This book is part of the Classic Matches series, in which long-term followers of various sporting clubs and teams look back on some of their finest moments. This book looks at fifty of Leeds Rugby League Football Club's best matches.

Whether you are an elite athlete, ambitious professional, dedicated parent or hard-working student, all of us are at times challenged by doubts and setbacks. This collection of inspiring and oft times hilarious quotes and quips from some of Australia's leading rugby league players will lighten your mood and give an insight into the lives of people truly challenged by their own thoughts. With pearls of wisdom from some of League's best players and sharpest minds, Wit and Wisdom of the League is a hilarious collection from players past and present.

For the past ten years the Canterbury-Bankstown Rugby League Club (the Bulldogs) has reeled from one crisis to the next. Once known as the 'Family Club' and the 'Entertainers', the Bulldogs have since figured in many off-field dramas including rape allegations, executive reshuffles and rorting the salary cap.Three families have dominated the club in the past thirty years - The Moores - whose patriach was long-time club boss Peter 'Bullfrog' Moore who ran the club with an iron fist and whose sons-in-law include several former players like recent coach Steve Folkes and previous coach Chris Anderson. The Mortimer brothers - Steve, Peter and Chris - and The Hughes Brothers - Graeme, Garry and Mark - nephews of Peter Moore.How did the club disintegrate and lose its way? Graeme Hughes autobiographically walks us through his first associations with the Bulldogs culminating in the great Grand Final win of 1980 in which he played. Then we follow the Bulldogs' fortunes through Graeme and his brothers' official roles with the club and Graeme as TV sportcaster. The death of Peter 'Bullfrog' Moore was a key turning point and soon bastardry, disintegration and the scandal cited above dominated the club.

When NRL also-rans Canterbury and North Queensland met in August 2010, there appeared to be little at stake. Appearances can be deceptive. In the lead-up to the game, more than $30,000 was bet on North Queensland to open the scoring with a penalty goal. This was a plunge without peer; both brazen and bizarre. Bookmakers were so spooked they suspended markets before kick-off. But the potential damage had been done. The bagmen watched the opening minute in a sickened trance, as North Queensland received the ball--and then a penalty--in perfect kicking range.The opportunity came courtesy of Canterbury prop forward Ryan Tandy. Deep in debt at the time, Tandy was also at the centre of a compelling web of wagers. His flatmate, real estate agent, and manager all stood to profit from his actions. Only the pure unpredictability of sport stopped them from earning a major collect.While the punters walked away empty-handed, Tandy was placed in handcuffs soon afterwards. He would become the first person to be convicted for match-fixing in Australian history; a burden too heavy for one man to bear as Tandy's tragic and untimely death in April 2014 showed.Yet behind the sensational headlines, little is known about the real Ryan Tandy, the real story behind the match-fixing episode, or the police investigation that claimed his scalp. Senior News Corp sports reporter Josh Massoud spent three years reconstructing the events to deliver this gripping account from the darkest and most hidden recesses of Australian sport.

The compelling autobiography of England and Great Britain rugby league legend Adrian Morley. He tells it how it is, from his tough upbringing to brushes with the law to his incredible career in the toughest sport of them all.

At the George, Geoffrey Moorhouse's testament to a lifelong love of rugby league, was shortlisted for the inaugural William Hill Sports Book of the Year award in 1989. 'The very soul of rugby league, a sport that has been called 'the toughest in the world', lives within the pages of At the George. From first acquaintance some seasons ago, I believed it to be the finest book ever penned on the thirteen-a-side game... Today, the book remains as fresh as ever and as firmly placed on its pedestal... It is a seminal work, a precious treasure of the game. The book is from the heart, written by a man of intellect, who was bowled over by what he saw one May afternoon at Maine Road, Manchester, back in 1946, and who never lost his affection for the game.' Ian Heads, from his new Preface to this edition

Keith Senior is Mr Super League. The veteran Leeds Rhinos and former Great Britain centre has been one of the competition's most exciting and controversial talents since it began in 1996. Senior scored a try for Sheffield Eagles against Paris in Super League's opening game and has played more matches - and touched down more times - than anyone else in the competition's history. He was a member of the Sheffield side which stunned Wigan Warriors in the 1998 Challenge Cup final - one of rugby league's greatest-ever shocks - and starred for Leeds in their 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2009 Grand Final wins. He achieved overnight notoriety for a punchy which flattened Castleford's Barrie-Jon Mather in a televised Challenge Cup tie and was at the centre of more controversy when blamed for Leeds' defeat in the 2005 final. He is now ready to lift the lid on those incidents - as well as a drugs bust which almost cost him his career. Instantly-recognisable due to his shaven head, Senior has earned plaudits from coaches, fellow players and fans. But there's more to Senior's life story than his achievements and controversies on the field.Off it, his forthcoming autobiography "The Bald Truth" is an account of how he went from council estate to country estate. Brought up in humble circumstances in Huddersfield, he now lives in a country house in West Yorkshire, along with partner Victoria and a menagerie of animals - including one of the world's oldest rottweiler dogs! Getting there wasn't easy. Senior has a daughter from an ill-fated relationship a broken marriage behind him - antics which led to sensational coverage in the national press. He is now well known for his Ebay habit, of selling off his rugby mementos on the internet auction site - and is also building a reputation as one of the country's most unlikely equestrians and country gents. Searingly honest and packed with insights into his views on rugby, his fellow professionals and the world in general, "The Bald Truth" is a must-read sporting autobiography.

