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Dave Hadfield
Dave Hadfield was a schoolboy convert to rugby league, the game which, one way or another, has dominated his life ever since. After working for newspapers in Shropshire and Blackpool (where he covered the fortunes of Blackpool Borough) he travelled the world, working mainly in Hong Kong and Sydney. He became The Independent’s rugby league man in 1990 and has written five books on the game and broadcast extensively for Sky and the BBC. Dave played his last game at the age of 53 and would have set up a try if anyone could have been bothered supporting his break. When not blogging on the sport, he now limits himself to a bit of tick and pass with his local club, the Bolton Mets. Family includes supporters - of varying degrees of dedication - of Salford, Wigan, Sheffield Eagles and St George Illawarra.
It was not exactly a shock to the rugby league world that Leon Pryce and Stuart Reardon avoided jail on assault charges on Thursday.
The pair were warned last month that they faced prison sentences, but judges seem to do this, only to deliver a slap on the wrist when it comes down to it.
Pryce is not necessarily out of the woods yet. St Helens' directors are to discuss the matter next week and could, in theory, suspend him until he has served his community order - as Hull KR have with Ben Cockayne.
I wouldn't get on it. Pryce, as he has shown all the time this business has been hanging over him, is just too valuable a player. If he was, say, a reserve forward at Castleford, he would have been out on his ear by now. It shouldn't make any difference, but it does.
As for Reardon, his life and career are in a right mess. In little more than a year, he has lost his marriage, gained a criminal record and a career-threatening injury and been shown the door by two clubs.
The second of them was Hull, who, a mere 11 days after signing him, determined that his ruptured achilles was still no good. What were they thinking of even signing him without looking into that?
From my experience of them, I don't think they are bad lads in the full sense of the term. They both did something stupid, but one of them will suffer far more than the other.
The pair were warned last month that they faced prison sentences, but judges seem to do this, only to deliver a slap on the wrist when it comes down to it.
Pryce is not necessarily out of the woods yet. St Helens' directors are to discuss the matter next week and could, in theory, suspend him until he has served his community order - as Hull KR have with Ben Cockayne.
I wouldn't get on it. Pryce, as he has shown all the time this business has been hanging over him, is just too valuable a player. If he was, say, a reserve forward at Castleford, he would have been out on his ear by now. It shouldn't make any difference, but it does.
As for Reardon, his life and career are in a right mess. In little more than a year, he has lost his marriage, gained a criminal record and a career-threatening injury and been shown the door by two clubs.
The second of them was Hull, who, a mere 11 days after signing him, determined that his ruptured achilles was still no good. What were they thinking of even signing him without looking into that?
From my experience of them, I don't think they are bad lads in the full sense of the term. They both did something stupid, but one of them will suffer far more than the other.
I'm looking forward to my first live sight of Huddersfield for a few weeks on Saturday.
With all due respect to Wakefield and Castleford, the Giants are the success story of the season so far. To be running second as they go into this weekend's meeting with Leeds is already a major achievement.
But, my word, teams don't like losing to them, do they?
Terry Matterson had a right rant when they beat Cas, Brian NOble had plenty to say and last game it was Justin Morgan's turn. It's as though a defeat by Huddersfield must have some sinister underlying cause - usually involving the referee not doing his job properly.
The specific complaint has been that the Giants are slowing down the play-the-ball with wrestling techniques on the ground. From what I've seen of them this season, they are just doing what everyone else sets out to do, but doing it a bit better.
I think you have to look elsewhere for the reasons for their success. Like Brett Hodgson being the outstanding overseas signing this year. Like kevin Brown and Luke Robinson growing into the half-back combination they promised to be as young kids together at Wigan. Like the emergeance of Michael Lawrence as a home-grown back of real potential. Like them looking particularly well coached by Nathan Brown.
It is in that little lot, I would suggest, that we will find the reason why Huddersfield could just be top of Super League on Saturday night.
With all due respect to Wakefield and Castleford, the Giants are the success story of the season so far. To be running second as they go into this weekend's meeting with Leeds is already a major achievement.
But, my word, teams don't like losing to them, do they?
