Top 10: Less sociably responsible sponsors for Bradford

Having been trailed for a couple of days, Bradford made a big splash with their new shirt sponsorship deal. Provident Financial Group are they, one of those 'payday lenders', a term which has usurped terms like 'usurer' and 'loan shark' in the modern lexicon. What does that say about the perception of the demographic of the club and the sport that they're willing to commit to a relatively long deal for relatively good money? What on earth will they want in return? It's also very odd how the RFL deliberately shied away from alcohol and betting companies when trying to find a title sponsor for Super League, but this is hailed as A Good Thing.
The outcry when Newcastle United got into bed with a competitor of Provident was long and loud. We await similar emanating from environs of Bradford and the game as a whole.
Here, though, are ten sponsors they could have come up with that would, arguably, be even more socially irresponsible:

 

10. Ratners

 

9. Michael Barrymore pool cleaning services

 

8. Jimmy Savile child-minders

 

7. Starbucks

 

6. The Daily Mail

 

5. Importers of Danish ash trees

 

4. G4S

 

3. News International

 

2. Royal Bank of Scotland

 

1. Wonga.com

Top 10: Stupid things to get arrested for

It transpires that Huddersfield's new signing Ben Blackmore has been a naughty boy. He'd not informed the club that he, along with former team-mate Richard Owen, was due in court to answer charges of affray, charges that were brought after he was caught brawling with Father Christmas.
He has been spared jail - he received a six-month suspended sentence and was ordered to do 120 hours community service - but will start his Giants career with a written warning on his file.
The main point coming out of all this though is: who brawls with Father Christmas? We know Rugby League players are generally big daft lads, but that is low.
Here, though, are ten things lower:

10. Shooting Bambi's mum

9. Burgling the seven dwarves house while they're off down the mine

8. Using an artificial wind machine to blow the first two little pig's houses over

7. Blowing the third one up with gelignite

6. Trolling the three billy goats gruff on Twitter

5. Pushing Jack and Jill down the hill

4. Giving conflicting military advice to the Grand Old Duke of York

3. Spitting (or worse) into bear porridge

2. Making chops out of Mary's little lamb

1. Mugging the tooth fairy

Top 10: Players who never played for the Catalan Dragons

League Weekly? League Weakly more like, yeah? YEAH?
A colleague brought the trade papers in yesterday in order to go through them on our radio show. It's Huddersfield-based, so the main topic was the Giants' Super League game at home to the Catalan Dragons. The key phrase in the report was this: "Former Dragon Jason Chan..." Tiny misunderstanding there which less than 30 seconds on Wikipedia could have avoided. Jason, the Papuan international and former Crusader, merely shares a surname with Dragons Hall of Famer Alex, the former New Zealand international and five-season NRL veteran.
Now we're helpful types here, so to help League Weekly avoid any future misunderstanding, here are ten other people who have never played for the Catalan Dragons


10. Casey Jones

9. Anita Dobson

8. Gillian Anderson

7. Arthur Mullard

6. Vincent Price

5. Danny McGuire

4. Ian Bell

3. Menzies Campbell

2. Jackie Chan

1. Charlie Chan

Top 10: Things more disreputable than Wigan's team selection

Regular readers (welcome, both of you) may have noticed a Top 10 feature every month in venerable organ Forty20 magazine. Well it's written by us and we reserve the right to post interim Top 10s here that don't fit the publishing schedule of aforementioned monthly periodical. So here goes...


Faux-outrage was all the.. err.. rage after Wigan were beaten by Widnes last weekend. Not by the result itself, but the temerity of Wigan to select who they chose for their gameday 17 from their 29-man squad, a squad that was named well in advance of the season and therefore held no surprises. "Waah, waah" went the prevailing narrative, with added notions of bringing the game into disrepute and disrespecting their opponents.
Here are ten things that bring the game into disrepute more than naming a team from a known and published squad:

10. Players signing for rugby union clubs and saying they're going "for the challenge".

9. Fans bleating about referees rather than examining the deficiencies of their team.

8. The band at Headingley.

7. Margin Meter.

6. The Crusaders debacle.

5. Issac Luke's tackling technique.

4. Paying super-annuated Antipodean pensioners a king's ransom to facilitate their end-of-career jaunt round the fleshpots of Europe.

3. Declaring your intention to play international rugby for 'whoever wants me this month'.

2. A governing body that hangs one player out to dry when systematic doping is uncovered at one of it's member clubs.

1. Losing to Widnes.