Its that time of year again. The Super League season finally kicked off in Wrexham, the first time the season has kicked off outside of England since Paris St Germain did the honors in 1996, and I for one am looking forward to what must should be a ground breaking season in all three divisions of professional rugby league in the UK and France.
The focus off attention off the field will be on both the Crusaders RL (I'm still going to call them Celtic) and South Wales Scorpions (the scorpions bit wont be written ever again.) Both teams came under the spotlight after Celtic moved from their home in Bridgend to move to Newport, then without playing a game and in the space of a few weeks got sold off and moved up north to Wrexham to provide the football club with an extra source of income.
On the field its a case of somebody stopping Leeds making it four straight Super League titles, and becoming the most successful team to date in the Super League era. It'll be a tough ask for the remaining thirteen teams, as Leeds seem to be getting better on paper each year. They have made some enormous signings, and have a tendency to back up all the pre-season hype with some tremendous performances over the course of the season. The only domestic title eluding them is the Challenge Cup, which they haven't won since 1999 which non of the current Leeds squad.
St Helens will have every intention of avenging their previous three Grand Final defeats, and the signing of Sia Soliola will boost their chances of a fifth straight appearance at Old Trafford. But overall I feel the Leeds/Saints GF partnership will finally be broken in 2010 and its Saints that will break up the marriage. They didn't look the same team in 2009 under Mick Potter as his first year as head coach, and the old guard of Leon Pryce, Paul Wellens and Keiron Cunningham didn't look the same as they did in the three years before 2009. There wasn't the same spark or cohesion that Daniel Anderson managed to install into the side, and I think Saints' reign in the top two is coming to an end.
But who will replace them and challenge Leeds for the title? Wigan? Warrington? Hull KR? If I had five pounds, my bet for 2010 dark horse would be Catalan. They have signed some very useful talent to add to their already good side. The signing of the year would have to be Dallas Johnson. He will challenge Malcolm Alker for the most tackles in a season, as he regularly makes over forty tackles a game in the NRL and State of Origin. Throw in their other signing of former New Zealand centre Setaimata Sa and they have a side that can go one better in 2010. They're the type of side that could seriously give Warrington a run for the Challenge Cup come August.
Speaking of Warrington, they should also have high aspirations of challenging for Super League as well. The signings of fringe England players Richie Myler and Ryan Atkins shows that Warrington can attract not just older and experience talent, but they can attract and invest in the long term. Now they have achieved their goal of winning the Challenge Cup after seven years building the foundations, they can become another Leeds or Saints of 2006 two or three years from now. Looking towards the start of 2010, the added signing of David Solomona will give Warrington added bulk into their already strong looking pack of Adrian Morley, Paul Wood and Gareth Carvell. I expect them to make the top four along with Leeds, St Helens and Wigan.
Wigan have high expectations every year, and for the past five years have failed to achieve those ambitions. They are the most successful British club, and with such a tag the coaching job can be even harder than at any other club. In my opinion Brian Noble was unfairly treated last year, and his replacement, Michael Maguire, will have to be careful as to not upset the board behind the scenes. They have brought in Paul Deacon, no doubt as a master the the young apprentice called Sam Thomkins. They are always a threat and very intimidating, but they need to stop losing big matches in order for the glory to return to the cherry and white.
From Lancashire to Yorkshire, and as you cross the pennies on the M62 the first town you come to is Huddersfield. Under Nathan Brown last year they were sensational. Finished third in the regular season but just couldn't handle the pressure of a massive knock-out match. They lost the Challenge Cup final, and unexpectedly bowed out of the play offs early in week two to Catalan. This year they'll want to go one better, and they haven't recruited too badly in order to achieve that goal. Their star signing is David Fa'alogo, the former New Zealand and South Sydney player. They also welcome back Brad Drew, who carried Huddersfield to the play offs in 2007. After two years at Wakefield he has returned to see the town which gave birth to rugby league achieve more success. Except they won't make the top four having narrowly over achieved last year.
Further down the M62 you pass Bradford. Steve McNamara is standing tall after some major signings that easily could change the face of Super League. Considering they have been on the slide since Brian Noble left in 2006, they have attracted Matt Orford, Heath L'Estrange from Manly and Brett Kearney from Cronulla. L'Estrange will add a bit of aggression and bulk into the Bradford back row and is a direct replacement for Sam Burgess, while Orford in his prime was better than Paul Deacon ever will be. While I don't think you will see a better Matt Orford than when he was at Melbourne and his early career at Manly, but I do think he is more than capable of single handedly guiding McNamara's side into the top five or six.