Terry Matterson had a right rant when they beat Cas, Brian NOble had plenty to say and last game it was Justin Morgan's turn. It's as though a defeat by Huddersfield must have some sinister underlying cause - usually involving the referee not doing his job properly.
The specific complaint has been that the Giants are slowing down the play-the-ball with wrestling techniques on the ground. From what I've seen of them this season, they are just doing what everyone else sets out to do, but doing it a bit better.
I think you have to look elsewhere for the reasons for their success. Like Brett Hodgson being the outstanding overseas signing this year. Like kevin Brown and Luke Robinson growing into the half-back combination they promised to be as young kids together at Wigan. Like the emergeance of Michael Lawrence as a home-grown back of real potential. Like them looking particularly well coached by Nathan Brown.
It is in that little lot, I would suggest, that we will find the reason why Huddersfield could just be top of Super League on Saturday night.
It has taken the best part of six months to produce but there is little in the RFL's review of what went wrong at the World Cup to shock or surprise.
I was at Red Hall for the debrief and it didn't exactly astonish me. By far the most interesting section concerned the feedback from the players themselves.
Most of the squad - 14 or 15 of them - agreed to be interviewed by a consultant brought in by the League. According to Richard Lewis, they were happy to talk and the general tone was to blame no one but themselves.
THat's fine as far as it goes. I'd expect little else from them, rugby league being the repeated reality check that it is. PLayers always have a damn good idea whether they have performed well or not.
A number of them confirmed what was obvious at the time; that socially there were clear groups. They don't believe, however, that the famous Leedss-Saints divide had any effect on their performances. Nobody, by the way, backed up Tony Smith's suggestion that they had been affected by media criticism. Can't tell you what a relief that it.
What they did say is that they need more time together to bond and gel. They will get some of that through an elite training squad which will get together for a total of five days during the season.
On the broader picture, performance director Jon Roberts produced evidence of just how slanted the game is towards players born in the first two quartiles - the older kids in each academic year.
THey are that bit bigger and stronger and more advanced of course. But the others catch up and the talent there needs to be identified better than it is.
One old chestnut that came up was the Easter programme, which can involve three games in eight days. Coaches are almost unanimously against the current set up. I'm with the small minority that welcomes a change to the rhythm of the season and a different set of challenges. But then it's easy for me - I don't have to do it.
I was at Red Hall for the debrief and it didn't exactly astonish me. By far the most interesting section concerned the feedback from the players themselves.
Most of the squad - 14 or 15 of them - agreed to be interviewed by a consultant brought in by the League. According to Richard Lewis, they were happy to talk and the general tone was to blame no one but themselves.
THat's fine as far as it goes. I'd expect little else from them, rugby league being the repeated reality check that it is. PLayers always have a damn good idea whether they have performed well or not.
A number of them confirmed what was obvious at the time; that socially there were clear groups. They don't believe, however, that the famous Leedss-Saints divide had any effect on their performances. Nobody, by the way, backed up Tony Smith's suggestion that they had been affected by media criticism. Can't tell you what a relief that it.
What they did say is that they need more time together to bond and gel. They will get some of that through an elite training squad which will get together for a total of five days during the season.
On the broader picture, performance director Jon Roberts produced evidence of just how slanted the game is towards players born in the first two quartiles - the older kids in each academic year.
THey are that bit bigger and stronger and more advanced of course. But the others catch up and the talent there needs to be identified better than it is.
One old chestnut that came up was the Easter programme, which can involve three games in eight days. Coaches are almost unanimously against the current set up. I'm with the small minority that welcomes a change to the rhythm of the season and a different set of challenges. But then it's easy for me - I don't have to do it.
A sad day today as Leon Walker is laid to rest. I'm sure it has been a harrowing occasion, but also one that will stand as a reminder of the essential goodness of so many people involved in our game.
Take Leon's dad Steve, for instance. Even he struggled to come to terms with the worst thing that can happen to a parent, his thoughts were with the Celtic Crusaders player involved in the tackle.
Now I don't know the name of the player, I don't want to know it and if I did I wouldn't use it. But I do know from my inquiries that he has taken comfort from what Steve Walker said about him being in no way responsible.
On one level, he must have known that perfectly well himself, but coming from the lad's father it must mean a great deal more.
