Craig Kopczak (born 20 December 1986) is a Wales international rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for Oldham RLFC in the RFL League 1.
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| Full name | Craig Kopczak | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 20 December 1986 Bradford, West Yorkshire, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 17 st 0 lb (108 kg)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Prop, Second-row | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 28 January 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
He previously played for the Bradford Bulls in the Super League, and on loan from Bradford at Halifax in 2008's National League One. Kopczak has also played for the Huddersfield Giants, Wakefield Trinity and the Salford Red Devils in the Super League.[2][3]
Background edit
Craig Kopczak was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.
Craig is married to Victoria and they have two children, Poppy & Harvey.[4]
Playing career edit
Bradford edit
Kopczak made his Bradford début in 2006. He spent at period in 2008 on loan at Halifax, and later established himself as an important first-team player for Bradford. He scored his first try for the club against St Helens in 2008, and scored his first career hat-trick against Wakefield Trinity.[citation needed]
Huddersfield edit
Kopczak signed a three-year deal with Huddersfield after he left the Bradford club. He played for the club for three years and was a member of the team that won the League Leaders' Shield in 2013.[citation needed]
Salford edit
Kopczak joined Salford ahead of the 2016 Super League season.[citation needed]
Featherstone Rovers edit
On 5 December 2020, it was announced that he would join Featherstone Rovers for the 2021 season.[5]On 28 May 2022, he played for Featherstone in their 2022 RFL 1895 Cup final loss against Leigh.[6]
Oldham RLFC edit
On 23 October 2023, it was reported that he had joined Oldham RLFC for the 2024 season on a two-year deal[7]
Statistics edit
| Season | Team | Apps | Tries | Goals | D/G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 |  Bradford Bulls | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2010 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 2011 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 | |
| 2012 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Sub-total: | 123 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 44 | |
| 2008 |  Halifax R.L.F.C. (loan) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 |  Huddersfield Giants | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 2014 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2015 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Sub-total: | 89 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 | |
| 2016 |  Salford Red Devils | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| 2017 | 32 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 | |
| 2018 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Sub-total: | 84 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 52 | |
| 2019 |  Wakefield Trinity | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2020 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Sub-total: | 43 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| 2021 |  Featherstone Rovers | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| 2022 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 2023 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Sub-total: | 49 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 40 | |
| 2024 |  Oldham RLFC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 392 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 172 |
Wales edit
Although born in England, Craig represents Wales at international level due to his heritage. He made his Wales début in 2007, and scored his first Wales try in a match against England in 2009.[8][9]
He featured for Wales in the 2011 Four Nations.He was Wales player of the tournament during the Four Nations, whilst also winning Bradford's Player of the Year 2011.
He captained Wales[10] in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup and 2015 European Cup. He captained the team again in the following year's 2017 World Cup qualifiers.
Craig retired from International Rugby League in 2018.[11]
References edit
- ^ a b "Huddersfield Giants 1st Team Craig Kopczak". Huddersfield Giants web site. Huddersfield Giants. 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Profile at loverugbyleague.com". loverugbyleague.com. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "Check out Super League's finest WAGs". Daily Star. 25 February 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ "FEATHERSTONE ROVERS SIGN CRAIG KOPCZAK". www.rugby-league.com. 5 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ "Featherstone Rovers: 1895 Cup final defeat to Leigh Centurions gives Brian McDermott's side signal of their progress". www.yorkshirepost.co.uk. 29 May 2022.
- ^ "Former Wales captain Craig Kopczak joins League One club for 2024: 'A very strong squad is being built for next year'". Love Rugby League. 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Cymru RL". Archived from the original on 14 December 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
- ^ "Engage Super League". Archived from the original on 8 January 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
- ^ "Meet the Team - Craig Kopczak". Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ "Wales captain Craig Kopczak retires from internationals to focus on Salford". BBC Sport. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
External links edit
- Wakefield Trinity profile
- Salford Red Devils profile
- (archived by web.archive.org) Bradford Bulls profile
- SL profile
- (archived by web.archive.org) Statistics at rlwc2017.com
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