Bradford to Wakefield is the route Terry Newton has travelled this winter, and I can't help but think it'll be business as usual for Wakefield this year. Last year they had two people to play for in Adam Watene and Leon Walker who both tragically died doing what they loved, and when I say business as usual, I mean they'll be struggling at the bottom half of the league. I do rate John Kear as a moderately successful coach, who has transformed countless clubs around with small finances. However their squad this year looks like a whos who of players past their prime and top four rejects. Only Danny Brough looks capable of shining, but he on his own can't transform Wakefield's woes this year.
Swiftly moving onto Castleford, and it'll be a similar story at Whelden Road. Terry Matterson has only brought in two players in Paul Jackson and Steve Snitch, who were average at best for Huddersfield and Wakefield respectively. Michael Shenton and Joe Westerman both need good years this year, as I though Westerman was a little too quiet for my liking and failed to get a game for England after such promise two years ago. Shenton on the other hand had a decent season, but is probably wasted in a team well below his standards.
Lingering below both those two sides will be the cockneys. Harlequins are often questioned along with Celtic as to why they are in Super League, never mind being in existence in the first place. Many people believe they bring nothing to the sport after thirty years, originating as Fulham and playing at Craven Cottage. I expect their performances to be a little below par this year yet again. They seem to have been struggling to attract any half decent players from up north, while focusing their attentions in developing players down south. While that's good for the longer term, short term their star signings for this season seem to be Ben Jones-Bishop, Oliver Wilkes and Andy Ellis. They won't improve under Brian McDermott, in fact they might be standing still if he is in charge for a few more years.
From one expansion club to another, and Crudaders/Celtic will have to do it even tougher this time round. I'd say there were a few more signings yet to come, and they have already played one game so need to get pen to paper pretty quickly. But there are promising signs. Their performance against Leeds was fairly good for an hour, while they do have promise in Michael Witt and experience in Gareth Raynor and Jamie Thackeray. It'll be interesting how they perform on and off the field, with a close eye on their attendances and marketing efforts to attract the nice folk from north Wales. If they can perform the way they did against Leeds for the rest of the season, they will give a few teams a mighty shock or two.
Salford promise progression and improvement every year, but I can't help but think they're on a hiding to nothing. While they did managed to beat more teams other than Celtic last year, they will do even better to move up a position in the league. An unlikely task in my opinion. They no longer have Richie Myler, but the progress of Stefan Ratchford should see him being touted as a future star, obviously not at Salford. They seem to be a dumping ground for fringe players in other teams to learn what Super League is like. Both Matty Smith and Steve Tyrer are on loan from St Helens and can't be far from pulling on that red vee shirt themselves. I'm fairly confident an academy side could beat their first team, and confidence is something Shaun McRae will have to be stocking up on to have any hope this season.
Last but by no means least, we have the two Hull teams. I'd like to end on a positive, so its best to start with Hull FC. Richard Agar is on his very last legs. If he can't get this side playing together then his time has to be up. However despite all the experience in Shaun Berrigan, Sean Long, Mark O'Meley and the one and only Craig Fitzgibbon, all of these players will soon be cashing in their pensions. It'll be difficult to keep these four players on the pitch at the same time without arthritis playing up on them. But in all seriousness, if Agar can pull them together and wrap the four older players in cotton wool on a weekly basis then they can make the top eight. It's fielding a consistent side every week that will be Agar's problem, and good luck to him because it's only a matter of time before he is out of the door.
Across the river Hull and we come to east Hull, twinned with Basra, Iraq. It's also the home to Hull KR who should be aiming to improve on 2009. In my opinion, they struggled to come to terms with their extra time loss to Warrington in the Challenge Cup, and lost the following five out of seven games. Other than that, it was a terrific season and one they can really bounce onwards from. They have kept all the key players that did so well for them this year in Shaun Briscoe, Michael Dobson, Ben Galea and Kris Welham. Justin Morgan is a great coach who has learnt a lot in a short space of time since joining the club from Toulouse in 2005 and would be my pick for the next England coach.
Finally here is how the league will look come September, if all is predicted well. Which it wasn't!
Leeds
Wigan
St Helens
Warrington
Catalan
Huddersfield
Hull KR
Bradford
Hull FC
Wakefield
Castleford
Harlequins
Salford
Crusaders RL
Monday, 1 February 2010
Saturday, 23 January 2010
It just ain't rugby league...
...without something going wrong.
Half a dozen Huddersfield players have been arrested and released on bail, on suspicion of rape during a pre-season tour.
Now personally I don't care anymore what NRL players get up to in their spare time, but these sort of incidents are usually left best to the experts in Australian rugby league. We don't need these sort of allegations in this country, where rugby league is promoted as a family sport. I'm not saying Australian players were necessarily involved in this specific incident, but after a year when Brett Stewart was accused and Matthew Johns lost his career as a broadcaster due to a similar accusation its vital the spread of off-field behavior doesn't reach these shores any time soon.