Just as luck would have it, it was another Leon who stole the show on the field on Friday night. Leon Pryce, fresh from a court appearance at which he was warned that he could well go to prison after admitting assault charges, seemed blithely unaffected as he scored three tries in a man of the match display.
His very presence had already prompted a phone call from our football coorespondent, who devoted most of his Monday column to asking what rugby league was playing at, allowing him to play on under those circumstances. In football, he assured me, pryce's feet would not have touched the ground.
I suppose that's true, and since Leon's plea the old line about 'innocent til proven guilty' no longer applies. The RFL's view is that the court case should take its course - as it has already done in the instance of Ben Cockayne.
In Australia, players like Brent Stewart have been 'stood down' on suspicion. By comparison, our blokes are treated with kid gloves.
Take Leon's dad Steve, for instance. Even he struggled to come to terms with the worst thing that can happen to a parent, his thoughts were with the Celtic Crusaders player involved in the tackle.
Now I don't know the name of the player, I don't want to know it and if I did I wouldn't use it. But I do know from my inquiries that he has taken comfort from what Steve Walker said about him being in no way responsible.
On one level, he must have known that perfectly well himself, but coming from the lad's father it must mean a great deal more.
Just as luck would have it, it was another Leon who stole the show on the field on Friday night. Leon Pryce, fresh from a court appearance at which he was warned that he could well go to prison after admitting assault charges, seemed blithely unaffected as he scored three tries in a man of the match display.
His very presence had already prompted a phone call from our football coorespondent, who devoted most of his Monday column to asking what rugby league was playing at, allowing him to play on under those circumstances. In football, he assured me, pryce's feet would not have touched the ground.
I suppose that's true, and since Leon's plea the old line about 'innocent til proven guilty' no longer applies. The RFL's view is that the court case should take its course - as it has already done in the instance of Ben Cockayne.
In Australia, players like Brent Stewart have been 'stood down' on suspicion. By comparison, our blokes are treated with kid gloves.
One's first thoughts this week are with the parents, family and friends of Leon Walker, the young Wakefield player who died after a routine tackle in the Reserve game against the Celtic Crusaders.
I only have vague memories of seeing Leon play for Salford Academy, but everything I have heard about him since paints a picture of a fine young man and a highly promising player.
His death is a reminder that rugby league is a dangerous game. SUch is the ferocity of the contact, in fact, that it is something of a miracle that we don't have more casualties.
I doubt whether that it what they are thinking at Trinity, though. Within the last six months, they have also lost Adam Watene, two of their most illustrious ex-players in Dave Topliss and Don Fox, and seen Jamie Rooney and Richard Moore battling serious illness.
The astonishing thing is the way the club has held it all together through these grim times. Had they played and won at BRidgend on Sunday they could have been top of Super League, for heavens sake.
You would think it would all start to take its toll, but there is no sign of that yet. THere is something special about the spirit within the club that makes this possible. I know the sort of bloke John KEar is and how shaken he must have been by these tragedies, but he has found the strength to keep the show on the road.
Every credit to him and his staff, because what they have achieved is truly remarkable,
I only have vague memories of seeing Leon play for Salford Academy, but everything I have heard about him since paints a picture of a fine young man and a highly promising player.
His death is a reminder that rugby league is a dangerous game. SUch is the ferocity of the contact, in fact, that it is something of a miracle that we don't have more casualties.
I doubt whether that it what they are thinking at Trinity, though. Within the last six months, they have also lost Adam Watene, two of their most illustrious ex-players in Dave Topliss and Don Fox, and seen Jamie Rooney and Richard Moore battling serious illness.
The astonishing thing is the way the club has held it all together through these grim times. Had they played and won at BRidgend on Sunday they could have been top of Super League, for heavens sake.
You would think it would all start to take its toll, but there is no sign of that yet. THere is something special about the spirit within the club that makes this possible. I know the sort of bloke John KEar is and how shaken he must have been by these tragedies, but he has found the strength to keep the show on the road.
Every credit to him and his staff, because what they have achieved is truly remarkable,
Just recovering from a visit to Edinburgh - surely one of the most sociable cities in the British Isles.
Not that it was just an excuse for a day out. The idea was to promote the Magic Weekend at the start of May when all seven Super League games will be played at Murrayfield.
