It’s an exclusive club nowadays so to get to 500 games for Leeds Rhinos winger Ryan Hall is a special moment.
However, the 37-year-old has played down the achievement by putting the focus on his Leeds teammates, following their 12-10 victory over Wigan Warriors on Saturday night.
That win takes Leeds Rhinos into sixth place just behind Wigan on points difference but Hall admitted that they’re just taking it a game at a time.
The winger spoke to the club’s media after the win and shared his thoughts on their performance and what his 500th game meant to him.
He said: “We’re a good team and we’ve now got three wins from five.
“Sometimes, that could knock a bit of confidence but I think that puts that to bed.
“The lads will all now realize we’re a good team.
“Let’s just take it forward and keep being that team.”
He discussed the occasion was made more of by the media whilst he was focused on playing well against the reigning Super League champions.
He added:Â “A lot of people have made a big thing about my 500th game, which is really nice.
“At the end of the day, I was trying to push the narrative of ‘it’s Leeds versus Wigan’ and that’s a big occasion in itself and that’s what we came to do.
“We had to play against a champion team so although it was a little bit about me, it’s not really anything about me.
“It’s about playing well and trying to win, which we managed to get one over on them.”
The Leeds Rhinos winger was most pleased about his side’s defensive display and thought this win showed we’re there at so far in 2025.
Hall said: “We made a couple of errors coming away from our try line, we all know straight away that that’s a big no-no.
“We invited Wigan to attack us and one of those times, they scored.
“We can’t do that too often but I was really pleased at how we defended for the rest of the game.
“We’ve got a couple of blemishes on our record so far this year, two losses in the league and we’re out of the Challenge Cup, but put that to one side and look at how we play, I think we’re a good team.
“Over the course of the season, I’m happy with that and I think we can go places.”
Arguably, the most talked about moment of the night was Ryan Hall’s peculiar try assist and it even surprised himself.
Whilst he didn’t get on the scoresheet himself, he was more than happy to set up youngster Jack Sinfield with a headed assist.
He said: “I knew that it was a perfect play because if I’d have caught it, I’d have gone out of play.
“I knew it came straight off my head so I knew there would be no worries from the video ref.
“I’ve played 500 games and I’ve never done that so there’s a first for everything!”
Whilst Hall might have been trying to downplay the occasion, he admitted that he’ll look back fondly on his achievement but ultimately, wanted to do his job on the day.
He finished: “I’ll look back on it and really cherish it but pre-game, it was all about executing and doing what I’ve done for 500 games: go out there and try my best.”
