As the game prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the sporting world’s most iconic images at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday, the National Rugby League is also commemorating 40 years of Big League, the game’s official publication.
Launched as Rugby League News back in 1920, the name change ahead of the 1974 season marked a new era for the game’s collection of team lists, player profiles and news stories that has become a staple of the game-day experience.
Now, 40 years on, we look back through each of the years at the people and the events that have shaped the game into what it is today.
From the early days of player management in 1974, the use of video reviews in 1976 and Jack Gibson’s arrival at Parramatta in 1981 right through until the departure of Benji Marshall from the Wests Tigers in 2013, every year is covered in detail with team lists, special features and club news items from every team, every year.
Former Big League editors share their recollections of the seminal moments during their time in the chair and we count down the 40 stories from the past 40 years that we’ll never forget.
It’s a collector’s item that no rugby league fan should be without.
The Big League 40-Year Souvenir Edition is available from newsagents from Thursday, August 22 and retails for $9.99.