As a promotional event, it was only a limited success. Clubs are told to sxend a player, but they tend to send someone injured, suspended or of limited relevance.
Likewise, the media turn-out was disappointing, although the beautiful day made for some good TV footage.
For all that, the RFL and our new pals at the SRU seem ultra confident that they will top the 63,000 at Cardiff last year and Edinburgh certainly has something extra to offer.
One thing is the much greater enthusiasm of the SRU by comparison with the Millennium Stadium's apathy. Another is the bargain price of the tickets and, as far as I could see, the lack of obvious profiteering by hoteliers.
The biggest threat is the weather. Try as I might, I can't imagine any pitch standing up to seven matches over a weekend of continuous rain. THey tell me there is no contingency play, so we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed on that one.
I didn't see the whole of the Harlequins-Warrington game, but the highlights I have seen were truly shocking.
No disrespect to Quins, whose great start to the season is one of its most uplifting aspects, but some of their tries featured defence as soft as you will ever see at this level.
I rather fancy that it will have persuaded Tony Smith that some drasic action is necessary. Changing attitudes might have to come at the expense of getting rid of one or two of their higher-profile players.
They might get worse before the get better, but if that side at The Stoop was not in need of a radical change of direction then I've never seen one that was.
Not that it was just an excuse for a day out. The idea was to promote the Magic Weekend at the start of May when all seven Super League games will be played at Murrayfield.
As a promotional event, it was only a limited success. Clubs are told to sxend a player, but they tend to send someone injured, suspended or of limited relevance.
Likewise, the media turn-out was disappointing, although the beautiful day made for some good TV footage.
For all that, the RFL and our new pals at the SRU seem ultra confident that they will top the 63,000 at Cardiff last year and Edinburgh certainly has something extra to offer.
One thing is the much greater enthusiasm of the SRU by comparison with the Millennium Stadium's apathy. Another is the bargain price of the tickets and, as far as I could see, the lack of obvious profiteering by hoteliers.
The biggest threat is the weather. Try as I might, I can't imagine any pitch standing up to seven matches over a weekend of continuous rain. THey tell me there is no contingency play, so we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed on that one.
I didn't see the whole of the Harlequins-Warrington game, but the highlights I have seen were truly shocking.
No disrespect to Quins, whose great start to the season is one of its most uplifting aspects, but some of their tries featured defence as soft as you will ever see at this level.
I rather fancy that it will have persuaded Tony Smith that some drasic action is necessary. Changing attitudes might have to come at the expense of getting rid of one or two of their higher-profile players.
They might get worse before the get better, but if that side at The Stoop was not in need of a radical change of direction then I've never seen one that was.
I wasn't there and I certainly wouldn't have liked to be in the middle of it, but I feel a certain amount of qualified sympathy for the Leeds amateur club, Queens, over their elimination from the Challenge Cup.
They were trailing Doncaster by only four points when their tie at the Keepmoat was abandoned just after the hour mark because of fighting in the stands.
Queens' fans have a bit of a reputation and there seems to be no doubt that they - or at least people attached to the club for the day - were involved.
Their counter-claim, however, is that a gang from a local amateur club - with whom they obviously had some bad blood - kicked it all off.
The RFL's investigation may shed some light on that theory. In the meantime, they have ruled that the scoreline stands and Donny are through. It seems to me to be rough justice on the men on the pitch, however over-aggressive some in the stand might have been.
I've already had some interesting reaction to this story from people expressing some disquiet that it got quite such a prominent run in the paper. I'd just point out that a good deal of the space was devoted to acknowledging just how rare this sort of thing is in rugby league.
The most recent instance I could find of a professional match abandoned because of crowd violence, rather than that among the players. was at St Helens in 1944. Not exactly an epidemic, but the figures for amateur rugby league would tell a less happy story, I fear.
They were trailing Doncaster by only four points when their tie at the Keepmoat was abandoned just after the hour mark because of fighting in the stands.
Queens' fans have a bit of a reputation and there seems to be no doubt that they - or at least people attached to the club for the day - were involved.
Their counter-claim, however, is that a gang from a local amateur club - with whom they obviously had some bad blood - kicked it all off.
