THIS is our annual series that looks back at the year just gone and selects the most significant and memorable moments, whether they are triumphs or tragedies, great matches or momentous incidents, domestic or international events.
Let us know whether you agree with our selections.
Our countdown of the top 50 moments of the year began here.
20 Wigan’s Grand Final victory
Wigan laid claim to be the greatest Rugby league side of the modern era with victory in the Super League Grand Final, completing a historic quadruple of World Club Challenge, Challenge Cup, League Leaders’ Shield and Super League title.
In overcoming a resilient Hull KR 9-2 in the Grand Final at Old Trafford it was the first clean sweep in a calendar year since the establishment of the Super League.
Bevan French grabbed the game’s only try, with Adam Keighran and Harry Smith contributing a penalty and field-goal respectively. It was also the first back-to-back Super League Grand Final win in Wigan’s history.
The Warriors were led by coach Matt Peet who, in his three years of the club, has seen his side lift no fewer than seven trophies. Prior to the Grand Final he enlisted Manchester United’s legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson to give a pre-match team talk.
“We just thought we were on the verge of doing something similar to when United won the treble in 1999 and our challenge at the moment is continuing our success,” said Peet.
19 Changes at Hull FC
The 2024 season was a disaster for Hull FC.
The club finished in eleventh position in the Super League table and were only ahead of bottom-placed London Broncos on points difference.
The season had begun with Tony Smith as Hull’s head coach but he was sacked in April after his side lost six of its first seven games.
Simon Grix and Francis Cummins were appointed as interim coaches with the club announcing in May that John Cartwright would coach the club from 2025.
But even bigger news for Hull supporters was confirmed in December when owner Adam Pearson revealed that negotiations for the sale of the club to wealthy investors Andrew Thirkill and David Hood OBE had been completed.
Pearson said in a statement: “It gives me great pleasure to confirm that I am today handing over custodianship of this great club to such responsible and worthy individuals as Andrew Thirkill and David Hood OBE. I feel incredibly fortunate for them to have agreed to have taken on the responsibility of the future security and prosperity of the club.”
Pearson also revealed that the two men, who are both independently very wealthy, will take no money from the club for a three-year period, including no salary, no management fees, no loan repayments and no interest.
18 The Blues seal Origin series
New South Wales beat Queensland 14-4 in Brisbane to claim their 17th State of Origin series while denying the Maroons a third successive victory.
It was one of the Blues’ greatest Origin victories at the home of their bitter rivals.
It was just the third time in 45 years of State of Origin the Blues have won a deciding match in Brisbane.
In a magnificent encounter, played in front of a full house of 52,457, it took more than an hour for the game’s first try. Yet the contest delivered the physical confrontation the series is famous for.
Bradman Best and Mitchell Moses crossed for the only tries of the game in the closing stages of a brutal contest to help their side to a first title since 2021.
Victory in the decider completed a superb comeback for the Blues after they were beaten 38-10 in the opening fixture of the three-game series.
They responded with a 38-18 victory in Melbourne in game two but had previously lost six straight deciders at Suncorp Stadium.
“That was one of the toughest games I’ve played,” said Best, adding it was “very special” to win in Brisbane.
The victory ended years of domination by the Maroons in deciders, and was just the Blues’ sixth success in 23 series.
17 Mark Aston suspended for 18 months
Following a Rugby Football League compliance investigation, an independent Operational Rules Tribunal was convened on October 17 to consider alleged breaches in March 2024 by Mark Aston and Mick Heys, who were respectively head coach and head physiotherapist at Sheffield Eagles.
The alleged breaches concerned the appearance of Matty Marsh for the Eagles in their Challenge Cup tie at Wigan Warriors on March 22, 13 days after he had suffered a head injury during a Championship fixture against Swinton Lions, and without having received the necessary medical clearance to return.
The ORT’s decision was conveyed to Aston, Heys and Sheffield Eagles on October 22, as follows: “Mark Aston has been suspended for 18 months, from coaching in Rugby League or holding any senior position within the sport which might involve any influence over team selection, until April 30, 2026;
“Mick Heys has also been suspended for 18 months, from holding a medical position in Rugby League – but six months of his sentence has been suspended for 12 months, in recognition that he ‘admitted his conduct at the outset’ and ‘has apologised and expressed significant remorse’ – meaning his suspension runs until October 31, 2025.”
In imposing the sentences HHJ C Batty, the Tribunal Chair, wrote: “These are very serious breaches of the Operational Rules designed to protect the welfare of those who play the game. For the reasons set out above the penalties for those who breach these rules must be significant.”
After some initial hesitation, the RFL agreed that an appeal by Aston could be submitted to the independent arbitration body Sport Resolutions with further details set to emerge.
16 No changes to promotion and relegation
At the Rugby League Council meeting in December the clubs in membership of the RFL voted against the restoration of a form of promotion and relegation between Super League and the Championship.
A motion had been put to the meeting by Kevin Nicholas of Batley Bulldogs and Dewsbury Rams chairman Mark Sawyer to allow the winner of the Championship Grand Final (if a Grade B club) to replace the lowest finishing Grade B club in Super League.
The voting saw 14 members vote for it to 16 against, with ten deciding to abstain. Despite that, the weighted voting was 63% to 37% as votes of Super League clubs are worth double those of Championship and League One clubs.