Half a dozen Huddersfield players have been arrested and released on bail, on suspicion of rape during a pre-season tour.
Now personally I don't care anymore what NRL players get up to in their spare time, but these sort of incidents are usually left best to the experts in Australian rugby league. We don't need these sort of allegations in this country, where rugby league is promoted as a family sport. I'm not saying Australian players were necessarily involved in this specific incident, but after a year when Brett Stewart was accused and Matthew Johns lost his career as a broadcaster due to a similar accusation its vital the spread of off-field behavior doesn't reach these shores any time soon.
Sunday, 17 January 2010
Pre season gets under way.
There were plenty of games played today thanks to the usual climate conditions arriving back off holiday. It was nice to see some decent rugby being played as well, with some interesting scores to ponder before the season kicks off for real.
I went to the Leigh Sports Village to see the home team take on a full strength Warrington side, where Richie Myler scored four tries to make sure his team won 60-16. Elsewhere George Carmont scored in the last minute to deny Wakefield a win, resulting in Wigan's 40-38 victory. Huddersfield's academy side edged out Whitehaven at the Recreation Ground 22-24. Over at Humberside, Hull FC won 28-16 against their dear rivals from the east of the city, Hull KR. Salford thrashed Swinton 50-12 while Featherstone saw off Blackpool 20-10 at the newly named Bigfellas Stadium. Doesn't quite have the same ring as the Chris Moyles Stadium, does it?
These were just a few scores I was able to get hold of at this time. But at the end of the day I'm just glad rugby league is getting back into the swing of things ahead of the new season. Its been too long since England lost to Australia in Leeds. There are only twelve days until the start of the new season. I for one, cannot wait!
I went to the Leigh Sports Village to see the home team take on a full strength Warrington side, where Richie Myler scored four tries to make sure his team won 60-16. Elsewhere George Carmont scored in the last minute to deny Wakefield a win, resulting in Wigan's 40-38 victory. Huddersfield's academy side edged out Whitehaven at the Recreation Ground 22-24. Over at Humberside, Hull FC won 28-16 against their dear rivals from the east of the city, Hull KR. Salford thrashed Swinton 50-12 while Featherstone saw off Blackpool 20-10 at the newly named Bigfellas Stadium. Doesn't quite have the same ring as the Chris Moyles Stadium, does it?
These were just a few scores I was able to get hold of at this time. But at the end of the day I'm just glad rugby league is getting back into the swing of things ahead of the new season. Its been too long since England lost to Australia in Leeds. There are only twelve days until the start of the new season. I for one, cannot wait!
Friday, 15 January 2010
Team of the decade - centres
Over the years there have been some amazing centres. Players who wow the crowd with dazzling side steps, outrageous back-door passes and often a short burst of speed. More importantly, a centre has to provide his winger with a large amount of quality ball and area for the winger to run in. He must draw both the opposition centre and winger to him in order for his winger to run through the space created.
Brent Tate
What can I say about Brent Tate that hasn't been said already? Even playing with a neck brace he is one of the best centres to have ever worn the green and gold, on 19 occasions since 2002. No matter what team he was playing for, his winger would always score tries and so would he. He has scored 47 of them in 141 NRL appearances. He started his career at Brisbane where he became a household name thanks to his performances that earned him a Queensland shirt. He made his début for Brisbane in round 21 of the 2001 season against Melbourne. That was one of three games he played that year. The following year he achieved his potential and was selected for both his state and his country. Injury has forced the 27 year-old out of the game for a long time in the past. Most noticeably was when he suffered a career threatening neck injury which resulted in the permanent use of a neck brace whilst playing the sport. Despite the injury, he was still selected for Australia and Queensland the following year, and despite further visits to the physio's room, he continues to be one of the best experienced players in the NRL.
Jamie Lyon
Life is never dull for Jamie Lyon. In 2000 he made his début for Parramatta against West Tigers. The following year he made a bigger impact on the competition, scoring 11 tries and was part of the squad that won the minor premiership, but lost the grand final to Newcastle. His performance for Australia in 2001 against Papua New Guinea earned him a plane ticket to Great Britain, in which Australia won the series 2-1. From there he earned State of Origin call ups in 2002 and 2003. In that time he won several club awards and was well on the way to becoming one of the best players in the game. That was until he suddenly quit Parramatta without warning, and went home. Despite his homesickness a year earlier, in 2005 Ian Millward convinced him to fly to England and play for St Helens. It worked wonders. He was instantly regarded as one of the best centres in the competition, scoring 39 tries in 59 league appearances. Despite not playing in the NRL, he earned selection for Australia in 2006 and played in their 23-12 defeat to Great Britain, the last player to play for Australia not in the NRL at the time. In 2007 he returned to Australia with Manly and immediately made an impact, guiding them to two consecutive grand finals in 2007 and 2008. After winning the grand final in 2008, Manly won the 2009 World Club Challenge.
