In the current issue of Rugby League World, Dave Hadfield looks at some of the games which to certain players represent the worst match of their life. From Don Fox, Sid Hynes, Adrian Morley, Steve Hampson, Gary Connolly and more, some of the greatest players have a bit of a 'mare on the biggest stages. But what's your worst match? Whether as a player, coach, administrator or supporter at any level of the game, tell us your worst experience and we'll publish a selection of your comments in the next issue, due out 5th Nov. You can post your comments here, or email them to Here is mine[/size Date: Sunday 6th May 2007 Time: 19:46 Game: Bradford Bulls 38-42 Leeds Rhinos Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff It had been a great game with both sides giving 110% for the previous 77 minutes, but as we entered the final two minutes with Bradford receiving the ball following a Sinfield kick on the last tackle and trying to run the clock down by playing percentage Rugby League. With 60 seconds to go, Leeds had one last set of six to win the game from deep and had made it over halfway with a charge from Gareth Ellis who looked for support and forced the pass to Buchanan which just rolled down his body as Harris made a crunching tackle, before hitting Ellis's right leg and the ball ending up in the arms of Bradford player Matt Cook. But Steve Ganson and Ashley Klein had other ideas and cue two of the most disgraceful decisions every seen in Rugby League. First, Bradford now had the ball in the shape of Matt Cook following the error by Ellis, but Ashley Klein had seen something that nobody else to this day had seen and told Steve Ganson to award a penalty to Leeds with Klein claiming that the ball had come off Harris with Cook in front and offside. The replays showed this to be utter fantasy on Kleins part as the ball had indeed come off the Leeds players foot and the penalty should not have been given. The second great injustice was as Sinfield was ready to convert the penalty that had been disgracefully awarded to Leeds, Jordan Tansey had already set off sprinting down towards the Bradford try line and as Sinfields penalty attempt hit the right hand post, Tansey who has a good 10m offside put the ball down. Steve Ganson had earlier called on Ashley Klein eight times to rule on the legitimacy of tries and the Bradford players/supporters were incensed when he gave Tansey's try right on the hooter. Replays confirmed what everyone in the ground (myself included) and those at home watching had seen and that Tansey was indeed offside and the try should not have been given. We had seen the game outrageously taken away from us by the match officials and Steve McNamara got straight to the point in his assessment of the game claiming his side were "cheated" of victory. Those two decisions caused a furore with every Bradford supporter in the Millennium Stadium with "CHEAT CHEAT CHEAT" reverberating around the stadium. It was a dark day for Rugby League, with the evidence caught live on Sky Sports that two match officials had influenced a result of Rugby League in favour of the Leeds Rhinos over the Bradford Bulls. Both would be dropped the next weekend but it was little punishment for their disgraceful decisions. To this day myself and many other Bradford supporters believe there we're exterior motives at play on that cold wet Sunday evening in Cardiff.

