WHO HAS PLAYED FOR BOTH: Oldham RLFC & London Broncos
Jake Watson • 21 March 2025
WHO HAS PLAYED FOR BOTH: Oldham RLFC & London Broncos
London Broncos renew rivalries in league action with Oldham for the first time since 2021 on Sunday and it is a fixture that has been relatively sporadic in recent years due to playing in different divisions. In fact the sides have met just 10 times since 1997!
In the Oldham team this season is a couple of former Broncos in Keiran Dixon and Josh Drinkwater but who else has played for both sides? We have picked out some notable players below and if you scroll to the bottom there are some extra ones picked out.
Hussein M’Barki, winger, 150 games for London (2 spells 1981–91), 59 games for Oldham, 1985–87
What better place to start than with a London Broncos Hall of Famer Hussein M’Barki. The winger is 8th all time for appearances and tied 6th for tries scored and was the first ever player inducted into the clubs Hall of Fame in 2014. The Moroccan was a prolific scorer during his two spells with the club but never quite replicated the same success at his other clubs. M’Barki played for Oldham for two years between 1985 and 87 playing 60 times scoring 12 tries.
Titus Gwaze, prop, 18 for Oldham 2019–20, 20 for London 2021
A player that we will likely come up against this season as he is signed with Sheffield Eagles but the 25-year-old prop has also played for both London and Oldham. The Zimbabwean came through the system at Wakefield where he would make his Super League debut but during his time with the club he would go on loan to Oldham twice. Gwaze would spend one season in London in 2021 where he would play 20 times and score three tries during the Championship season.
Josh Drinkwater, SH, London 2014, currently with Oldham
The Australian was a big name recruit for Oldham in the off-season but it was in fact London where he would play on English soil for the first time. Brought to London in 2014 from St George Illawarra Dragons, Drinkwater would enjoy a good year playing 25 times and scoring 136 points. After the solitary season Drinkwater would move back to Australian briefly with West Tigers before returning to England with Leigh Centurions. Prior to moving to Oldham ahead of this season he has also played for Catalans, Hull KR and Warrington.
Kieran Dixon, Fullback, 136 games for London Broncos across two spells, currently with Oldham
Hackney born Dixon is a product of the clubs academy and ranks third all time for tries scored with 97 and 5th for goals with 190. Dixon would play for Broncos across two spells before leaving to join York in 2021. This followed a nomadic spell in his career moving from York to Leigh with a couple of loan spells before settling at Widnes where he would stay for 18 months. The 32-year-old joined then League One Oldham at the back end of the 2024 season to help secure promotion and remains a key part of Sean Long’s side.
Other players to have played for both; Adrian Alexander, Richard Blackman, James Greenwood, Pat Moran, Darren Shaw, Paul Stevens and Harvey Makin
IT'S GAMEWEEK!! London Broncos return to The Cherry Red Records on Sunday for the first time since the game with Widnes Vikings on May 31st. Mike Eccles side now have four remaining home league games in Wimbledon and are calling on the support of our fantastic supporters to help us finish the season strongly. Hospitality tickets for the 'Legends Lounge' & 'Broncos Bar' can be purchased from the link below.
HIGHLIGHTS: Featherstone Rovers vs London Broncos London Broncos travelled up to Featherstone Rovers in a Championship fixture between two of the in-form sides in the division. To watch back full extended highlights of the game watch the video below or head to our YouTube channel to watch the full game back.
