Battle for Brisbane | |
Other Names: | Battle of Brisbane |
City Or Region: | Brisbane, Queensland |
First Contested: | (31 March 1995) |
Teams Involved: | |
Most Wins: | Broncos (3) |
Top Scorer: | Jamayne Isaako (30) |
Mostrecent: | (31 August 2024) |
Nextmeeting: | TBD |
Total: | 4 |
Series: | Broncos: 3 wins Dolphins: 1 wins |
Largestvictory: | Dolphins - 34 points (31 August 2024) |
The rugby league Battle for Brisbane is the name for the series of matches between the professional rugby league clubs in Brisbane.[1]
The original series was between the Brisbane Broncos and the South Queensland Crushers during the ARL competition in the mid-1990s, with 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]
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]
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width=2% | Game | width=25% | Home | width=4% | Score | width=25% | Away | width=14% | Date | width=20% | Venue | width=10% | Crowd |
1 | align=left | Brisbane Broncos | 32–0 | align=left | South Queensland Crushers | QE II | 49,607 | ||||||
2 | align=left | South Queensland Crushers | 8–28 | align=left | Brisbane Broncos | Lang Park | 34,263 | ||||||
Game | Home | Score | Away | Date | Round | Venue | Referee | Attendance | Battle Medal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dolphins | 12–18 | Brisbane Broncos | Round 4 | Suncorp Stadium | Adam Gee | 51,047 | Payne Haas[9] | ||
2 | Brisbane Broncos | 24–16 | Dolphins | 1 July 2023 | Round 18 | The Gabba | Peter Gough | 30,606 | Selwyn Cobbo[10] | |
3 | Brisbane Broncos | 28–14 | Dolphins | 12 April 2024 | Round 6 | Suncorp Stadium | Adam Gee | 46,224 | Selwyn Cobbo[11] | |
4 | Dolphins | 40–6 | Brisbane Broncos | 31 August 2024 | Round 26 | Suncorp Stadium | Adam Gee | 50,049 | Herbie Farnworth[12] |