Nicholas was annoyed by the fact that it was a secret vote and he hopes those who voted against his league structure proposal stand by their decision after predicting that they will change their minds if things go wrong next year.
“Obviously I’m disappointed but it wasn’t a total surprise,” Nicholas said.
“People who didn’t vote for it, when it comes to next year and something goes wrong then, they’ll be claiming they voted for it.”
15 745 Game’s modified rugby rules
The ‘745 Game’ was played at Headingley in November and it was named as such in honour of the shirt numbers worn by Rob Burrow, former Gloucester player Ed Slater and Scotland great Doddie Weir.
The 13-a-side showdown at Headingley was held to aid research into Motor Neurone Disease. It involved a number of former players from both codes and was won 33-21 by the Rugby League side.
Former England Union and League stars included Danny McGuire, Danny Brough, Danny Cipriani and Billy Twelvetrees.
The game attracted an attendance of 10,044 on a Sunday afternoon at Headingley with rules modified from both codes of rugby. It’s impossible to know at present whether it proves to be a total one-off game, or the first step in a future reunion of the two codes.
“It was great to get everyone in the same stadium for a great cause,” said Cipriani, who pulled his boots back on for the first time since he left Premiership club Bath in 2022.
“How often do we all get together in one place? There’s no rivalries or division, no segregation, we’re all here for the same reason and that’s why it feels so good.”
14 Grading secures Trinity return to Super League
Wakefield Trinity’s return to Super League was confirmed in October following the release of the first official grades by the RFL and its strategic partner IMG.
Trinity had hammered Toulouse 36-0 to win the Championship Grand Final a few days earlier but they had to wait to see whether they had booked their place in the top flight.
The announcement largely avoided controversy, with Championship winners Trinity replacing last season’s Super League bottom club London, who nevertheless increased their score from 8.07 to 12.65 from last year’s indicative grades, climbing from 24th to 14th place in the rankings.
Wakefield joined Leigh and Castleford in achieving gradings scores of over 15, earning an A grade and immunity from relegation, provided the score is maintained at the same time next year.
On the other hand Hull FC lost their A grade, falling to a score of 14.51, but they were one of three B grade clubs to retain their Super League places, along with Huddersfield and Salford, in 10th to 12th places respectively.
13 Bevan French wins first Rob Burrow Award
Bevan French made history at the Super League Grand Final in two quite distinct ways.
He became the first winner of the Rob Burrow Award as the player of the match, after its name had been changed from its former name of the Harry Sunderland Trophy.
And he also became the first player in the history of the game to win the Lance Todd Trophy as player of the match in the Challenge Cup Final before winning the top individual award at the Grand Final in the same season.
Geoff Burrow, Rob’s father, presented French with the Rob Burrow Award after he won 25 of the 31 votes cast by members of the media.
“It is an honour to introduce the Rob Burrow Award for the outstanding performer in the Super League Grand Final. Rob has transcended Rugby League, both with the skill, speed and courage he showed on the field,” said Rhodri Jones, the managing director of Rugby League Commercial.
French scored the only try of the game with a score that was similar to the try that Burrow scored in 2011 against St Helens, showing brilliant evasive skills before touching down.
12 Hull KR reach their first Grand Final
Hull KR reached their first Super League Grand Final after resisting a ferocious Warrington Wolves comeback to win 10-8 in a thrilling home semi-final.
Tries by James Batchelor try and Joe Burgess put them 10-0 up on a momentous night for a side moulded in recent years by their coach Willie Peters.
Matty Ashton scored two superb second-half tries to give Sam Burgess’ Wolves hope of reaching a second major final this season – having made it to June’s Challenge Cup decider, which they lost to Wigan.
As the game neared its climax the Robins’ defence resisted several fierce attacks from Warrington, who had two late scores overruled as they fell just short.
Hull KR became the tenth new team to reach a Super League Grand Final in the competition’s history.
The Robins had been relegated to the Championship eight years ago, and they finished bottom of the table in the Covid-impacted 2020 campaign. Their emergence as a major contender for trophies indicates just how strong the Robins’ turnaround has been.
11 Matt Peet’s long contract
Wigan announced in March that the club had agreed unprecedented seven-year contracts for their head coach Matt Peet and his assistants.
The announcement was made soon after Wigan had beaten the NRL’s Penrith Panthers to win the World Club Challenge, with Peet, Sean O’Loughlin and Thomas Leuluai all given new contracts that will expire in 2030.
The decision is a reward for Peet’s outstanding performance since being appointed in 2021.
Wigan chief executive Kris Radlinski said: “It all began during the pre-season training camp in Portugal and witnessing the coaching team up close during the camp served as the catalyst.
“While I knew Matt, Sean and Thomas were talented, seeing their depth of knowledge and delivery, and the players’ receptiveness was impressive.
“Part of my role is to look ahead constantly, and I always need to contemplate our next steps should the coaches decide to move on. Our trio of coaches, led by Matt Peet, have not only won matches and trophies but also the hearts of the players, the fans and the communities they represent.
“I believe what we have created is a unique offering in the sports industry, where the well-being and support for the people who lead the teams are often neglected. I am confident that these exceptional individuals will guide our club to further success.”
