SOM Talks

Former Super League referee and mental health ambassador Ian Smith has given an impassioned plea to end the abuse of match officials, which he believes is prompting many to seek alternative careers.    In the final episode of an exclusive podcast series from the mental fitness charity State of Mind Sport, Smith opens up on the highs and lows of a remarkable career that saw him turn his back on ref...

Rugby league’s Head of Match Officials has revealed how referees are affected by “poor form” as much as players and has promised greater transparency in decision-making in a bid to tackle the mounting problem of abuse of refs both at games and on social media.   In the latest episode of an exclusive podcast series from the mental fitness charity State of Mind Sport, Bentham reveals his own lowest...

RFL director and former elite referee Rob Hicks admits that rugby league may be attracting “the most resilient people” rather than “the best quality referees” because of the amount of personal abuse that comes with the job.   In the fourth episode of an exclusive podcast series from the mental fitness charity State of Mind Sport, Hicks reveals the scale of abuse suffered by both himself and his co...

One of rugby league’s top match officials Chris Kendall believes sport has an unhealthy obsession with referees that is negatively impacting refs, recruitment and the game as a whole.    In the third episode of an exclusive podcast series from the mental fitness charity State of Mind Sport, Kendall opens up on how he copes with the social media abuse directed his way as one of the most maligned re...

The SOM Talks Podcast is BACK! This series focusses on the lives of our Rugby League referees. In episode two, our host George Riley speaks to Tara Jones who recently made history as the first woman to referee a senior domestic professional Rugby League fixture in the Northern Hemisphere.

Leading Super League referee Liam Moore has opened up on the mental strength required to perform at the elite level, disclosing his own toughest moments and the methods he and the RFL match officials use to deal with abuse.   In the first episode of an exclusive new podcast series from the mental fitness charity State of Mind Sport, the World Club Challenge referee discusses the reality of life in...

Rugby superstar Sam Tomkins has revealed how he’s dealt with a career of online abuse and detailed the plans he has put in place for his retirement from professional sport. The England international, who won three Grand Finals and two Challenge Cup trophies with Wigan, opens up to host George Riley in the official SOM Talks podcast from leading mental fitness charity State of Mind Sport. Tomkins,...

Rugby great Leon Pryce has revealed he suffered a loss of identity when his career ended and won’t allow his son to make the same “stupid mistakes” as he embarks on his own professional career. Pryce, a former Great Britain international, won every domestic club honour in a glittering career with Bradford, St Helens, Hull FC and Catalan Dragons, but struggled to find his next path after retirement...

Former Leeds captain Stevie Ward has revealed the emotional moment he told close friend Rob Burrow that he was having to retire from professional sport. Ward walked away from rugby league earlier this year aged just 27 as he struggled with neurological issues connected to concussion. Six months after announcing his retirement, the two-time Grand Final winner continues to suffer with migraines, nau...

Former Super League star Matty Blythe says a radical career change has given him a perspective on life that he would otherwise never have achieved. The ex Bradford Bulls and Warrington favourite gave up his life as a professional sportsman aged just 28, to provide close security for bomb disposal experts in ISIS strongholds in Iraq. Opening up to host George Riley on the official SOM Talks podcast...

SOM Talks: Series 1 Transitions - Ep#2 Anthony Mullally Grand Final winner Anthony Mullally has revealed how he has overcome fear, anxiety and attachment to find a new purpose away from professional rugby league. The 29-year-old former Leeds and Toronto forward has found his way to part-time rugby in France via months living out of a campervan on a cliff in Cornwall. He believes a series of lightb...

Rugby league legend Lee Briers has revealed his shock, fear and anger after learning that his 25-year association with Warrington will end this year. Speaking for the first time since being told in April that this will be his final season at the club, the Wolves great has admitted he would be prepared to walk away from the sport, was “in a daze” when he found out, but thankful for the life-changin...