Mark Gasnier
The nephew of the immortal Reg Gasnier, Mark Gasnier just about lived up to his uncle's legacy. He made his début against Newcastle at the turn of the millennium for St George Illawarra, and ended up playing 141 times for the red vee contingent. He was one of the popular player in Australia, and hardly ever got into trouble keeping his nose clean. His first appearance for New South Wales came in 2004 in which he scored two tries and one goal. From that moment on, he was a regular starting centre and scored two more tries in the 2005 series. I will never forget his final appearance for Australia in the Centenary Test in 2008. It was the perfect send off for a true modern rugby league great. His first try was a stunner, and came off a Jonathan Thurston kick, and a Greg Inglis catch and throw over the head for Gasnier to touch down. A remarkable player.
Shontayne Hape
Along with Lesley Vainikolo, he formed one of the most devastating left flanks in Super League history. While his team mate scored 135 tries, Hape himself was scored 76 tries meaning the total partnership scored 211tries combined. He started his career at Aukland where for three seasons he only managed to appear 28 times. In that time though he scored seven tries, his first two coming against Canterbury Bulldogs in 2000. He only playing one game for the New Zealand based side in 2002 before moving to link up with Vainikolo a year later.
The right centre for the Team of the Decade is Brent Tate, while the left centre is Shontayne Hape.
Brent Tate
What can I say about Brent Tate that hasn't been said already? Even playing with a neck brace he is one of the best centres to have ever worn the green and gold, on 19 occasions since 2002. No matter what team he was playing for, his winger would always score tries and so would he. He has scored 47 of them in 141 NRL appearances. He started his career at Brisbane where he became a household name thanks to his performances that earned him a Queensland shirt. He made his début for Brisbane in round 21 of the 2001 season against Melbourne. That was one of three games he played that year. The following year he achieved his potential and was selected for both his state and his country. Injury has forced the 27 year-old out of the game for a long time in the past. Most noticeably was when he suffered a career threatening neck injury which resulted in the permanent use of a neck brace whilst playing the sport. Despite the injury, he was still selected for Australia and Queensland the following year, and despite further visits to the physio's room, he continues to be one of the best experienced players in the NRL.
Jamie Lyon
Life is never dull for Jamie Lyon. In 2000 he made his début for Parramatta against West Tigers. The following year he made a bigger impact on the competition, scoring 11 tries and was part of the squad that won the minor premiership, but lost the grand final to Newcastle. His performance for Australia in 2001 against Papua New Guinea earned him a plane ticket to Great Britain, in which Australia won the series 2-1. From there he earned State of Origin call ups in 2002 and 2003. In that time he won several club awards and was well on the way to becoming one of the best players in the game. That was until he suddenly quit Parramatta without warning, and went home. Despite his homesickness a year earlier, in 2005 Ian Millward convinced him to fly to England and play for St Helens. It worked wonders. He was instantly regarded as one of the best centres in the competition, scoring 39 tries in 59 league appearances. Despite not playing in the NRL, he earned selection for Australia in 2006 and played in their 23-12 defeat to Great Britain, the last player to play for Australia not in the NRL at the time. In 2007 he returned to Australia with Manly and immediately made an impact, guiding them to two consecutive grand finals in 2007 and 2008. After winning the grand final in 2008, Manly won the 2009 World Club Challenge.
Mark Gasnier
The nephew of the immortal Reg Gasnier, Mark Gasnier just about lived up to his uncle's legacy. He made his début against Newcastle at the turn of the millennium for St George Illawarra, and ended up playing 141 times for the red vee contingent. He was one of the popular player in Australia, and hardly ever got into trouble keeping his nose clean. His first appearance for New South Wales came in 2004 in which he scored two tries and one goal. From that moment on, he was a regular starting centre and scored two more tries in the 2005 series. I will never forget his final appearance for Australia in the Centenary Test in 2008. It was the perfect send off for a true modern rugby league great. His first try was a stunner, and came off a Jonathan Thurston kick, and a Greg Inglis catch and throw over the head for Gasnier to touch down. A remarkable player.
Shontayne Hape
Along with Lesley Vainikolo, he formed one of the most devastating left flanks in Super League history. While his team mate scored 135 tries, Hape himself was scored 76 tries meaning the total partnership scored 211tries combined. He started his career at Aukland where for three seasons he only managed to appear 28 times. In that time though he scored seven tries, his first two coming against Canterbury Bulldogs in 2000. He only playing one game for the New Zealand based side in 2002 before moving to link up with Vainikolo a year later.