EMILIA'S BIG DAY It's not long now until we welcome Emilia and DKMS to The Cherry Red Records Stadium for her big day! - London Broncos will host ‘Emilia’s Big Day’ to celebrate young cancer survivor whose life was saved by a stem cell donor. - Supporters can join the stem cell donor register with a simple mouth swab - This is part of a partnership with DKMS : inspired by lifelong rugby league fan whose baby son needed a stem cell transplant. ‘Emilia’s Big Day’ is a major peak in a partnership between Broncos and DKMS, which encourages rugby fans to become potential lifesavers by joining the stem cell donor register. Emilia Mackay, 7, was just 5 years old when she was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia, a rare and life-threatening blood disorder, and required weekly blood and platelet transfusions just to survive. Doctors said that she needed a stem cell transplant, but unfortunately, no one in her family was a match, so a global search began to find a stranger who could save her life. Emilia’s dad, James Mackay, says, “As a parent, my child being diagnosed with such a serious illness was my worst nightmare. When we knew that Emilia’s future would rely on someone from the stem cell donor register, it was terrifying.” Fortunately for Emilia, a stranger in Germany had signed up to the DKMS donor register and was identified as a match. They agreed to donate their stem cells, which were then flown to the UK before being quickly transferred to the hospital where Emilia was being cared for. Emilia is now in remission, and since her transplant at the end of 2023, she has been thriving. James says, “Emilia’s donor changed everything for us. It’s obviously very emotional; the kindness of a random stranger means that my daughter has been given another chance at life. We’re so happy that she is well enough to do the things she loves, and that we can attend rugby games as a family. We are so excited for the event with Broncos and DKMS -- we won’t just be celebrating Emilia, we’ll also be adding more people to the register so that more patients like her can get a second chance at life”.
MATCH GALLERY: Featherstone Rovers vs London Broncos It was a frustrating afternoon as the Broncos were beaten by Featherstone Roves at the Millennium Stadium. Marcus Stock and Alex Walker had given the Broncos the lead at half-time but Rovers proved too strong in the second half running out eventual 36-18 winners. #WeAreLondon
POST-MATCH REACTION: Eccles reacts to Featherstone defeat London Broncos head coach Mike Eccles bemoaned a lack of experience and getting some tough officiating calls as they went down 36-18 to Featherstone Rovers. The Broncos had led 12-4 at the break but the home side used the hill to their advantage in the second half and proved too strong. Watch the full interview with Mike below. #WeAreLondon
TEAM NEWS: Featherstone Rovers vs London Broncos Here is your starting line-up for this afternoon's Round 19 Championship fixture with Featherstone Rovers at the Millennium Stadium. There is just one change to the starting 13 that beat Sheffield Eagles last week as Aaron Small comes in for Louix Gorman. Dan Okoro is named as an interchange after joining from Warrington Wolves on loan. #WeAreLondon
MATCH PREVIEW: Featherstone Rovers vs London Broncos We move into Round 19 of the Championship season on Sunday with another away trip as this week we head to Featherstone Rovers. This will be the third time the two sides have met this season after Broncos won the home league game before Rovers were to take the win in the 1895 Cup Quarter Final. Mike Eccles side will come into the game in good form having won 48-6 at the weekend against Sheffield and now three wins from the last four games. SQUAD INFO Mike Eccles has named his 21-man squad to head to Featherstone Rovers in this weekend’s Round 19 Championship clash. The Broncos come into the game in good form having won 3 of the last 4 league games and will be looking to close the gap on the hosts who currently sit above them in the table. There are only two changes to the 21 that beat Sheffield Eagles last week Huw Worthington is unavailable after failing his HIA last weekend. Meanwhile, Dan Okoro, who has joined on loan from Warrington Wolves, replaces Louix Gorman who is unavailable from Hull KR this weekend.
SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: Featherstone Rovers vs London Broncos Mike Eccles has named his 21-man squad to head to Featherstone Rovers in this weekend’s Round 19 Championship clash. The Broncos come into the game in good form having won 3 of the last 4 league games and will be looking to close the gap on the hosts who currently sit above them in the table. There is only two change to the 21 that beat Sheffield Eagles last week Huw Worthington is unavailable after failing his HIA last weekend. Meanwhile, Dan Okoro, who has joined on loan from Warrington Wolves, replaces Louix Gorman who is unavailable from Hull KR this weekend.
INTERVIEW: Dan Okoro joins on loan Warrington Wolves prop Dan Okoro has joined the club on loan until the end of the season and believes the club is a good fit for him as he looks to gain some all important game-time. The 22-year-old Hull KR academy product has had numerous stints on loan in the Championship, particularly impressing whilst at Bradford which earned him his move to Warrington. Watch the full interview with Dan below.
INTERVIEW: Brandon Webster-Mansfield London Broncos media caught up with in-form centre Brandon Webster-Mansfield ahead of Sunday's trip to Featherstone Rovers. The 23-year-old Aussie has made an instant impact since joining the club and has been named in the most recent Rugby League World Team of The Month. Watch the full interview below plus keep scrolling to watch some of his highlights as he promises "there is more to come."
