Rugby League World Magazine - Tell us your thoughts!

[Rugby League World]

Issue 443 (March 2018) of Rugby League World magazine is out Friday 23rd Feb 2018 - or if you prefer to read your copy online, you can get the digital edition right now at www.totalrl.com/rlw or by downloading the Rugby League World app.

What's inside this month?

We’ve only just begun – but with the season still at the fledgling stage, there’s so much to talk about already. James Roby and Harrison Hansen, the respective captains of much fancied sides St Helens and Leigh Centurions, have told us about their aims for 2018.

As the dust settles on Super League’s historic Australian match and the World Club Challenge, we look back on the ‘NSW Tour’.

Wakefield  new boy Jordan Baldwinson reveals his desire for a routine, while Huddersfield’s Jake Mamo explains what it’s like trying to live up to the hype created before last season’s injury.

You’ve got to admire the resilience of Mark Aston, who details his determination to keep the game alive and kicking in Sheffield.

Nomadic coach Neil Kelly, now back at Dewsbury, has a great story to tell, as does Hemel Stags’ new international signing Stefanos Bastas.

Prepare to be sent to Coventry as we meet Alan Robinson, the man who insists league and union can happily co-exist in the West Midlands.

And who doesn’t love the most biased sports commentary ever? Mick Morgan, the man with the mic who saw red when Wigan’s Kelvin Skerrett cleaned out Castleford’s Andy Hay during the 1994 Regal Trophy final, and then became a YouTube sensation, is far more calm as he tells us about his new book, and you can win a copy too in our latest competiton.

All this plus our regular coverage of the grassroots game, Women's Rugby League and the international game with a special feature on the emergence of the Balkan Super League, plus roundups from France, Wales and Australia.

In shops across the UK from Friday 23rd Feb, grab your copy now or download the digital edition at www.totalrl.com/rlw – Also available by post and on subscription worldwide from www.totalrl.com/shop

[Gerrumonside ref]

Definitely buying it now that you’ve put Roby Wan Kenobi on the front cover.

[Wollo Wollo Wayoo]

Wow, looks like Wakefield get a rare mention.  I will match that with the equally rare but linked action of buying one to check it out.

[John Drake]

In shops today, folks!

Rush out and buy, etc...

Post thoughts, reaction, feedback, suggestions, recipes (no, actually, forget the recipes) here.

Constructive criticism is welcomed, but the occasional word of praise or encouragement is also appreciated.

[marklaspalmas]

2 hours ago, John Drake said:

 the occasional word of praise or encouragement is also appreciated.

Meh. You ask for the moon you do.

Weekend read arrived promptly in LP de GC this morning. Sweet.

Articles on Baldy and Mick Morgan already caught my eye.

[iffleyox]

Right, the pros:

excellent Mick Morgan interview/article

good coverage of the Australian festivities 

Coventry article is interesting

Cons:

this issue seems to have swerved back into "Smash Hits" territory - the cover call-outs for Wakey and Hudds, and indeed the "Saints Alive" headline, are all player profiles when you get to them. Personally, and I said this before the other year when it was going that way under a previous editor, 3 player profiles is about 3 too many. I can understand the temptation, because presumably it's relatively fish in a barrel journalism in that given how many pro players there are, a few will give you an interview any given month, but I'm not sure what it's adding to the sum of knowledge. To be fair, none of them are quite at the "what did you have for breakfast?" level!

Oddly, I don't feel the same about club profiles - I think perhaps there are more stories at a club level, so it doesn't grate as much. The Leigh article is much more the sort of thing I want to read. Overall though, it is a better mag than it was say 2 years ago.