The right centre for the Team of the Decade is Brent Tate, while the left centre is Shontayne Hape.
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Oh the weather outside is frightful...
Recently there was an opportunity given to me to write a 600 word article for the Leigh V Warrington match day programme. They were asking for fans to write about any rugby league related topic and I got given the task. Unfortunately after Leigh's home friendly to Salford got cancelled again, the club has decided to recycle that programme with a few minor changes so it can be sold to us on the 17th January. Anyway instead of letting that article go to waste, I thought I'd publish it on here instead. Enjoy!
If you reading this it must mean that the match has been given the all clear, and the powers that be have put the UK back outside the Arctic Circle. That’s a good thing from a Warrington point of view, as this is our first pre-season game before the start of the season. We will need to be at the top of our game if we are to defeat Harlequins in round one, as their round three fixture against Wakefield is being brought forward three weeks so they can play Melbourne Storm a week before the World Club Challenge.
It appears this has been the worst winter for some time. We have had sub zero temperatures, 11 inches of snow and we’ve had to put up with Rage against the Machine being the Christmas number one. Rugby League has been affected too, with countless matches for both amateur and professional teams being postponed due to the adverse weather conditions. The entire amateur programme was postponed the weekend before Christmas due to the frost, while two of the three county cups were originally postponed the day after Boxing Day. The entire Challenge Cup programme fell foul of the weather as we welcomed in 2010, while very few scheduled games went ahead elsewhere across the country. Warrington’s pre-season plans have already gone pear shaped after our extravagantly titled ‘World of Beds Cup’ match against Widnes was cancelled on two occasions leaving us with one less game to give the reserve side, plus a few familiar faces, a decent run out. Alas, it would have been nice to celebrate another cup win.
Of course we are not alone in cancelling fixtures. The not-so-friendly friendly between St Helens and Wigan was called off along with what would have been Salford’s visit to this wonderful new stadium. Amazingly there were some friendly matches played over the festive period, all of which seem to have been played in Yorkshire. In all honesty I would have thought that would be the first place to call a game off in the middle of winter, considering I have seen it snow at Belle Vue in the middle of April. Leeds and Wakefield managed to play their Boxing Day contest on the same day Dewsbury and Batley gave their pitch the all clear. The following day York City Knights played against a York Select XIII consisting from players from the local amateur teams. But overall the amount of games called of due to the weather has been alarming this year, and begs the question why the RFL insist on starting the season earlier and earlier each year.
Gone are the days in the summer era of rugby league when the Challenge Cup would signal the start of the season before the league kicked off a week later. The season is starting earlier each year, with Celtic hosting Leeds two weeks after this game in Super League, while the Northern Rail Cup commences with Leigh travelling to York on the 31st January. For me growing up in the nineties and remembering very little before Super League, it was all part of the romance of the Challenge Cup that the season would often start with the fourth round tie. It meant spring was just around the corner and the start of another rollercoaster season was waiting for us after several months without rugby. Of course it wasn’t so romantic if you drew Barrow away only to find there was more water floating down the main road than there was in Morecambe Bay during a heavy spell of rain. Summer rugby, eh?
If you reading this it must mean that the match has been given the all clear, and the powers that be have put the UK back outside the Arctic Circle. That’s a good thing from a Warrington point of view, as this is our first pre-season game before the start of the season. We will need to be at the top of our game if we are to defeat Harlequins in round one, as their round three fixture against Wakefield is being brought forward three weeks so they can play Melbourne Storm a week before the World Club Challenge.
It appears this has been the worst winter for some time. We have had sub zero temperatures, 11 inches of snow and we’ve had to put up with Rage against the Machine being the Christmas number one. Rugby League has been affected too, with countless matches for both amateur and professional teams being postponed due to the adverse weather conditions. The entire amateur programme was postponed the weekend before Christmas due to the frost, while two of the three county cups were originally postponed the day after Boxing Day. The entire Challenge Cup programme fell foul of the weather as we welcomed in 2010, while very few scheduled games went ahead elsewhere across the country. Warrington’s pre-season plans have already gone pear shaped after our extravagantly titled ‘World of Beds Cup’ match against Widnes was cancelled on two occasions leaving us with one less game to give the reserve side, plus a few familiar faces, a decent run out. Alas, it would have been nice to celebrate another cup win.