The RFL's investigation may shed some light on that theory. In the meantime, they have ruled that the scoreline stands and Donny are through. It seems to me to be rough justice on the men on the pitch, however over-aggressive some in the stand might have been.
I've already had some interesting reaction to this story from people expressing some disquiet that it got quite such a prominent run in the paper. I'd just point out that a good deal of the space was devoted to acknowledging just how rare this sort of thing is in rugby league.
The most recent instance I could find of a professional match abandoned because of crowd violence, rather than that among the players. was at St Helens in 1944. Not exactly an epidemic, but the figures for amateur rugby league would tell a less happy story, I fear.
It may turn out to be a partnership made in heaven, but if initial impressions count for anything I wouldn't count on it.
Warrington have brought in Tony Smith over the head of Jimmy Lowes to try to turn round their awful start to the season. THe idea is that the two will work together, as they have done in the past with England.
BUt that depends, more than anything on Lowes' ability to come to terms with his demotion. That is not an easy thing to do and his body language and vocabulary on Thursday suggested that he has a very long way to go. He looked and sounded mortified.
It all reminded me of Dennis Betts at Wigan, when he was shunted aside to make room for Ian Millward. He looked just about as impressed and, as we found out later, was never comfortable with the arrangement.
I can see why Warrington were tempted by the availability of Tony Smith. HIs reputation took a kicking during the WOrld CUP, where I believe he got one or two things badly wrong.
But his record at club level, sorting out Huddersfield and turning Leeds into regular winners, still looks good.
And don't the fixture planners have a sense of humour? It just had to be WArrington v Leeds this weekend.
Warrington have brought in Tony Smith over the head of Jimmy Lowes to try to turn round their awful start to the season. THe idea is that the two will work together, as they have done in the past with England.
BUt that depends, more than anything on Lowes' ability to come to terms with his demotion. That is not an easy thing to do and his body language and vocabulary on Thursday suggested that he has a very long way to go. He looked and sounded mortified.
It all reminded me of Dennis Betts at Wigan, when he was shunted aside to make room for Ian Millward. He looked just about as impressed and, as we found out later, was never comfortable with the arrangement.
I can see why Warrington were tempted by the availability of Tony Smith. HIs reputation took a kicking during the WOrld CUP, where I believe he got one or two things badly wrong.
But his record at club level, sorting out Huddersfield and turning Leeds into regular winners, still looks good.
And don't the fixture planners have a sense of humour? It just had to be WArrington v Leeds this weekend.
It looks suspiciously as though this could be the year when British dominance in the World Club Challenge comes to an end.
It's not that Leeds are unworthy British representatives. Quite the opposite - they won Super League in style last year. This year, however, they have had their worst run of injuries for a very long time.
They have had seven players under a cloud this week, including two internationals - Brent Webb and Rob Burrow - who haven't played at all this year. It is asking a lot from either of them to be thrown straight in on Sunday night.
Danny Buderus is already ruled out, whilst the Rhinos' other overseas signing, Greg Eastwood, is still tied up in red tape.
The other reason for not fancying them is that their opponents Manly are very close to full strength. They have come out here in numbers and wit the loo9k of a club that means business.
THey werer the first Australian club to come here on this quest, when they played Wigan in 1987. UNLike that venture, I fancy them strongly to succeed this time.
It's not that Leeds are unworthy British representatives. Quite the opposite - they won Super League in style last year. This year, however, they have had their worst run of injuries for a very long time.
They have had seven players under a cloud this week, including two internationals - Brent Webb and Rob Burrow - who haven't played at all this year. It is asking a lot from either of them to be thrown straight in on Sunday night.
Danny Buderus is already ruled out, whilst the Rhinos' other overseas signing, Greg Eastwood, is still tied up in red tape.
The other reason for not fancying them is that their opponents Manly are very close to full strength. They have come out here in numbers and wit the loo9k of a club that means business.
THey werer the first Australian club to come here on this quest, when they played Wigan in 1987. UNLike that venture, I fancy them strongly to succeed this time.
They don't really do trivial illness at wakefield, do they?
ON top of the tragic death of Adam Watene in October, the Wildcats have now lost two more players to long-term health problems.
Richard Moore has been struggling for some time with digestive problems that have stopped him keeping any food down and led to drastic weight loss. Now he has been diagnosed with Crohn's disease - a serious but treatable condition that will take some time to get under control.
