IT MAY seem strange to hear a Torquay-born Australian like Andrew Henderson speaking so enthusiastically about the Scotland rugby league team, but there were few people who were as proud as him about the Bravehearts' showing in last year's Four Nations.

The former Barrow Raiders captain represented his ancestral homeland for the best part of a decade, including featuring in the 2008 World Cup alongside brothers Ian and Kevin, and is still their most-capped player, with 23 appearances.

Now in his third season as head coach at London Broncos, Henderson has kept a close eye on the progress of the Scottish national team and was enthralled with their displays at the end of 2016 as they led England 8-0 after 24 minutes and drew 18-18 with eventual runners-up New Zealand.

The gradual progression of the Scottish team has been even more notable given central funding from the RFL has been slashed in recent years, and while Henderson believes there is huge potential north of the border, he is in no doubt Scottish rugby league must do more to help itself.

“I'm hoping they'll get more investment, I'm hoping the people in Scotland are made more aware of it, I'm hoping the (Scottish)Parliament can recognise rugby league as a sport and they can tap into some Sport Scotland funding, because there is real potential there,” said Henderson.

“It's a huge task and they are heavily reliant on volunteers, and I know it's harsh, but those volunteers have got to do more.

“They're not getting it from the governing body, so they've got to find ways of getting that money in and they've got to go and knock down those doors to make that happen. It's one of those things, you can't just wait for it to come and hope it's going to happen off the back of a successful World Cup or Four Nations – you've got to let people know, this is who we are and what we've achieved.

“Certainly, the amateur game needs strengthening and they need a semi-pro team there as well, and this is 10-year project I'm talking about, but there is potential there if people are willing to go there and make it happen.”

It is an approach that shares much with the one Henderson is taking at the Broncos, who are enjoying something of a revival since moving to the Trailfinders Sports Club in Ealing ahead of last season.

Having finished seventh in the Kingstone Press Championship during his first season in charge, the 37-year-old guided the Broncos to second in 2016 and a place in the Super Eights, where they only missed out on the Million Pound Game on points difference.

Even more impressive is that the Broncos squad has a strong backbone of home-grown players and Henderson is quick to defend the club against the criticism it has faced down the years and under its various different guises.

“I'm proud of what we're doing in London,” said Henderson. “I'm sick of people knocking London and saying they don't bring anything to the British game.

“Well, we've got a very good scholarship academy programme now, the first team has got a winning mentality and is moving forward.

“We're settled in Ealing, we're engaging with the local community and doing some really good community projects a lot of people might not be aware of, and if you look through Super League, Championship and League One, there are a lot of players from before my time who have come through the London system – we've even got one (Dan Sarginson) in the NRL now.

“I think we are adding some value to the British game, and I think now, as a club, we've got a sense of purpose and a sense of direction, and long may it continue.”

Henderson has tried to instill the work ethic, honesty and willingness to do the best for the team that he believes led to him enjoying a long career in the professional game as core values at the Broncos.

That approach extends all the way down from the senior side to the under-16s, where former Broncos player Rob Powell, and ex-Bradford Bulls pair Jamie Langley and Adrian Purtell are overseeing the club's youngsters.

Moving to the artificial surface at Ealing, which they share with the borough's rugby union team, has seen the Broncos under-16 and under-19 sides join them as well, after being spread out across the capital, and Henderson hopes this is an end to the nomadic existence which has prevented the club putting down roots anywhere else.

“It's key for your identity and for you to be able to build anything, and that has been the downfall of the club,” said Henderson. “You start somewhere, you're there for 18 months or two years and then you start to get into the community, build relations and people start to get settled, then you move the club somewhere else. It's been a very tough number of years for the club, but I really do think we have found a home in Ealing.

“We've got a facility which wants us there, who are happy to accommodate us and is willing to grow as a facility as we grow as a club. Not only are we back in West London, where the club has had most success, but there is no premier sports team in the Borough of Ealing, so we've got the opportunity to be that and there are a lot of positives there.

“We can have club training nights, we can have a triple-header with the academy, first team and scholarship, and it's fantastic – not only for the young players, but the first-team players. They feel part of something bigger and that's really key if you want to move forward as a club.”

The question now is whether Henderson can help take Broncos one step further than 2016 and back into Super League after a three-year absence, with the performance in the 28-22 loss at home to relegated Hull Kingston Rovers in the second match of the season showing they may not be far off.

Henderson's recruitment policy has seen him try to find players he believes have been wrongly overlooked by Super League clubs, while he is in no doubt those members of the squad who are still with the club from last year will have benefited enormously from those Super Eights experiences.

“Certainly for those players who had never experienced Super League rugby before, it was massive,” said Henderson.

“You never really know what it's like until you've played it, but now they know the ruck is a lot quicker, the style of football is a lot different, they'll ask a lot more questions of you and they're harder to break down.

“There's only so much we can do as coaches to prepare our teams and a lot of that preparation is what they do away from the club as well.

“Again, they learn those little things through experience, so I hope this year they won't be fazed or rattled by bigger crowds, bigger environments and that sort of thing as well.”