Other names | Battle of Brisbane |
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Location |
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Teams |
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First meeting | Broncos 32 – 0 Crushers (31 March 1995) |
Latest meeting | Broncos 28 – 14 Dolphins (12 April 2024) |
Next meeting | 31 August 2024 |
Stadiums |
Suncorp Stadium The Gabba |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 3 |
Most wins | Broncos (3) |
Top scorer | Selwyn Cobbo (24) |
All-time series | Broncos: 3 wins Dolphins: 0 wins |
Largest victory | Broncos – 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]
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]
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]
Game | Home | Score | Away | Date | Venue | Crowd |
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1 |
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32–0 |
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31 March 1995 | QE II | 49,607 |
2 |
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8–28 |
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12 April 1996 | Lang Park | 34,263 |
Game | Home | Score | Away | Date | Round | Venue | Referee | Attendance | Battle Medal |
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1 |
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12–18 |
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24 March 2023 | Round 4 | Suncorp Stadium | Adam Gee | 51,047 |
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2 |
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24–16 |
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1 July 2023 | Round 18 | The Gabba | Peter Gough | 30,606 |
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3 |
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28–14 |
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12 April 2024 | Round 6 | Suncorp Stadium | Adam Gee | 46,224 |
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4 |
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31 August 2024 | Round 26 | Suncorp Stadium |