This book is part of the 50 Greats series, which collects short biographies and statistics of the 50 greatest players on various sporting teams or clubs throughout their histories.

This book is part of the 100 Greats series, which collects short biographies and statistics of the 100 greatest players on various sporting teams or clubs throughout their histories.

Hailing from Innesfail in rugged far north Queensland, Billy Slater's rugby league days began in the tough local Foley Shield competition, where his father and uncles had played before him. The struggle Billy endured to pursue the game, from his modest roots and remote locale, is symptomatic of the strength of character and physicality that saw him go on to play for the Melbourne Storm and eventually be voted the best footballer in the world. Now John Ellicott presents a finely crafted portrait of the star fullback: from his Spanish background and his family's beginnings up north, to the great rivalries of the Queensland towns who battled it out for the Foley Shield, through the eyes of former coaches and players who knew him. He has had a successful career: at Melbourne he set the club record for most ever tries and NRL record for most ever tries by a fullback. Slater also won three grand finals, the Clive Churchill Medal and the Dally M Medal with the Storm. With the Kangaroos he was the 2008 World Cup's top try-scorer and player of the tournament and won the 2008 Golden Boot Award as the World player of the year. Slater was also the winner of the television game show Australia's Greatest Athlete in 2009 and 2010. In 2012 he was the highest scoring fullback try scorer in the NRL. He scored the first try in Melbourne's 2013 World Club Challenge win over Leeds, he played at fullback for Australia in the 2013 ANZAC Test victory against New Zealand. He scored a hat-trick (3 Tries) against the Brisbane Broncos. Slater played all three games of the 2013 State of Origin series in which Queensland extended their record for consecutive series victories to eight. During 2013 Slater also became the 8th player in history of the League to score 150 tries. He was selected in Australia's 24-man squad for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, which Australia won. The trials and tribulations, blood, sweat and tears that went into what became a victorious lifetime in Rugby League, are revealed and celebrated in this riveting biography.

The recent 3-0 series whitewash over New Zealand was a glorious end to the Great Britain era. With Tony Smith's team competing as England from 2008, this is an ideal moment to reflect on the recent history of the national side, and to consider what the future holds. Starting with the watershed tour of the 1982 Australians, when GB were trounced by a truly outstanding side, this book relives the past 25 years of Great Britain rugby league, a period when the team have often faced adversity but have come back strongly. It gives the story both on and off the pitch, and features the recollections of some of the players and coaches involved. It concludes with a look ahead to the Rugby League World Cup of 2008 and the future of the national side under the England banner.

This book is part of the Images of Sport series, which uses old photographs and archived images to show the history of various local sports in Great Britain.

The Big O by Patrick Skene is the story of Olsen Filipaina, a New Zealand Hall of Fame rugby league legend who was a pathfinder for the Maori and Pasifika players who today dominate the Australian National Rugby League. In a career that saw him play 29 Tests for New Zealand and more than 100 first grade NSWRL games, Filipaina was an object of fascination for the rugby league community. To fans he was "the Galloping Garbo", a working-class hero who thrilled crowds in between shifts as a garbageman. To opponents, who feared his Polynesian power game, he was The Big O. To coaches and critics, he was simply "Olsen the enigma". Featured in the book are some of the pivotal figures of 1980s Australia and New Zealand sport including Sir Graham Lowe, Arthur Beetson, Roy Masters, Sir Peter Leitch, David Tua, Sir Bryan Williams, Wayne Pearce, Sir Michael Jones, John Ribot, Mark Graham, David Lange and NRL Immortal Wally Lewis who for the first time opens up about being outplayed by Filipaina in the 1985 Test series. The Big O tracks Olsen's story from his rise out of working-class South Auckland, to overcoming depression, racism and cultural dislocation in Sydney, to the Cinderella story of his success for the New Zealand Kiwis. Forty years after Filipaina burst into Australian rugby league, Skene relates the tale of a humble and principled man, a dynamic and magical pioneer of the 'Pacific Revolution'. The Big O' is a timely story of resilience, redemption, bravery and love. To understand Olsen's story is to understand the cultural changes that have reshaped the game of rugby league.

A history of rugby league in Manchester

Who are the biggest 'lady killers' in rugby league past and present? Which international footballer was beaten up by teenage kids in Spain? What are the best 10 on-field sledges of all time?In Gordie's Tales, The Footy Show star and Queensland and Australian league legend Gorden Tallis tells these hilarious true stories and many more. Gorden takes you inside State of Origin teams, on Kangaroo tours, and along for the ride on hilarious end of season trips. Gordie gives his 'rant' on what is right and wrong with the game, and even tells us what he would do if he were to run the NRL for one day!Gordie's Tales is a very funny and rare insight into the real world behind modern day rugby league, written by someone who embodies the humour and the grit of the toughest game of all.

The fortunes of Warrington Rugby League Club have soared, dived and soared again over the past forty years. There have been three Challenge Cup wins and give trips to Wembley. The Wire have become the Wolves. Great players have been idolised at Wilderspool and, since 2004, the magnificent Halliwell Jones Stadium. Throughout it all, Eddie Fuller has been there with his camera to catch this exciting and memorable sporting images. The 2010 season saw Warrington Wolves make history by retaining the Carnegie Challenge Cup and they did it in style by thrashing Leeds Rhinos at a sold-out Wembley Stadium. The Wolves, under inspirtational coach Tony Smith, also finished third in the Engage Super League, making them mone of the best teams in the country. Award-winning photographer Eddie Fuller and Daily Telegraph sports journalist Gary Slater feature these latest triumphs as they take a look at the club's fortunes over the past 40 years.

Leeds Rhinos and Great Britain forward Barrie McDermott is a modern rugby legend. Often described as notorious by the press, he admits he has had more punch-ups than hot dinners. McDermott has been at the very top of British Rugby League for more than a decade, starring for Oldham, Wigan and Leeds and earning caps for England, Ireland and Great Britain. But what is not widely known is that McDermott has achieved all this despite having lost an eye in a shooting accident when he was just 15. Away from rugby he has had regular brushes with the law - and in 1996 made headlines when he was the first person in the country to be arrested by police using CS gas. He later spent time behind bars after skipping bail to play for Leeds in a match in Paris, being arrested as he got off the plane on the homeward journey. He has appeared before the Rugby Football League's disciplinary committee many times, missing over 40 matches through suspension. This outspoken autobiography of one of rugby's hardest men lifts the lid on one of the most remarkable careers in British sport.

Since it's first publication, Rugby's Great Split has established itself as a classic in the field of sport history. Drawing on an unprecedented range of sources, this deeply researched and highly readable book traces the social, cultural and economic divisions that led, in 1895, to schism in the game of rugby and the creation of rugby league, the sport of England's northern working class. Tony Collins' analysis challenges many of the conventional assumptions about this key event in rugby history - about class conflict, amateurism in sport, the North-South divide, violence on the pitch, the development of mass spectator sport and the rise of football. This new edition is expanded to cover parallel events in Australia and New Zealand, and to address the key question of rugby league's failure to establish itself in Wales. Rugby's Great Split is a benchmark text in the history of rugby, and an absorbing case study of wider issues - issues of class, gender, regional and national identity, and the impact of the commercialization and recent professionalization of rugby league. This insightful text is for anyone interested in Britain's social history or in the emergence of modern sport, it is vital reading.

A life in pictures of one of the Australian Rugby League's favorite sons

Billy Slater is a talent unlike any other the modern game of Rugby League has seen. He has the innate ability to understand the emotion of the game, make a critical decision in an instant, and execute it. He is driven, skilled, charismatic, uncompromising, and a role model for aspiring League athletes and fans of the game around the world. This is a snapshot of Slater's life to date--his sport, his family, and his passions. These images tell the story of a man who has grown up with Rugby League in his DNA, embraced the professional spotlight, achieved the greatest accolades the game has to offer, and remained humble and committed throughout all of his success. Enjoy the pictures, relive the memories, and look forward to the next steps of Billy Slater

The story of Leeds Rugby League Club, based on the historic venue of Headingly, which through a vivid pictorial account follows the tribulations and successes of the club from Northern Union days, through the golden thirties and up to the present day.

When rival captains Norm Provan and Arthur Summons came together in a momentary embrace at the end of the 1963 Rugby League grand final, they could never have imagined the tradition they were building. They became the subject of one of sport's most enduring images, and ultimately the centrepiece of League's premiership trophy.Fifty years on, that moment is still celebrated as an iconic reflection of the game and its people. It is also a symbol of the changing face of sport, and of the role that sport has played in the Australian way of life. This book traces the legacy of Norm Provan and Arthur Summons and the champions of their time. In their own words, they tell how the game was, how it has changed, and where it is headed. They bring insight that only time and experience can fashion, and they do so with jaunty good humour.Provan and Summons remain two of the most recognised players in the game. They were champion internationals in their own right, and they each went on to become coaches of high achievement. Provan is perhaps the most successful player of all time, having played in ten grand finals and won the lot.They were the fiercest of rivals through three successive grand finals. Yet through the image that has immortalised them, they have become lifelong friends. This is their story and their sometimes provocative reflections on what has happened to Rugby League since.