I’m a long-time lurker of this forum and have always been reluctant to start posting myself, especially given the dwindling quality of proper discussion on here which I didn’t really fancy getting sucked into. I was also wary of being accused of being a ‘fake account’ since there are so many of those popping up these days (and it’s definitely clear which ones are playing that game).
Anyhow, we’re coming up to the off-season and I thought I’d chip in with a bit of something that might help keep you occupied while there are fewer games happening in the coming weeks and months.
I live in Asia and it’s always a bit of a struggle to keep up with the game because of the time difference, despite waking up in the early hours every weekend to stream the SKY games and watch with half-open eyes. So one thing I have found that’s been so useful in terms of staying in touch with what’s happening and getting regular doses of rugby league, is podcasts. And there are so many of them! It seems that every man and his dog has a podcast these days, but the handful that I listen to regularly that are focused on rugby league (of the Northern Hemisphere variety) are great and offer something a bit different.
I’ve listed out a few of my personal favourites, as well as a few that I haven’t listened to but know others do. I’m sure there are plenty on here who listen to more than I do, so feel free to add some information or suggestions that I haven’t mentioned.
I figured this would be a good way to pool them all together for people who aren’t really turned onto podcasts. Like I said, I don’t listen to every single one out there but it’s always good to learn more and see what else is available. Plus there have been times where I’ve wanted to actually talk about specific podcast episodes and hear what other people think, and haven’t yet really found anywhere to do that. So this might be a start:
OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE
Hosted by BBC presenter Will Perry (and usually with Mark Flanagan and Jon Wilkin), this is by far my favourite listen. Each week there’s a different guest on, more often than not to talk about the ‘human side’ of RL, rather than reviewing/previewing that week’s fixtures.
A couple of weeks ago they had Shaun Wane was on to discuss his childhood, upbringing, and the journey of his playing and coaching career. It was really insightful stuff and actually quite inspiring to hear about the life he’s lived and the struggles he’s been through. They also had Keegan Hirst on during an “LGBTQ Special” where he spoke about how he came out and the effect it’s had on both his playing career and his personal life. Makes a nice change to hear players and coaches talk with a bit more humanity and on some interesting topics.
Another good thing is that each episode is filmed and put up onto the Super League YT channel, as well as being on all other audio streaming apps of course. Definitely worth giving it a listen if you haven’t yet.
5 LIVE RUGBY LEAGUE
I always love listening to Dave Woods so this is a good one that comes out every week too. It usually has a weekly feature interview to talk a bit about the coming games or the latest news. The audio quality has a bit of a ‘radio feel’ to it too (rather than that of a crisp-sounding recording studio), which I enjoy. Makes you feel like it’s matchday and you’re listening on your way to the game in your car.
In the latest episode they had Ian Blease from Salford on, who’s a great speaker and gives some pretty interesting insight into the backroom operations at the club these days. They also had Wilkin on to preview the Championship final and to talk about the perception of RL over in Toronto.
Again, this is on all the podcast apps and on the BBC site if you don’t know where to find it.
TOTAL RUGBY LEAGUE SHOW
This one’s a bit more ‘bread and butter’ match reviews and previews. It’s hosted by a few journalists who interchange every so often: Ben Hughes, Martyn Sadler (League Express), Matthew Shaw (Total RL), Alex Davis (Rugby League World) and Aaron Bower (the Guardian). It can get a bit shouty and argumentative at times, but still has some decent chat about the latest fixtures and results. I’m not the biggest fan of Sadler but this group has some good chemistry and talk a fair amount of sense about the game.
One thing I do like about it is that they have weekly updates not just Super League, but also Championship, League 1 and Women’s RL, and seem to know their stuff when it comes to talking about each of them.
OTHER PODCASTS THAT I DON’T HAVE THE ENERGY/KNOWLEDGE TO TYPE ABOUT:
• FORTY 20
• RUGBY LEAGUE BACK CHAT
• RUGBY AM
• LOVE RUGBY LEAGUE WEEKLY
• THE IN-TOUCH SHOW (BETFRED)
• PLENTY OF NRL PODCASTS THAT I DON’T KNOW ABOUT |
