Craig Kopczak
Encyclopedia
Craig Kopczak is a rugby league
player who currently plays for Bradford Bulls
and the Wales national rugby league team
.
Craig made has made steady progress at the Grattan Stadium. A local Bradford product, he is from Eccleshill
, Academy product Kopczak has been in the Bulls' first team squad for the last three years but failed to make the same rapid strides of the teen sensation.
Kopczak's emergence has been more gradual and there has been some false starts however, has always been one of the most talented players.
"Koppy's got a good work ethic and is one of the hardest trainers in the squad so it's no surprise he's now making a mark in Super League."
"He's justifying his inclusion and has confidence in himself now which – as a player – is all you need."
2009
In 2009's Superleague campaign Kopczak has played in all but 2 match's for the Bulls and has become a prominent and permanent fixture in the Bulls starting line up all season, quite an accomplishment for a man of just 22 years of age. With International matches for Wales at the end of the season, it has really been a year to celebrate for the talented youngster.
The Bulls coach Steve McNamara knows what he is going to get from Kopczak, a player he sees as one of Odsal’s unsung heroes.
“I think Craig has been a real success story for us,” said McNamara. “So I was pleased for him to score that try for Wales against England.
“He’s come under the radar a bit playing for us. Sam Burgess got a lot of the headlines in the front row, and rightly so, but we appreciate what Craig gives us every week. “He played all but two games for the Bulls last season, which says a lot. He does a super job for us."
“Craig has had his ups and downs, which was spoken about at the time, but he has continued to progress. It’s great credit to himself that he came back so well from that and we know there’s a whole lot more potential in him. We’re looking for him to be right in the mix again next season with the other front-rowers.”
has now switched allegiance to England.
On 19 October in Bridgend Kopczak scored his first try for Wales during the Wales v England game only to come off the field after 30 minutes with an injury to his medial ligament.
http://www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/player/91/Craig%20Kopczak
Kopczak extends his time at Bradford Bulls for another 3 years after landing a new deal under Mick Potter meaning he will be at Odsal until 2013.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/super_league/bradford/8956285.stm
He was named in the Wales
squad to face England
at the Keepmoat Stadium prior to England's departure for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
.
2010
The 23-year-old suffered an ankle injury in the 31st minute of the clash at Craven Park between Bradford Bulls and Hull KR which was a friendly designed to prepare both teams for the start of Superelague season 2010. It was headlined by the press association that Kopczak had actually broken his leg and was set for an extended spell on the sidelines only months after receiving a medial ligament injury. Confirmation from Bradford Bulls came the next day stating that after having an x ray Craig had in fact not broken his ankle afterall.
Wales international Kopczak, 23, has made 77 appearances for the Bulls since making his debut in 2006.
2011
Could 2011 be the year for Kopczak?
5 March will be a day he will remember for a long time. A hat- trick saw him become Man of the Match against Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in the 4th round of Superleague 2011.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/rugby_league/3449491/Bradford-40-Wakefield-18.html
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/sport-front-page/2011/03/07/bradford-40-18-wakefield-craig-kopczak-hat-trick-tames-wildcats-115875-22972276/
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/233038/Bradford-40-Wakefield-18-Craig-Kopczak-is-top-of-the-Kops
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/rugby/view/180073/Bradford-40-Wakefield-18-Three-n-easy-as-Craig-s-a-trier/
Kopczak fights through family tragedy.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyleague/article-1372933/Bradford-24-Harlequins-22-Craig-Kopczak-helps-Bulls-victory.html
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/rugby_league/3506940/Bradford-24-Harlequins-22.html
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player who currently plays for Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
and the Wales national rugby league team
Wales national rugby league team
The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
.
Craig made has made steady progress at the Grattan Stadium. A local Bradford product, he is from Eccleshill
Eccleshill
Eccleshill is a Ward in the City of Bradford Metropolitan District in the county of West Yorkshire, England....
, Academy product Kopczak has been in the Bulls' first team squad for the last three years but failed to make the same rapid strides of the teen sensation.
Kopczak's emergence has been more gradual and there has been some false starts however, has always been one of the most talented players.
"Koppy's got a good work ethic and is one of the hardest trainers in the squad so it's no surprise he's now making a mark in Super League."
"He's justifying his inclusion and has confidence in himself now which – as a player – is all you need."