On top of that, it now transpires that Jamie Rooney's heart stopped during a knee operation recently. The quick action of the surgical team saved him, but it will clearly be some time before he is back on the field again.
In the middle of all this, Wakefield somehow go to Wigan and win. Very well deserved it was, too. A team with plenty of passion against one with a deficit in that department. Every Wigan fan I bumped into on the way to the ground was telling me that this is going to be the year; by half-time, they were booing them - or some of them were. Welcome back to Super League, gentlemen.
ON top of the tragic death of Adam Watene in October, the Wildcats have now lost two more players to long-term health problems.
Richard Moore has been struggling for some time with digestive problems that have stopped him keeping any food down and led to drastic weight loss. Now he has been diagnosed with Crohn's disease - a serious but treatable condition that will take some time to get under control.
On top of that, it now transpires that Jamie Rooney's heart stopped during a knee operation recently. The quick action of the surgical team saved him, but it will clearly be some time before he is back on the field again.
In the middle of all this, Wakefield somehow go to Wigan and win. Very well deserved it was, too. A team with plenty of passion against one with a deficit in that department. Every Wigan fan I bumped into on the way to the ground was telling me that this is going to be the year; by half-time, they were booing them - or some of them were. Welcome back to Super League, gentlemen.
Let's be honest about it. If the British game was as healthy as it's cracked up to be, Keith Senior would have been superseded by a younger model as a Test centre by now.
THat's not knocking Keith. He's been one of the best two available for a decade and, to his credit and unlike some of his contemporaries, he has always prioritised international football.
He's had some great Tests as well. It's just that by now younger players should have been puttng him under more pressure and possibly forcing him into the pack.
Now he's finally called it a day, the big question is who will replace him. Ryan Atkins is probably at the front of the queue, although he still has much to prove. After him.....Michael Shenton? A little earlier in their development are players like Michael Lawrence and Kallum Watkins. Nobody yet exactly hammering the door down.
I suppose Kirk Yeaman could bounce back, or what about Kris Welham at Rovers? Answers on a post-card to T.Smith please.
Senior has always told it as he sees it, so it's fitting that he should have bowed out with some honest observations about what went wrong in the World Cup.
And guess what? The evidence of our eyes was correct and Leeds and St Helens players did form separate camps in Australia. I'd rather remember Keith SEnior as a Test player for that admission than for flogging his medal.
THat's not knocking Keith. He's been one of the best two available for a decade and, to his credit and unlike some of his contemporaries, he has always prioritised international football.
He's had some great Tests as well. It's just that by now younger players should have been puttng him under more pressure and possibly forcing him into the pack.
Now he's finally called it a day, the big question is who will replace him. Ryan Atkins is probably at the front of the queue, although he still has much to prove. After him.....Michael Shenton? A little earlier in their development are players like Michael Lawrence and Kallum Watkins. Nobody yet exactly hammering the door down.
I suppose Kirk Yeaman could bounce back, or what about Kris Welham at Rovers? Answers on a post-card to T.Smith please.
Senior has always told it as he sees it, so it's fitting that he should have bowed out with some honest observations about what went wrong in the World Cup.
And guess what? The evidence of our eyes was correct and Leeds and St Helens players did form separate camps in Australia. I'd rather remember Keith SEnior as a Test player for that admission than for flogging his medal.
I'd love to be a fly on the wall - or a bug on the line - when the consultant hired by the Rugby League quizzes England's WOrld Cup players about what went wrong in Australia.
They don't have to take part, but our brave boys are being invited to have their say about where it all went so horribly wrong.
Normally, I hear the word consultant and think 'waste of money' but this is one instance in which it might work.
Players polled anonymously might be willing to say things to him they would not to Richard Lewis or Tony Smith.
The whole post mortem into the debacle will be made public in April, I'm told, and I'll be interested in what, if anything, they have had to say.
In the meantime, the game prepares for the styart of the domestic season and people always ask me for my tips, presumably so they can avoid backing them.
Well, my dark horses this year are Hull KR. I see them continuing their improvement and finishing in the top four, ahead of teams like Wigan and the CAtalans. Remember where you read it first.
