# Craig Kopczak

Craig Kopczak (born 20 December 1986) is a Wales international rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for Oldham RLFC in the RFL Championship.
He previously played for the Bradford Bulls in the Super League, and on loan from Bradford at Halifax in 2008's National League One. Kopczak has also played for the Huddersfield Giants, Wakefield Trinity and the Salford Red Devils in the Super League.

## Background

Craig Kopczak was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.
Craig is married to Victoria and they have two children, Poppy and Harvey.

## Playing career
### Bradford

Kopczak made his Bradford début in 2006. He spent at period in 2008 on loan at Halifax, and later established himself as an important first-team player for Bradford. He scored his first try for the club against St Helens in 2008, and scored his first career hat-trick against Wakefield Trinity.

### Huddersfield

Kopczak signed a three-year deal with Huddersfield after he left the Bradford club. He played for the club for three years and was a member of the team that won the League Leaders' Shield in 2013.

### Salford

Kopczak joined Salford ahead of the 2016 Super League season.

### Wakefield Trinity

Kopczak joined Wakefield Trinity in October 2018 on a one-year deal for the 2019 Super League season, after Salford accepted a transfer fee from the West Yorkshire club. He signed a contract extension in March 2019, remaining at the club until the end of the 2020 Super League season.

### Featherstone Rovers

On 5 December 2020, it was announced that he would join Featherstone Rovers in the RFL Championship for the 2021 season. On 28 May 2022, he played for Featherstone in their 2022 RFL 1895 Cup final loss against Leigh.

### Oldham RLFC

On 23 October 2023, he joined Oldham RLFC for the 2024 season on a two-year deal. Oldham were crowned RFL League One champions in 2024 and automatically promoted to the RFL Championship.

## Statistics

| Season | Team | Apps | Tries | Goals | D/G | Points |
| 2006 | Bradford Bulls | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | Bradford Bulls | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | Bradford Bulls | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | Bradford Bulls | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2010 | Bradford Bulls | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2011 | Bradford Bulls | 28 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| 2012 | Bradford Bulls | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| | Sub-total: | 123 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 44 |
| 2008 | Halifax R.L.F.C. (loan) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | Huddersfield Giants | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 2014 | Huddersfield Giants | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2015 | Huddersfield Giants | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| | Sub-total: | 89 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| 2016 | Salford Red Devils | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| 2017 | Salford Red Devils | 32 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| 2018 | Salford Red Devils | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| | Sub-total: | 84 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 52 |
| 2019 | Wakefield Trinity | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2020 | Wakefield Trinity | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| | Sub-total: | 43 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2021 | Featherstone Rovers | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| 2022 | Featherstone Rovers | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2023 | Featherstone Rovers | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| | Sub-total: | 49 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| 2024 | Oldham RLFC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | Total | 392 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 172 |

## Wales

Although born in England, Craig represents Wales at international level due to his heritage. He made his Wales début in 2007, and scored his first Wales try in a match against England in 2009.
He featured for Wales in the 2011 Four Nations. He was Wales player of the tournament during the Four Nations, whilst also winning Bradford's Player of the Year 2011.
He captained Wales in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup and 2015 European Cup. He captained the team again in the following year's 2017 World Cup qualifiers.
Craig retired from International Rugby League in 2018.