Battle for Brisbane (rugby league)
| Other names | Battle of Brisbane |
|---|---|
| Location |  Brisbane, Queensland |
| Teams |  Brisbane Broncos  Dolphins  South Queensland Crushers (former) |
| First meeting | Broncos 32 – 0 Crushers (31 March 1995) |
| Latest meeting | Dolphins 40 – 32 Broncos (8 August 2026) |
| Next meeting | 2027 |
| Stadiums | Suncorp Stadium The Gabba |
| Statistics | |
| Total meetings | 10 |
| Most wins | Broncos (8) |
| Top scorer | Jamayne Isaako (70) |
All-time series | Broncos: 8 wins Dolphins: 2 wins Crushers: 0 wins |
Largest victory | 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; 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]
| Game | Home | Score | Away | Date | Venue | Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane Broncos |
32–0 | South Queensland Crushers |
31 March 1995 | QE II | 49,607 |
| 2 | South Queensland Crushers |
8–28 | Brisbane Broncos |
12 April 1996 | Lang Park | 34,263 |
Records
Team
Most consecutive wins: 2 ( Broncos)
Biggest win: 32-0 ( Broncos)
Individual
Most points: 12 - Willie Carne ( Broncos)
Most Tries: 2 - Michael Hancock ( Broncos)
Most Goals: 4 - Julian O'Neill & Willie Carne ( Broncos)
Broncos vs Dolphins
It would take almost 27 years before the next battle for Brisbane when the Dolphins were introduced in 2023. Inaugural Broncos coach Wayne Bennett returned to Queensland as the Phins first coach and led them into their first battle with an undefeated record. Featuring 7 former Broncos the Dolphins ultimately went down 18-12. Kotoni Staggs scored the match sealer in the 77th minute and celebrated by pointing to the turf while screaming "Our f***ing home!".[9]
The next battle would be held at the Gabba due to the 2023 Womens World Cup where the Broncos won again 24-16, Selwyn Cobbo scoring the rivalries first hat-trick. Cobbo then became the first back to back Battle Medalist with another man of the match performance in 2024 when Brisbane won 28-14 in Round 6.
It took until the fourth edition for the Dolphins to register their first win, running away with a record 34 point margin and all but ending the Broncos chances of playing finals in 2024. Former Bronco Herbie Farnworth won man of the match with two tries.
However Brisbane sought revenge in 2025, winning both battles on their way to an NRL Premiership before beating the Dolphins again in Round 4, 2026. The men from Redcliffe regrouped to win their second battle later in 2026, coming back from 24 points down to win 40-32, inflicting the Broncos worst ever collapse and sealing their first finals appearance.
| Game | Home | Score | Away | Date | Round | Venue | Referee | Attendance | Battle Medal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dolphins |
12–18 | Brisbane Broncos |
24 March 2023 | Round 4 | Suncorp Stadium | Adam Gee | 51,047 | Payne Haas[10] |
| 2 | Brisbane Broncos |
24–16 | Dolphins |
1 July 2023 | Round 18 | The Gabba | Peter Gough | 30,606 | Selwyn Cobbo[11] |
| 3 | Brisbane Broncos |
28–14 | Dolphins |
12 April 2024 | Round 6 | Suncorp Stadium | Adam Gee | 46,224 | Selwyn Cobbo[12] |
| 4 | Dolphins |
40–6 | Brisbane Broncos |
31 August 2024 | Round 26 | Suncorp Stadium | Adam Gee | 50,049 | Herbie Farnworth[13] |
| 5 | Dolphins |
12–20 | Brisbane Broncos |
28 March 2025 | Round 4 | Suncorp Stadium | Gerard Sutton | 44,278 | Gehamat Shibasaki[14] |
| 6 | Brisbane Broncos |
38–28 | Dolphins |
16 August 2025 | Round 24 | Suncorp Stadium | Wyatt Raymond | 44,350 | Reece Walsh[15] |
| 7 | Brisbane Broncos |
26–12 | Dolphins |
27 March 2026 | Round 4 | Suncorp Stadium | Ashley Klein | 45,882 | Pat Carrigan[16] |
| 8 | Dolphins |
40–32 | Brisbane Broncos |
8 August 2026 | Round 23 | Suncorp Stadium | Todd Smith | 50,188 | Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow |
Records
Team
Most consecutive wins: 3 ( Broncos)
Biggest win: 40-6 ( Dolphins)
Biggest comeback win: 24 points ( Dolphins: Round 23 2026, trailed 24-nil - won 40-32)
Individual
Most points: 70 - Jamayne Isaako ( Dolphins)
Most Tries: 7 - Selwyn Cobbo ( Broncos & Dolphins)
Most Goals: 27 - Jamayne Isaako ( Dolphins)
Most points in a single game: 18 - Reece Walsh (Round 24, 2025) ( Broncos)
Most Appearances: 8 - Jamayne Isaako ( Dolphins) & Kotoni Staggs ( Broncos)
Most Battle Medals: 2 - Selwyn Cobbo ( Broncos)
Players who have played on both sides of the battle
-Herbie Farnworth (2: Broncos, 4: Dolphins)
-Selwyn Cobbo (5: Broncos, 2: Dolphins)
-Thomas Flegler (1: Broncos, 2: Dolphins)
-Aublix Tawha (1 : Dolphins , 1: Broncos)
See also
References
- ↑ Walter, Brad (24 March 2023). "'We are the Broncos': Scene set for Battle of Brisbane". NRL.com. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
- ↑ "The Battle for Brisbane". dolphinsnrl.com.au. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
- ↑ Crockford, Nick (24 March 2023). "Medal battle in Dolphins-Broncos blockbuster". moretondaily.com.au. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
- ↑ "Battle medal unveiled". dolphinsnrl.com.au. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
- 1 2 Middleton, David, ed. (1996). Rugby League 1996. Surrey Hills: Harper Sports. pp. 87–89. ISBN 0732256720.
- ↑ "South Queensland Crushers results". Rugby League Tables. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
- 1 2 Middleton, David, ed. (1997). Rugby League 1997. Sydney: Harper Sports. pp. 62–63. ISBN 0732257875.
- ↑ Alan Whiticker; Ian Collis (2004). The History of Rugby League Clubs. New Holland Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd. ISBN 1741100755.
- ↑ "Staggs special seals memorable Broncos win over Dolphins". National Rugby League. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Hat trick hero Cobbo ignites Broncos' win over Dolphins". espn.com.au. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ↑ Edwards, Colleen (13 April 2024). "Pearls of wisdom help guide Cobbo along a new path". NRL.com. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ↑ "Farnworth on fire as he claims 'The Battle' Medal". dolphinsnrl.com. 1 September 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ↑ "From the field: Gehamat Shibasaki". nrl.com. 28 March 2025. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
- ↑ "Walsh inspires Broncos comeback to sink Dolphins". msn.com. 16 August 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
- ↑ Mee, Cameron (27 March 2026). "As it happened: Broncos top Dolphins; Wests Tigers stun Warriors". nrl.com. Retrieved 28 March 2026.