They don't have to take part, but our brave boys are being invited to have their say about where it all went so horribly wrong.
Normally, I hear the word consultant and think 'waste of money' but this is one instance in which it might work.
Players polled anonymously might be willing to say things to him they would not to Richard Lewis or Tony Smith.
The whole post mortem into the debacle will be made public in April, I'm told, and I'll be interested in what, if anything, they have had to say.
In the meantime, the game prepares for the styart of the domestic season and people always ask me for my tips, presumably so they can avoid backing them.
Well, my dark horses this year are Hull KR. I see them continuing their improvement and finishing in the top four, ahead of teams like Wigan and the CAtalans. Remember where you read it first.
So farewell then, Ashley Klein.
Ricky Stuart's favourite Super League referee is on his way back to his native Australia having resigned from his full-time job with the RFL.
Always a risk of that, of course, and as soon as the words 'wife' and homesick start appearing in the same paragraph the game is invariably up.
He's had rather an odd six years over here, to my mind. At first, he seemed pretty hopeless. Then he improved out of sight. After that, I thought he plateaud off a little and developed an annoying habit of not quite watching play.
He had some exceptional qualities for such a young referee, including an unflappability that was almost eerie.
It will be interesting to see how he goes back in Australia. If they see him as a Pom, then his first mistake will be pounced upon with glee - like Russell Smith. If there's one thing that all AUssies seem to believe it is that only they can referee the game.
Likewise, in England there will be some scepticism about the abilities of Thierry Alibert. I must say that when I've seen him he has looked perfectly competent - and the ideal scenario is that he should become sufficiently convincing to be the logical choice for England v Australia matches.
Ricky Stuart's favourite Super League referee is on his way back to his native Australia having resigned from his full-time job with the RFL.
Always a risk of that, of course, and as soon as the words 'wife' and homesick start appearing in the same paragraph the game is invariably up.
He's had rather an odd six years over here, to my mind. At first, he seemed pretty hopeless. Then he improved out of sight. After that, I thought he plateaud off a little and developed an annoying habit of not quite watching play.
He had some exceptional qualities for such a young referee, including an unflappability that was almost eerie.
It will be interesting to see how he goes back in Australia. If they see him as a Pom, then his first mistake will be pounced upon with glee - like Russell Smith. If there's one thing that all AUssies seem to believe it is that only they can referee the game.
Likewise, in England there will be some scepticism about the abilities of Thierry Alibert. I must say that when I've seen him he has looked perfectly competent - and the ideal scenario is that he should become sufficiently convincing to be the logical choice for England v Australia matches.
The extension of Brian McClennan's contract as coach of Leeds makes me even more convinced that the Rhinos are destined for a hat-trick of Super League titles this year.
Bluey, as they call him, didn't have an easy act to follow in TonY Smith, but his first year in charge showed what a good choice he was.
The most impressive aspect of him, to my mind, was the way he dealt with the occasional set-back. I've never seen anyone so relaxed about the odd defeat, the occasional sub-standard performance.
Gary Hetherington is quite right when he says that the stability at Headingley is one of their main advantages going into the 2009 season. Apart from McClennan staying for another two years, there has been minimal change in the playing staff, with Greg Eastwood for Gareth Ellis the main change. He's a very different type of player, but I think Leeds fans will soon warm to him.
Contrast that with St Helens, who have lost half a dozen players and gained just one - Tony Puletua. Hats off to them for their faith in their young players, but they had better be ready - or Saints will struggle.
If any team is going to come through the field to mount a challenge to the top two, it could be Hull KR. There too Justin MOrgan has been given the time to plan for the long term and the club has felt the benefit.
v
Bluey, as they call him, didn't have an easy act to follow in TonY Smith, but his first year in charge showed what a good choice he was.
The most impressive aspect of him, to my mind, was the way he dealt with the occasional set-back. I've never seen anyone so relaxed about the odd defeat, the occasional sub-standard performance.
Gary Hetherington is quite right when he says that the stability at Headingley is one of their main advantages going into the 2009 season. Apart from McClennan staying for another two years, there has been minimal change in the playing staff, with Greg Eastwood for Gareth Ellis the main change. He's a very different type of player, but I think Leeds fans will soon warm to him.
