Rugby Leading Transfers

Wigan Warriors' Stuart Fielden is officially the world's most expensive rugby league player following his switch from Bradford Bulls in 2006 for £450,000.

Rugby league has never matched the ludicrous sums paid out by football clubs for their top players, so Fielden's fee caused quite a stir.

It eclipsed the £440,000 Wigan also paid to Widnes back in 1992 to secure the services of Great Britain winger Martin Offiah.

Offiah's transfer sum would be the equivalent of around £750,000 in today's terms and was front-page news because rugby league normally did not pay that amount of money for a player.

On a lesser note, when Paul Sculthorpe joined St Helens from Warrington Wolves for £370,000 just before the 1998 season, he became the world's most expensive forward.

Joe Lydon was rugby league's first big-money move when he joined Wigan from Widnes in 1986 for £100,000 – the first time a player had ever cost six figures.