The Future League explores the NRL North conference’s oldest rivalry.

They both entered the competition in 1988; they both won their first premierships in the 90s; and for a period of time around the turn of the century, they were the benchmarks of the NRL. The rivalry between the Brisbane Broncos and the Newcastle Knights is in its 27th year with no end in sight.

Both the Broncos and the Knights entered the competition in 1988, but it wasn’t until the late 90s that their rivalry reached its peak. After they won premierships in 1997 (the Knights with the Australian Rugby League, the Broncos with Super League), the two sides entered the newly-created NRL as the juggernauts of the competition. The Broncos won the premiership in 1998 and 2000; the Knights claimed a grand final victory in 2001.

During that time, both the Broncos and the Knights had some of the world’s best players of the time in their ranks. Allan Langer, Darren Lockyer, Gorden Tallis, Wendell Sailor, Adam MacDougall, Ben Kennedy, and the eighth immortal himself, Andrew Johns, played an influential role in the opening years of the NRL. Not only that, but they helped turn clashes between the Broncos and the Knights into highlights of the season. Who can forget the running battles between opposing wingers Sailor and MacDougall?

While the Knights found themselves drifting down the ladder after the retirement of Johns, the Broncos didn’t lose their aura until after their legendary skipper Lockyer hung up his boots in 2011. It has meant clashes between these two sides do not draw the level of attention that this epic rivalry should.

Nowadays, the rivalry has also developed through off-field narratives. The Broncos’ legendary coach Wayne Bennett has returned to Red Hill in 2015 after three seasons at Newcastle. In doing so, Clive Churchill-winning fullback Darius Boyd also moved north from the Hunter.

But this rivalry will always be renowned for the epic contests between them from the turn of the Millenia – and it should never be forgotten. It should be continually celebrated that both the Broncos and the Knights brought a level of quality to a fledgling competition that was still licking its wounds after several brutal years of civil war. In doing so, the Broncos and the Knights helped create the legacy that is enjoyed today.