Martin Offiah ‘upset’ by Garry Schofield’s Super League criticism before offer of support

Martin Offiah has hit back at Garry Schofield after the Great Britain legend delivering a damning assessment of Super League: branding it a dumping ground for washed-up Aussies.

Schofield is currently in Australia to celebrate his 60th birthday and has been a guest on Paul Kent’s podcast – Kenty’s Primetime – and the Matty Johns Show.

Outspoken Schofield bemoaned the state of the British game, calling it “literally bankrupt” while saying the lack of regular international matches was “very damaging” for the sport.

Catalans Dragons star Luke Keary was scathing about Super League in an interview earlier this year and Schofield told Kent: “I agree – the product back home is very average.

“If you look at the NRL on a week-to-week basis, then Super League is a very, very, very poor second in comparison.

“In Super League, we’ve got too many journeymen playing the game and not enough youngsters being given opportunities.

“Back in my day, the young kids playing first-team football included myself, Andy Gregory, Joe Lydon, Lee Crooks, Shaun Edwards, a young Ellery Hanley and Deryck Fox.

“We were given opportunities back then but now, if you’re 18 or 19, you might make your debut and they’ll give you two or three games but then give you a rest.

“They think you can’t handle it because it’s too physical, but that’s an absolute load of rubbish. The quality in Super League – on a week-to-week basis – is simply not there. Everybody just coaches the same way and a lot of the British fans will tell you it’s boring.

“I’ve not watched a full game of Super League this season. After twenty minutes, I’ve had enough and it hurts me to say that.”

Kent asked Schofield if a lack of opportunities for homegrown talents was down to the number of “failed Australian players” in Super League.

“Absolutely,” replied Schofield. “A big problem for the British game is that the recruitment is poor.

“The two best players in Super League are Jai Field and Bevan French, but they wouldn’t get a start over here [in Australia] would they?

“Keary made those comments a few weeks ago about how poor it was – the coverage and the promotion – and he’s 100% right.

“I can reassure you that the game back home is skint, it’s literally bankrupt and another big problem is exposure.

“Sky are our main broadcaster but no-one else is interested. The BBC show the Challenge Cup but the BBC aren’t interested [in Super League]. Sky know the product is going nowhere because there’s no competition for it.”

Yet Offiah, who played with Schofield for Great Britain against Australia in some iconic Ashes encounters, vehemently disagreed with the former Hull FC and Leeds star.

Offiah said he had huge respect for Schofield but believes his comments are a result of being effectively shunned by the British game.

The legendary former winger told Love Rugby League: “I agree with elements of what Garry said, but I think it’s coming from a position of pain.

“I would never say a bad word about Schoey because he was an inspiration for me and I’ve got a lot of respect for him.

“I looked up to him when I came to rugby league, he’s an icon of the game and he should be held in higher esteem in this country. For whatever reason, he’s not and I think he feels that this country has turned its back on him.

“That’s why he’s probably being as damning as he can by delivering the most brutal medicine possible and I think that’s sad.”

Offiah pointed to recent World Club Challenge victories for St Helens and Wigan over Penrith Panthers as evidence that Super League can compete with the NRL.

He added: “It p***es me off. I watch documentaries about Mal Meninga and Widnes’ win over Canberra at Old Trafford in 1989 never even gets a mention.

“Wigan beat Penrith Panthers last year and Bevan French was the best player on the field! St Helens went there and turned them over the year before, so some of Garry’s unbalanced comments really upset and hurt me.

“He’s done it before and has mentioned to me previously that he feels he has been badly treated by the game that he loves .

“I think what Garry doesn’t realise is that we all experience pain and negativity bit in different ways. 

“I believe in trying to stay positive no matter what life sends your way. I was away from the game for a long time and am now back at Wigan working as an ambassador – but it’s taken me 25 years.

“When people were racially abusing me during my playing days back in the 1980s, I chose to stay positive and use the comments as fuel and let my performance on the pitch speak for me.”

Schofield had an eye removed three years ago and had also had brain damage diagnosed last year.

Offiah empathises hugely with Schofield’s health problems, adding: “Garry’s hurting and there’s a lot of pain there I know from conversations I’ve had with him over the years.

“There are a lot of people who don’t want to give him the plaudits he deserves.

“If he had played rugby union, he would be Sir Garry Schofield now. Rugby league should bring him back into the sport – but I don’t know whether that’s going to happen.”