The NRL premiership-winning Brisbane Broncos have officially launched their new look for the 2026 season, after inadvertently leaking the logo in June.
More than five months after this masthead exclusively revealed the new look, the Broncos released the branding early on Wednesday morning.
It was meant to be a closely guarded secret, but a premature application to protect the logo through IP Australia led to its discovery by this masthead.
Jesse Arthars models the new Brisbane Broncos jersey for season 2026.Credit: Brisbane Broncos
Notably missing from the new club badge was the word “Broncos” – maintaining a trend that has seen the likes of the Dolphins, South Sydney, Canterbury-Bankstown and Penrith let imagery, rather than words, do the talking.
AFL clubs Adelaide, Collingwood, Melbourne, Sydney and North Melbourne have taken a similar approach in recent rebrandings.
The Red Hill-based club described its new logo as “the iconic Bronco, forward-facing, at its heart, a shield nodding to the original 1988 logo, and the Brisbane River flowing through the mark” – which echoed University of Queensland sports branding expert Sheranne Fairley’s interpretation in this masthead in June.
Global brand agency DDB Group, which was also responsible for the contentious rebranding of Italian giants Juventus, spent 18 months consulting with players, staff, member groups and sponsors to develop the logo.
Broncos chief executive Dave Donaghy said the new look was more than just a logo.
“It’s a statement of who we are, where we’re from and importantly, where we’re headed,” he said.