Contrast that with St Helens, who have lost half a dozen players and gained just one - Tony Puletua. Hats off to them for their faith in their young players, but they had better be ready - or Saints will struggle.
If any team is going to come through the field to mount a challenge to the top two, it could be Hull KR. There too Justin MOrgan has been given the time to plan for the long term and the club has felt the benefit.
v
The failure of Todd Carney to obtain a visa to play for Huddersfield should sound a warning to players, agents and clubs.
If Carney has been turned down, as seems likely, because of his alarming record of off-field misbehaviour, then this decision could mark the closing-down of the Super League reformatory.
For too long, it has been taken for granted that a player who has made himself unemployable in Australia can automatically tap in to a rich pay-day in England. A dumping ground for their mis-fits, that's what we've become.
There's no doubting Carney's ability on the field, but, with his record, he wouldn't get into the country if he was looking for work outside rugby, Now he is left in limbo, as a warning to others that England isn't always the easy option if you screw up back home.
It also leaves Huddersfield up in the air, without a player on whose presence they were counting. THe challenge is there for the half-back partnership he would have broken up, because neither Kevin Brown nor Luke Robinson have consistently fulfilled their potential since the revival of their Wigan connection.
There could be no better time for them to show that the Giants do not need dodgy imports.
If Carney has been turned down, as seems likely, because of his alarming record of off-field misbehaviour, then this decision could mark the closing-down of the Super League reformatory.
For too long, it has been taken for granted that a player who has made himself unemployable in Australia can automatically tap in to a rich pay-day in England. A dumping ground for their mis-fits, that's what we've become.
There's no doubting Carney's ability on the field, but, with his record, he wouldn't get into the country if he was looking for work outside rugby, Now he is left in limbo, as a warning to others that England isn't always the easy option if you screw up back home.
It also leaves Huddersfield up in the air, without a player on whose presence they were counting. THe challenge is there for the half-back partnership he would have broken up, because neither Kevin Brown nor Luke Robinson have consistently fulfilled their potential since the revival of their Wigan connection.
There could be no better time for them to show that the Giants do not need dodgy imports.
Hullo again. I'm back in the country after taking a scandalously long time to wander back from the Rugby League World Cup. Thanks, by the way, to all those colleagues who took delight in phoning my home and saying "He's where? I've been on that and I've been home for three weeks." Talk about puerile humour.
I was expecting to come back amid a raging inquest over what went wrong in Australia. Maybe it's the approach of Christmas, but it has been ominously quiet. Almost as if nothing went wrong - which, as you know, is very definitely not the case.
( Read more... )
I was expecting to come back amid a raging inquest over what went wrong in Australia. Maybe it's the approach of Christmas, but it has been ominously quiet. Almost as if nothing went wrong - which, as you know, is very definitely not the case.
( Read more... )
As Australia and New Zealand prepare for the World Cup final, for England the soul-searching has already begun.
Richard Lewis doesn't get back for two weeks, but when he does he wants to sit down with players and coaches and get their views on where it all went wrong.
He already has some ideas of his own and one of them is that players skills are not devreloping sufficiently under the aegis of their clubs. Hence the mention of those two dirty words from other sports - central contracts.
( Read more... )
Richard Lewis doesn't get back for two weeks, but when he does he wants to sit down with players and coaches and get their views on where it all went wrong.
He already has some ideas of his own and one of them is that players skills are not devreloping sufficiently under the aegis of their clubs. Hence the mention of those two dirty words from other sports - central contracts.
( Read more... )
The disregarded bit-part players of Ireland and Scotland are saving this world cup. Alright, there weren't that many Irish or Scots accents among the players in action on wednesday night, but when they perform like that, who cares?
I wouldn't have given Ireland a prayer against Samoa, but they matched them physically and produced the pentrative rugby when it was needed.
It's hard to pick out individuals in such a committed all-roound team display, but two who have impressed me are Scott Grix and Garreth Haggerty.
( Read more... )
I wouldn't have given Ireland a prayer against Samoa, but they matched them physically and produced the pentrative rugby when it was needed.
It's hard to pick out individuals in such a committed all-roound team display, but two who have impressed me are Scott Grix and Garreth Haggerty.
( Read more... )