Of course we are not alone in cancelling fixtures. The not-so-friendly friendly between St Helens and Wigan was called off along with what would have been Salford’s visit to this wonderful new stadium. Amazingly there were some friendly matches played over the festive period, all of which seem to have been played in Yorkshire. In all honesty I would have thought that would be the first place to call a game off in the middle of winter, considering I have seen it snow at Belle Vue in the middle of April. Leeds and Wakefield managed to play their Boxing Day contest on the same day Dewsbury and Batley gave their pitch the all clear. The following day York City Knights played against a York Select XIII consisting from players from the local amateur teams. But overall the amount of games called of due to the weather has been alarming this year, and begs the question why the RFL insist on starting the season earlier and earlier each year.
Gone are the days in the summer era of rugby league when the Challenge Cup would signal the start of the season before the league kicked off a week later. The season is starting earlier each year, with Celtic hosting Leeds two weeks after this game in Super League, while the Northern Rail Cup commences with Leigh travelling to York on the 31st January. For me growing up in the nineties and remembering very little before Super League, it was all part of the romance of the Challenge Cup that the season would often start with the fourth round tie. It meant spring was just around the corner and the start of another rollercoaster season was waiting for us after several months without rugby. Of course it wasn’t so romantic if you drew Barrow away only to find there was more water floating down the main road than there was in Morecambe Bay during a heavy spell of rain. Summer rugby, eh?
Monday, 4 January 2010
Team of the decade - winger
It appears the attributes and requirements of a winger have grown in recent years. There is no longer a small speedy winger in the modern game who can handle the rough and tough of the middle of the field, as as a result the species that brought us Martin Offiah, Brian Bevan and Jason Robinson are a dying breed. Warrington's Kevin Penny is the last player who earned his first team selection based on speed alone, and while it proved successful early in the young lad's career, he was vulnerable to many aspects of the game and his weaknesses were quickly exploited.
Today, fast paced and speedy wingers are no long an necessity. But they must be successful finishers, calm under pressure, but they must still possess that little bit of pace and acceleration to get past the defence. Just a bit. They must also be build so they can handle the physicality of the modern day game, therefore reducing their speed, but becoming effective in brushing aside the defence.
Ade Gardner
From 2002 Ade Gardner has always been a thorn in the teams playing against St Helens. He scored 114 tries for Saints in Super League and became one of the most respected players in the game. It took him four years to make the Great Britain team making his début in the 2006 international at Knowsley Road against New Zealand in which Great Britain were victorious 46-14. His last international appearance was, ironically, against the Kiwis in the 2008 World Cup, who would later become world champions a week later. But Gardner had already become a world champion himself by this point, playing in St Helens' 18-14 win over Brisbane in the World Club Challenge in which he scored two tries down the right wing. Sadly we may have seen Gardner at his peak in 2006, but during that time he was an effective and dangerous winger.
Brian Carney
There are not too many players who can say they are born and raised in the land of shamrocks and Guinness. Without a doubt Brian Carney is the best player ever to have come out of Ireland, and arguably he is one of the best wingers in the past decade. In his first season of NRL rugby league, he was voted the Dally M Winger of the Year in 2007 after a successful season with Newcastle, a year before he was due to play for the Gold Coast. He was scouted for Gateshead after playing for Dublin Blues RLFC and eventually signed for Wigan where he made his mark on Super League. In 14 appearances for Great Britain he scored eight tries, his last coming in the 2005 Tri Nations against Australia in Hull. But after his successful year in the NRL he made his retirement from both codes of rugby to concentrate on his family life. He later returned rugby union playing for Munster, but was later signed up for the remainder of the 2009 Super League season with Warrington. In four appearances he scored two tries, showing that at the age of 32 he was still capable of performing at a respectable standard. He career at Warrington was short lived after breaking his arm against Leeds, effectively ending his time on a rugby pitch.
Darren Albert
He was once tagged the fastest man in Super League after he won a charity foot race in 2004, and it was very hard to catch him with a ball in hand. In his four seasons at St Helens he helped them to one Challenge Cup win over Wigan as well as a Super League title. Beforehand he played for Newcastle in Australia (at which time was in the middle of the Super League war.) His début in 1996 was against Western Reds in Perth, and in which he scored a try. A year later he would go onto scoring one of the most memorable try in Australian rugby league history in a thrilling ARL Grand Final at the Sydney Football Stadium against Manly. If stats and figures are to be believed, he scored 77 tried in both Australia (ARL and NRL competitions for Newcastle and Cronulla) and Super League in the UK, totalling 154 tries in 217 apperances at first grade level. He showed pace and speed, but also the strength to compete in the middle of the field with the props when he was needed. He was a superb player, and it was great injustice he only ever played one game for New South Wales.