2009
In 2009's Superleague campaign Kopczak has played in all but 2 match's for the Bulls and has become a prominent and permanent fixture in the Bulls starting line up all season, quite an accomplishment for a man of just 22 years of age. With International matches for Wales at the end of the season, it has really been a year to celebrate for the talented youngster.
The Bulls coach Steve McNamara knows what he is going to get from Kopczak, a player he sees as one of Odsal’s unsung heroes.
“I think Craig has been a real success story for us,” said McNamara. “So I was pleased for him to score that try for Wales against England.
“He’s come under the radar a bit playing for us. Sam Burgess got a lot of the headlines in the front row, and rightly so, but we appreciate what Craig gives us every week. “He played all but two games for the Bulls last season, which says a lot. He does a super job for us."
“Craig has had his ups and downs, which was spoken about at the time, but he has continued to progress. It’s great credit to himself that he came back so well from that and we know there’s a whole lot more potential in him. We’re looking for him to be right in the mix again next season with the other front-rowers.”
2008
A local Bradford product, he is from Eccleshill, Craig made tremendous progress last year after being at the club for the past five seasons. He spent the early part of last season on loan at Halifax and the experience he gained there certainly helped him when he returned to the Grattan Stadium. He went on to make 17 appearances for the club but despite having the ball down over the line in three consecutive games, they were all ruled out and he finally got his first try for the club against St.Helens at Knowesley Road! Like Dave Halley, Craig has been a member of the Welsh Squad; he qualifies through his Grandmother, for the past two years, although Dave HalleyDave Halley
David Halley is a rugby league player who currently plays for English club Bradford Bulls in the Super League competition...
has now switched allegiance to England.
On 19 October in Bridgend Kopczak scored his first try for Wales during the Wales v England game only to come off the field after 30 minutes with an injury to his medial ligament.
http://www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/player/91/Craig%20Kopczak
Kopczak extends his time at Bradford Bulls for another 3 years after landing a new deal under Mick Potter meaning he will be at Odsal until 2013.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/super_league/bradford/8956285.stm
Wales
Craig played 2 game for Wales in 2007.He was named in the Wales
Wales national rugby league team
The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
squad to face England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
at the Keepmoat Stadium prior to England's departure for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
.
2010
The 23-year-old suffered an ankle injury in the 31st minute of the clash at Craven Park between Bradford Bulls and Hull KR which was a friendly designed to prepare both teams for the start of Superelague season 2010. It was headlined by the press association that Kopczak had actually broken his leg and was set for an extended spell on the sidelines only months after receiving a medial ligament injury. Confirmation from Bradford Bulls came the next day stating that after having an x ray Craig had in fact not broken his ankle afterall.
Wales international Kopczak, 23, has made 77 appearances for the Bulls since making his debut in 2006.
Club career
Craig Kocpzak signs a new 3 year deal at Bradford Bulls and will therefore be at Odsal until 2013.2011
Could 2011 be the year for Kopczak?
5 March will be a day he will remember for a long time. A hat- trick saw him become Man of the Match against Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in the 4th round of Superleague 2011.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/rugby_league/3449491/Bradford-40-Wakefield-18.html
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/sport-front-page/2011/03/07/bradford-40-18-wakefield-craig-kopczak-hat-trick-tames-wildcats-115875-22972276/
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/233038/Bradford-40-Wakefield-18-Craig-Kopczak-is-top-of-the-Kops
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/rugby/view/180073/Bradford-40-Wakefield-18-Three-n-easy-as-Craig-s-a-trier/
Kopczak fights through family tragedy.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyleague/article-1372933/Bradford-24-Harlequins-22-Craig-Kopczak-helps-Bulls-victory.html
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/rugby_league/3506940/Bradford-24-Harlequins-22.html
| Year | Club | Apps | Pts | T | G | FG |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 |  Bradford BullsBradford Bulls Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league.... |
2 | – |
| 2007 | Bradford Bulls Bradford Bulls Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league.... |
4 | |
| – | |||
| 2008 | Halifax | 4 | |
| – | |||
| – | |||
| 2008 | Bradford Bulls Bradford Bulls Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league.... |
4 | – |
| – | |||
Representative career
| Year | Team | Matches | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 |  WalesWales national rugby league team The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2008 | Wales Wales national rugby league team The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2009 | Wales Wales national rugby league team The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from... |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |