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The Greatest Game of All or Rugby League as it is known to some has given me nearly a half a century of pleasure and a little pain. In 1966 at the ripe old age of 6 I was introduced to our game when my Uncle Harry moved into the bedroom I shared with my younger brother in a 2 bedroom fibro joint in Rockdale(Dragon Territory). Harry was playing lower grades for Jack Gibsons Roosters and went on to play for St George in the 1971 Grand Final against my other front rower mate John Sattler and his Rabbitohs. By the age of 9 I had memorized every player in the Big League magazine. The game became my obsession. Even if I had not been lucky enough to play over 100 games in the best competition in the world(arguably in any sport) Rugby League was in my blood. As a Rothmans Medal winner (the official player of the year award in 1983 succeeded by The Dally M Medal) I have always been aware of the history of our great game and its effect on society especially in the northern states of Australia. Apart from obtaining a Law degree at Sydney University I studied the Politics in Sport while completing my Arts Degree at Macquarie University. I believed our game was ahead of sports like baseball, gridiron and basketball that relied heavily on statistics to rate their great players. Ours is a game of passion made for the blue collar working classman relying on guts and determination not on how many yards and minutes someone makes or plays. However as we get older we all like to dig deep into history and see who had the ability and drive to play even one game in the toughest competition playing the greatest game of all. This book does what none other has attempted to dotell a story using numbers and statistics about our great game. It is something every player and fan would do well to study. Stephen Kane the author of this book could be a reincarnation of Stephen Harold Gascoigne, better known as Yabba whose statue stands proudly at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Yabba was known for his knowledgeable witticisms shouted loudly from The Hill, a grassy general admissions area of the SCG. A lot like Yabba Kaney can be found every winter Sunday on the hill at Greenfield Park Albury(or away in Junee, Temora or Wagga) cheering his beloved Thunder to victory in the Group 9 Premiership loudly and clearly from 10 am to 5.30pm. In his spare time since breaking his back 7 years ago he has collected statistics on players in the NSWRL(now known as the NRL) dating back to 1908. The first words Kaney said to me was I have every Rugby League Week ever published as he showed me his EELS tattoo. You got sin binned once in your career at North Sydney Oval in 1983 or was it 1984?? I knew I was in the company of a Rugby League tragic. This study of our game will help all of us who love the game and those of us lucky enough to have played it a better insight into the players of the greatest game of all from the top to the bottom. Written by Mike Eden, who played 110 Games for Manly, Easts, Parramatta and Gold Coast, is Gold Coast Player Number 1, and Won the Dally M award for Player of the Year in 1983

For 40 years, the finest players Queensland and NSW have to offer have squared off in a battle for State of Origin supremacy. From Immortals Beetson, Lewis, Johns and Meninga to all-time greats Lockyer, Thurston, Smith, Slater, Fittler and Daley, the roll call of Origin legends reads like a who's who of rugby league. Former Rugby League Week editor and author of '110 Years of Rugby League' Martin Lenehan unlocks the secret of what makes Origin so special and gets the inside story from the men who made the magic happen. This magnificent 224-page tribute showcases the great games and great names that have made State of Origin compelling viewing from the moment Big Artie and Tommy Raudonikis lit up Lang Park way back in 1980. Four decades of passion, pride and pulsating contests are brought to life in '40 Years of Origin' - from Mark Coyne's try for the ages in 1994 to the Geyer v Lewis showdown in 1991 and the Maroons' eight-year dynasty; from Alfie and Joey's comebacks to Freddy and Locky's emotional farewells. Featuring more than 150 incredible images and classic tales from the likes of Wally Lewis, Darren Lockyer, Johnathan Thurston, Steve Roach and Bill Harrigan, '40 Years of Origin' is the ultimate tribute to rugby league's showpiece event.

For any serious follower of the game, this updated edition is a must. Everypremiership player since 1908 is listed, as well as the great players whohave represented Australia. This book now in it's sixth edition has soldover 300,000 units since it was first published.Completely updated with all stats on each player and their career in RugbyLeague.

Since the arrival of the New Zealand 'All Golds' who introduced the game to Australian shores in 1907, rugby league has had a colourful and controversial history. Rugby League Through the Decades is a celebration of each decade in that history; showcasing champion players, countless matches and suburban football clubs, many now gone forever. Including hundreds of images, many never before published; rare memorabilia, season records and international details, this books packs 110 years of sporting history into its 560 pages. Written in the style of 'unfolding history' to give the reader a sense of 'being there' at each historic moment in the game's evolution, the different era's of the game are reflected in the language and fashions of the times, and wonderfully portray the drama and emotion of the 'greatest game of all!'

In March 2008, Rugby League celebrates 100 years of history in this country. Long known as the greatest game of all it is the dominant code in New South Wales and Queensland, and in recent years it has gained a foothold in Victoria, and beyond. This book is the story of the game over those years: the great eras and the great games; the great players from Dally Messenger to Andrew Johns; the always passionate (and sometimes bitter) rivalry of the State of Origin games; the overseas tours; and in recent years, the Super League turmoil, through to the present era. And it looks ahead to increased competition from other football codes It is a popular yet authoritative account, aimed at the general reader, not simply the dedicated fan.