanceBattle Medal
1 Dolphins colours.png Dolphins 12–18 Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos 24 March 2023Round 4 Suncorp Stadium Adam Gee 51,047 Brisbane colours.svg Payne Haas [9]
2 Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos 24–16 Dolphins colours.png Dolphins 1 July 2023Round 18 The Gabba Peter Gough30,606 Brisbane colours.svg Selwyn Cobbo [10]
3 Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos 28–14 Dolphins colours.png Dolphins 12 April 2024Round 6 Suncorp Stadium Adam Gee 46,224 Brisbane colours.svg Selwyn Cobbo [11]
4 Dolphins colours.png Dolphins Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos 31 August 2024Round 26 Suncorp Stadium

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Walter, Brad (24 March 2023). "'We are the Broncos': Scene set for Battle of Brisbane". NRL.com. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "The Battle for Brisbane". dolphinsnrl.com.au. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  3. ↑ Crockford, Nick (24 March 2023). "Medal battle in Dolphins-Broncos blockbuster". moretondaily.com.au. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  4. ↑ "Battle medal unveiled". dolphinsnrl.com.au. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  5. 1 2 Middleton, David, ed. (1996). Rugby League 1996. Surrey Hills: Harper Sports. pp. 87–89. ISBN   0732256720.
  6. ↑ "South Queensland Crushers results". Rugby League Tables. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  7. 1 2 Middleton, David, ed. (1997). Rugby League 1997. Sydney: Harper Sports. pp. 62–63. ISBN   0732257875.
  8. ↑ Alan Whiticker; Ian Collis (2004). The History of Rugby League Clubs. New Holland Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd. ISBN   1741100755.
  9. ↑ Gates, Zachary (24 March 2023). "Friday night NRL AS IT HAPPENED: Kotoni Staggs wins derby thriller, hits Dolphins with screaming message; Payne Haas wins inaugural 'Battle Medal'". Nine's Wide World of Sport. Nine Media. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "Hat trick hero Cobbo ignites Broncos' win over Dolphins". espn.com.au. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  11. ↑ Edwards, Colleen (13 April 2024). "Pearls of wisdom help guide Cobbo along a new path". NRL.com. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
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