Stefan Ratchford and the 5 other incredible rugby league goal-kicking streaks

Warrington Wolves captain Stefan Ratchford etched his name into Super League’s goal-kicking history books on Sunday afternoon.

The 35-year-old is now the record holder in Super League for most successful consecutive goal attempts, with 41 to his name.

Ratchford surpassed Leeds Rhinos goal-kicker Rhyse Martin, who previously held the Super League record with 39 successful consecutive attempts on goal.

The Wire skipper broke the Super League record by kicking his 40th in Warrington’s 58-4 demolition of London Broncos in the capital.

Ratchford then kicked his 41st successive goal to tie the first-class record of 41, sharing it alongside Martin, Liam Finn and Jamie Ellis.

But cruelly, Ratchford couldn’t surpass the aforementioned trio for the first-class record after missing what was a fairly routine kick for him following Matt Dufty’s try.

Ratchford’s goal-kicking ability has been world-class for several years now, with his last missed goal coming against Leeds last August.

Ratchford’s record-breaking achievement got us thinking.. Who are the others with the longest goal-kicking streaks? Love Rugby League takes a deep dive into the stats, and found five others with impressive records..

Rhyse Martin

As aforementioned, Leeds forward Martin held the record for most successive goals kicked in Super League before Ratchford surpassed him on Sunday.

The Papua New Guinea international set the Super League record in 2022, whilst levelling the first-class record with 41.

Martin has been one of the leading goal-kickers in Super League since arriving at Leeds in 2019, kicking 367 goals in 109 appearances for the Rhinos.

Liam Finn

The former Ireland captain set the what was then a new world record of 41 successful consecutive goal kicks back in 2012 whilst he was at Featherstone Rovers.

Finn, who is now the head coach of hometown club Halifax Panthers, was a goal-kicker for the majority of his professional career, kicking 1,149 goals in 494 appearances for club and country.

Jamie Ellis

The veteran half-back equalled the world record for successful consecutive goal kicks at 41 back in 2017 when he was at Hull KR.

Ellis needed four goals in a game against Halifax to equal the record – which he did – but fell agonisingly short of surpassing Liam Finn when he pulled his fifth kick of the afternoon wide.

The 34-year-old, now plying his trade in League 1 with Oldham, has kicked 453 goals in 238 career appearances.

Henry Paul

The legendary Kiwi half-back holds the record for most goals kicked during a Super League season, with a staggering 178 to his name in 2001 whilst he was at Bradford Bulls.

Paul also holds the record for most games in a single Super League game with 14 for Bradford in their 96-16 win over Salford in 2000.

The former New Zealand international was incredible during his time in British rugby league, kicking more than 600 goals for Wakefield, Wigan, Bradford and Harlequins.

Hazem El Masri

The Canterbury Bulldogs icon holds the record for most consecutive goals in the NRL era with his haul of 35 in the 2003 campaign.

El Masri, who represented Lebanon and Australia on the international stage, also holds the record for most NRL points with a whopping 2,418 points across 317 games, with 159 tries and 891 goals. He had a conversion rate of almost 82 per cent through his NRL career.

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