Mention the name Leon Pryce to a rugby league fan who’s seen a game over the last 20 years, and you immediately think of a number of things.
Where to start? There is, of course, the glittering playing career which begun all the way back in the late-1990s and only finished a few weeks ago. There’s the infamous incident from the 2006 Tri Nations where Pryce controversially dubbed Blackpool Beach as an improvement on Sydney’s Bondi counterpart.
There have been off-field misdemeanours. There have been trophies aplenty. And there have been an incredible amount of highlights in one of the most stellar playing careers of the summer era.
And all of that and more is featured in Pryce’s autobiography, ‘Pryceless: The Leon Pryce Story’, which is released today (Friday 16 June).
The book tracks Pryce’s humble origins from a working-class area of Bradford – growing up just stone’s throw away from the Odsal Stadium he would grace hundreds of times during his career – right through to the heady heights of BullMania, the treble-winning St Helens squad of 2006 and subsequent spells with Catalans and Hull FC.
But for all the trophies and big games Pryce has won throughout his career, it is the hilarious glance on matters off the field which makes Pryceless an essential rugby league read.
From the infamous incident in the wake of the 2006 Grand Final when Pryce and a number of Saints team-mates dyed the ginger locks of James Graham – and his eyebrows! – jet black, which is brilliantly recounted by Pryce, to an unusual incident on the training ground involving a number of international players and a gun, Pryceless is as funny as it is serious.
Crucially, Pryce does not shirk away from the big moments and big incidents of his career and life, including the two court cases which attracted headlines from the press for the wrong reasons.
Finally, there is an exclusive recollection of the demise of Bradford Bulls late last year, told from the perspective of the players after the Bulls’ administration culminated in eventual liquidation. Bradford fans will want to purchase the book for that reason alone as explosive revelations are revealed.
All in all, it is a worthy addition to the bookshelf of any rugby league fan.
Pryceless: The Leon Pryce Story is released today (Friday 16 June). It is available in all good bookshops and online from Amazon and Waterstones also.
Pryce will be conducting book signings at:
- Waterstones Bradford: Friday 16 June (12-1:30pm)
- Bradford Bulls Club Shop: Saturday 17 June (12-2pm)
- St Helens Club Shop: Friday 23 June (prior to kick-off against Salford Red Devils)