[John Drake]

1 hour ago, iffleyox said:

Right, the pros:

excellent Mick Morgan interview/article

good coverage of the Australian festivities 

Coventry article is interesting

Cons:

this issue seems to have swerved back into "Smash Hits" territory - the cover call-outs for Wakey and Hudds, and indeed the "Saints Alive" headline, are all player profiles when you get to them. Personally, and I said this before the other year when it was going that way under a previous editor, 3 player profiles is about 3 too many. I can understand the temptation, because presumably it's relatively fish in a barrel journalism in that given how many pro players there are, a few will give you an interview any given month, but I'm not sure what it's adding to the sum of knowledge. To be fair, none of them are quite at the "what did you have for breakfast?" level!

Oddly, I don't feel the same about club profiles - I think perhaps there are more stories at a club level, so it doesn't grate as much. The Leigh article is much more the sort of thing I want to read. Overall though, it is a better mag than it was say 2 years ago.

Thanks for the constructive feedback, as always, much appreciated.

We're going to run a reader's survey in the next issue, to get a broader view of what people who already buy the mag like or don't like about it, as well as running a different survey separately online to find out what lapsed or potential new readers want to see in there that would encourage them to buy Rugby League World on a regular basis in future.

[iffleyox]

on that note then - really miss this year the pocket fixture guide. A lifeline for the non-heartlands at least in terms of something to keep in the kitchen with an at-a-glance guide to dates and what's going on.

[MamaKangaroo]

Lovely write up on Becky Greenfield. 

[billie joe]

God haven't got the magazine for over ten years.

[John Drake]

18 hours ago, billie joe said:

God haven't got the magazine for over ten years.

Now's a good time to start getting it again, then! 

You don't know what you've been missing.

[billie joe]

Have to admit used to enjoy reading it I suppose because of the internet just haven't bothered getting any RL paper or magazine.

[John Drake]

15 hours ago, billie joe said:

Have to admit used to enjoy reading it I suppose because of the internet just haven't bothered getting any RL paper or magazine.

You can read it on t'internet these days...

http://www.totalrl.com/rlw

[Man of Kent]

Too many photos used as blatant filler.

[Amber Avenger]

1 hour ago, Man of Kent said:

Too many photos used as blatant filler.

This would be my criticism of late, especially the December issue which was basically a photo album of the world cup. Now I'm not saying it wasn't nicely produced or anything and some people get a real kick out of it, but I'm not the sort of person that would buy a souvenir supplement. I understand that maybe magazines of bigger supported sports would do it either as freebie supplement or a completely separate special, the kind you see for £8 in WHSmith train stations. In the past eight and a half years of subscribing it's the only issue I could actually say I didn't enjoy (I don't like to be needlessly negative, so I will say that means there about 100 issues I have enjoyed!). 

Anyway, that's in the past and I can cope with that as a one off, but if it got to December this year and there was a "2018 in pictures" special, I don't think I'd be hugely pleased. 

To make it more relevant to recent issues, a couple of pages of pictures of, say, the Grand Final or Challenge Cup, again isn't my bag but they are big occasions and it isn't harming anyone. The current issue with multiple pages of the various leagues kicking off to me can't be described in any other way than filler especially with the amount of pages it seems to be growing to. I wouldn't like to see this every month, and whilst you want some colour to the mag, a bit of context wouldn't go amiss - that is what the RLWC picture special was sorely missing, a bit more meat on those bones. 

So, I try not to post in these RLW threads negatively without adding some positivity into the mix. The "Big Five" idea is a good one, but I think it can be expanded. How about a "Big Five" revisited. I know publication dates can play havoc, as some of the matches highlighted wont be played until after the next ish is on sale, but maybe pick one or two and see if they lived up to the hype. Yes we can read the match report in the League Express, but if the clubs and fans are bigging it up, did it live up to the billing, any funny incidents etc? I used to like the Secret Speccie column, as they reported from the action as a member of the crowd. Maybe something like that could be done, an RLW writer, or even fan, sees one of the big five from the terraces, especially if it isn't a SL game. Just a thought anyway!

[billie joe]

8 hours ago, John Drake said:

You can read it on t'internet these days...

http://www.totalrl.com/rlw

Yeah of course didn't even think to be honest.