In the current issue of Rugby League World, Dave Hadfield looks at some of the games which to certain players represent the worst match of their life. From Don Fox, Sid Hynes, Adrian Morley, Steve Hampson, Gary Connolly and more, some of the greatest players have a bit of a 'mare on the biggest stages. But what's your worst match? Whether as a player, coach, administrator or supporter at any level of the game, tell us your worst experience and we'll publish a selection of your comments in the next issue, due out 5th Nov. You can post your comments here, or email them to Here is mine[/size Date: Sunday 6th May 2007 Time: 19:46 Game: Bradford Bulls 38-42 Leeds Rhinos Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff It had been a great game with both sides giving 110% for the previous 77 minutes, but as we entered the final two minutes with Bradford receiving the ball following a Sinfield kick on the last tackle and trying to run the clock down by playing percentage Rugby League. With 60 seconds to go, Leeds had one last set of six to win the game from deep and had made it over halfway with a charge from Gareth Ellis who looked for support and forced the pass to Buchanan which just rolled down his body as Harris made a crunching tackle, before hitting Ellis's right leg and the ball ending up in the arms of Bradford player Matt Cook. But Steve Ganson and Ashley Klein had other ideas and cue two of the most disgraceful decisions every seen in Rugby League. First, Bradford now had the ball in the shape of Matt Cook following the error by Ellis, but Ashley Klein had seen something that nobody else to this day had seen and told Steve Ganson to award a penalty to Leeds with Klein claiming that the ball had come off Harris with Cook in front and offside. The replays showed this to be utter fantasy on Kleins part as the ball had indeed come off the Leeds players foot and the penalty should not have been given. The second great injustice was as Sinfield was ready to convert the penalty that had been disgracefully awarded to Leeds, Jordan Tansey had already set off sprinting down towards the Bradford try line and as Sinfields penalty attempt hit the right hand post, Tansey who has a good 10m offside put the ball down. Steve Ganson had earlier called on Ashley Klein eight times to rule on the legitimacy of tries and the Bradford players/supporters were incensed when he gave Tansey's try right on the hooter. Replays confirmed what everyone in the ground (myself included) and those at home watching had seen and that Tansey was indeed offside and the try should not have been given. We had seen the game outrageously taken away from us by the match officials and Steve McNamara got straight to the point in his assessment of the game claiming his side were "cheated" of victory. Those two decisions caused a furore with every Bradford supporter in the Millennium Stadium with "CHEAT CHEAT CHEAT" reverberating around the stadium. It was a dark day for Rugby League, with the evidence caught live on Sky Sports that two match officials had influenced a result of Rugby League in favour of the Leeds Rhinos over the Bradford Bulls. Both would be dropped the next weekend but it was little punishment for their disgraceful decisions. To this day myself and many other Bradford supporters believe there we're exterior motives at play on that cold wet Sunday evening in Cardiff.

Wigan 71-10 Bradford Northern (Burnden Park, Bolton) 1992 challenge cup semi final

Getting thrashed by crappy Hudds at home last year.

The 1999 grand final was pretty disappointing, as it was the first time I'd watched the Bulls in the final and I we'd hammered Saints two weeks before at Odsal. We was robbed!

Loosing to Leeds in the 2004 Grand Final.

Wide to West is up there as one of my all time worst moments whilst watching Bradford.

celtic crusaders 2009 at home it was so bad not been to odsal since

Burnden Park easily

Several of the 2010 fiascos. Total unmitigated shìte.

I thought 2009 was bad, but some of those losses in 2010 were total waknerage.

Before that, I think some of the 1998 fiascos - like losing 11-10 away at Salford, and the Tynecastle debacle - were seriously bad. As have been several of the awful home games against Stains in recent years.

Wide to West was dreadful in the 80th minute, but the match was OK - quite exciting - till then. Stains deserved to win that one - we clocked off and they did not, ref and never-was-a-penalty notwithstanding.

For Big Ticket Matches, that pathetic excuse of a performance against Stains at Rah Rah HQ took some beating. Horrid.

To watch.........The drubbing by Hudds at home last year or Salford away last year when we won 7-0 an absolutely terrible game to watch!!!
Worst Feeling.....Either Millenium Magic against Leeds or 99 Grand Final

This would probably be mine - crap game, crap performance, crap weather. I've never been so unbothered we lost a final, I just felt nothing after leaving that match. Massive dissapointment all round.

That was such a god awful day.
Long crappy coach ride to Twickers.
Sat with the Saints fans too near the front for the roof.
5 of us in the family and only 4 waterproofs so I took the bullet and got absolutely bloody soaked. To the point where at one point, I couldn't actually see due to a waterfall off my head.
One of the worst games of RL I've ever seen, including awful performance from our side.
We lost.
City got relegated from the Premiership on the same day, with Carbone missing two penalties.
Long crappy coach ride home.

If we're going for the full crap day experience, that gets my vote.

As far as close games that don't go your way, the 2002 Grand Final left me about as deflated as I've ever been at the end of a match.

But at least that had an exciting game beforehand which we nearly won. Unlike the 44-2 stuffing we got at Headingley a couple of years ago, where it was pure torture standing there for the full 80 minutes while we got ripped apart. If I remember right, we were 2-0 up, then it went severely downhill. That was also one of the games where fans turned on Shontayne, who looked like he was just making sure he didn't get injured before toddling off to the dark side.

being nilled at home against saints about 5 year ago wasn't too pleasant. i try not to think about matches that are too bad.