London’s PNG stars spark record-breaking rout

Alex Max, Gairo Voro, Morea Morea with fellow London Broncos teammate Dean Hawkins in a post-try celebration (Image: London Broncos)

A powerhouse contingent of Papua New Guinea recruits propelled the London Broncos to a historic 86-0 demolition of West Warriors, headlined by a Man-of-the-Match masterclass from star center Alex Max.

Max was untouchable, crossing for four tries at the Richmond Athletic Ground. His PNG compatriots fueled the onslaught as Morea Morea and Gairo Voro both secured braces, while prop Epel Kapinias and center Robert Mathias added singles to the tally.

The result provided an early statement of London’s Super League ambitions, though the sheer scale of the victory over the amateur Warriors side bordered on the clinical. Head coach Jason Demetriou’s decision to start playmaker Voro paid dividends, with the halfback capping the afternoon with a record-setting try after the hooter.

Fullback Morea Morea (with ball) drifting across in attack as Alex Max looks on (Image: London Broncos)

Despite several missed conversions preventing an even more lopsided scoreline, Voro’s final effort secured the biggest win in club history, eclipsing the 82-point thrashing of Highfield in 1995.

The Broncos' early dominance was built on slick combination play. The first three scores targeted the right edge, where Alex Max used Liam Tindall as a decoy to cross himself before twice turning provider for Tindall to finish. A similar thrust down the left sent Elliott Wallis over, but the true harbinger of the second-half collapse came just before the break. Ben Hursey-Hord sliced through the middle to send Voro over, leaving the Warriors reeling at halftime.

A trio of solo tries in the ten minutes following the restart showed that the Warriors' spirit had finally broken. Hursey-Hord scored within sixty seconds of the whistle, followed by a quick-fire double from Max.

From there, London scored at will as fullback Morea Morea showcased his pace with two tries in three minutes, Marcus Stock crashed over from close range and Max claimed his fourth, followed by Liam Tindall completing his hat-trick.

Gairo Voro and Robert Mathias lock in defence against West Warriors centre Paul McCullagh (Image: London Broncos)

Robert Mathias’ long, curving solo effort down the left flank displayed the kind of individual quality that will trouble Super League defenses. The only scrappy moment came via Kapinias, who pounced on a fumbled ball in the in-goal area to add his name to the scoresheet.

The Warriors fought to the bitter end, with Ross breaking free after the hooter. However, his desperate final pass went astray and was scooped up by Voro, who raced the length of the field for the record-breaking final score.

The Jason Demetriou-coached outfit will face Bradford Bulls in round 3 of the Bretfred Challenge Cup at the Cherry Red Records Stadium on Sunday, February 8.