Hazem El Masri
One of the all time great players of rugby league. He broke and achieved a number of records in his career, including the all-time highest NRL career point scoring record scoring 2,418, he achieved 300 career apperances playing for the Bulldogs as well as the most points in a season of the NRL with 342. On top of that, he scored 160 tries at first grade level making him one of the most individual successful players to have played the game. During his time at Canterbury, he was part of a winning NRL Premiership side that defeated Sydney in 2004. El Masri retired after the 2009 season as the best point scoring player of all time against Parramatta in the preliminary finals, but will remain a memorable figure in the game for some time.
Jason Robinson
Jason Robinson left Wigan at the end of the 2000 season, so just about manages to become a nominee for this team of the decade. But before that, he was one of the best three quarters Great Britain had in their attacking arsenal. He had a quick side step and footwork a lot better any I have seen since. And his pace and speed was phenomenal. Eventually he left Wigan and transferred to the dark side of rugby union, where he made a very successful career out of playing that sport playing for England 51 times and the British Lions five times. But in rugby league, he started life at Hunslet before moving to Wigan in 1992 where he would appear for them 286 times and score over 600 points. Between 1993 and 1999 he went on to earn 12 Great Britain caps. A little unknown fact is he is the last person to score a try in a RU world cup final in 2003, as the 2007 final consisted of seven penalty goal kicks.
Lesley Vainikolo
Judging from the size of this bloke, you would never have guessed he played on the wing. But that is exactly what he did, and he did it with style. Along with his team mate, Shontayne Hape, he was part of a devastating left flank Bradford side that made four consecutive Super League Grand Final apperances winning two of them in 2003 and 2005. (Bradford won the 2001 final, but Vainikolo had not signed for Bradford by that point.) He caught the eye of Brian Noble playing for Canberra in which he scored 35 tries in the NRL between 1998 and 2001. This led to the nickname of The Volcano, christened to him by Peter Sterling. Once he settled into English life, he became a force to be reckoned with. He went onto score 135 tries in 136 apperances for Bradford in Super League, once scoring six tries in one match against Hull FC in 2005. A record that has not yet been broken. He left in 2007 to play rugby union for Gloucester but will always be remember for his trail blazing runs down the left flank at Odsal.
Martin Offiah
Martin Offiah left Salford in 2000 after 41 apperances for the club to join rugby union, a place where it seems many a great league winger goes off to collect their pension. He is a Londoner and one of the greatest wingers of all time. He made his name in the 1990s playing for Widnes, Wigan, St George, Eastern Suberbs and London. He scored 501 career tries playng in the UK and Australia, second to Brian Bevan.
For the team of the decade, on the right wing is Brian Carney and on the left wing is Lesley Vainikolo.
Today, fast paced and speedy wingers are no long an necessity. But they must be successful finishers, calm under pressure, but they must still possess that little bit of pace and acceleration to get past the defence. Just a bit. They must also be build so they can handle the physicality of the modern day game, therefore reducing their speed, but becoming effective in brushing aside the defence.
Ade Gardner
From 2002 Ade Gardner has always been a thorn in the teams playing against St Helens. He scored 114 tries for Saints in Super League and became one of the most respected players in the game. It took him four years to make the Great Britain team making his début in the 2006 international at Knowsley Road against New Zealand in which Great Britain were victorious 46-14. His last international appearance was, ironically, against the Kiwis in the 2008 World Cup, who would later become world champions a week later. But Gardner had already become a world champion himself by this point, playing in St Helens' 18-14 win over Brisbane in the World Club Challenge in which he scored two tries down the right wing. Sadly we may have seen Gardner at his peak in 2006, but during that time he was an effective and dangerous winger.
Brian Carney
There are not too many players who can say they are born and raised in the land of shamrocks and Guinness. Without a doubt Brian Carney is the best player ever to have come out of Ireland, and arguably he is one of the best wingers in the past decade. In his first season of NRL rugby league, he was voted the Dally M Winger of the Year in 2007 after a successful season with Newcastle, a year before he was due to play for the Gold Coast. He was scouted for Gateshead after playing for Dublin Blues RLFC and eventually signed for Wigan where he made his mark on Super League. In 14 appearances for Great Britain he scored eight tries, his last coming in the 2005 Tri Nations against Australia in Hull. But after his successful year in the NRL he made his retirement from both codes of rugby to concentrate on his family life. He later returned rugby union playing for Munster, but was later signed up for the remainder of the 2009 Super League season with Warrington. In four appearances he scored two tries, showing that at the age of 32 he was still capable of performing at a respectable standard. He career at Warrington was short lived after breaking his arm against Leeds, effectively ending his time on a rugby pitch.
Darren Albert
He was once tagged the fastest man in Super League after he won a charity foot race in 2004, and it was very hard to catch him with a ball in hand. In his four seasons at St Helens he helped them to one Challenge Cup win over Wigan as well as a Super League title. Beforehand he played for Newcastle in Australia (at which time was in the middle of the Super League war.) His début in 1996 was against Western Reds in Perth, and in which he scored a try. A year later he would go onto scoring one of the most memorable try in Australian rugby league history in a thrilling ARL Grand Final at the Sydney Football Stadium against Manly. If stats and figures are to be believed, he scored 77 tried in both Australia (ARL and NRL competitions for Newcastle and Cronulla) and Super League in the UK, totalling 154 tries in 217 apperances at first grade level. He showed pace and speed, but also the strength to compete in the middle of the field with the props when he was needed. He was a superb player, and it was great injustice he only ever played one game for New South Wales.
Hazem El Masri
One of the all time great players of rugby league. He broke and achieved a number of records in his career, including the all-time highest NRL career point scoring record scoring 2,418, he achieved 300 career apperances playing for the Bulldogs as well as the most points in a season of the NRL with 342. On top of that, he scored 160 tries at first grade level making him one of the most individual successful players to have played the game. During his time at Canterbury, he was part of a winning NRL Premiership side that defeated Sydney in 2004. El Masri retired after the 2009 season as the best point scoring player of all time against Parramatta in the preliminary finals, but will remain a memorable figure in the game for some time.
Jason Robinson
Jason Robinson left Wigan at the end of the 2000 season, so just about manages to become a nominee for this team of the decade. But before that, he was one of the best three quarters Great Britain had in their attacking arsenal. He had a quick side step and footwork a lot better any I have seen since. And his pace and speed was phenomenal. Eventually he left Wigan and transferred to the dark side of rugby union, where he made a very successful career out of playing that sport playing for England 51 times and the British Lions five times. But in rugby league, he started life at Hunslet before moving to Wigan in 1992 where he would appear for them 286 times and score over 600 points. Between 1993 and 1999 he went on to earn 12 Great Britain caps. A little unknown fact is he is the last person to score a try in a RU world cup final in 2003, as the 2007 final consisted of seven penalty goal kicks.
Lesley Vainikolo
Judging from the size of this bloke, you would never have guessed he played on the wing. But that is exactly what he did, and he did it with style. Along with his team mate, Shontayne Hape, he was part of a devastating left flank Bradford side that made four consecutive Super League Grand Final apperances winning two of them in 2003 and 2005. (Bradford won the 2001 final, but Vainikolo had not signed for Bradford by that point.) He caught the eye of Brian Noble playing for Canberra in which he scored 35 tries in the NRL between 1998 and 2001. This led to the nickname of The Volcano, christened to him by Peter Sterling. Once he settled into English life, he became a force to be reckoned with. He went onto score 135 tries in 136 apperances for Bradford in Super League, once scoring six tries in one match against Hull FC in 2005. A record that has not yet been broken. He left in 2007 to play rugby union for Gloucester but will always be remember for his trail blazing runs down the left flank at Odsal.
Martin Offiah
Martin Offiah left Salford in 2000 after 41 apperances for the club to join rugby union, a place where it seems many a great league winger goes off to collect their pension. He is a Londoner and one of the greatest wingers of all time. He made his name in the 1990s playing for Widnes, Wigan, St George, Eastern Suberbs and London. He scored 501 career tries playng in the UK and Australia, second to Brian Bevan.
For the team of the decade, on the right wing is Brian Carney and on the left wing is Lesley Vainikolo.
Steve Prescott MBE
A huge congratulations must go to Steve Prescott for being honoured in the Queen's new year's honours list. Steve will be awarded an MBE for services to rugby league and charity.
Steve played for St Helens, Wakefield and Hull FC but was diagnosed with a rare form of stomach cancer in 2006 and given 12 months to live. Four years later, he is still going strong and has raised thousands of pounds for both The Christie Cancer Hospital and the Rugby League Benevelant Fund, which helps sick and injured rugby league players, via the Steve Prescott Foundation.
Visit www.steveprescottfoundation.co.uk for more information.
From A Tap on the Twenty, we would like to congratulate Steve and his helpers and wish him every success with future charitable events.
Steve played for St Helens, Wakefield and Hull FC but was diagnosed with a rare form of stomach cancer in 2006 and given 12 months to live. Four years later, he is still going strong and has raised thousands of pounds for both The Christie Cancer Hospital and the Rugby League Benevelant Fund, which helps sick and injured rugby league players, via the Steve Prescott Foundation.
Visit www.steveprescottfoundation.co.uk for more information.
From A Tap on the Twenty, we would like to congratulate Steve and his helpers and wish him every success with future charitable events.
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