League Express editor MARTYN SADLER pays tribute to STEVE BRADY, a valued member of the League Express team whose death was announced on December 30th.

I trust that all our regular readers enjoyed a wonderful Christmas and that the New Year has been kind to you so far.
I was grateful to be able to rest a little on the Sunday after Christmas, given that we didn’t publish an issue on Monday 29 December, instead giving our staff the chance to recharge their batteries over the holiday period.
Unfortunately, however, last week I received some news that I knew would be on its way eventually, but which I had hoped would be deferred for as long as possible.
Steve Brady, our reporter based in France who covers Catalans Dragons matches for us, as well as providing news from the French clubs, had finally succumbed to the cancer that had affected him for more than a year.
Steve died on 30th December, which ironically was the date of his 60th birthday.
He managed to make it into his sixties by about an hour.
I was desperately sorry to hear about his death and I was deeply upset for his wife Denise and their children.
The two of them were originally from Wigan and he had worked as a journalist for Lancashire Publications, while Denise had been employed in several commercial roles, including at Wigan Warriors.
Steve began his journalistic life as a junior reporter for the Wigan Observer and ultimately he became the editor of the Rugby Leaguer in the days prior to its merger with League Express in 2002.
But he and Denise had been regular visitors to the south of France, obviously attracted by the beautiful landscape, the climate and the fact that Rugby League was played there.
They were both present for the Catalans’ first ever game in Super League in 2006 and I suspect that was the catalyst for them to decide to take the plunge a few years later to buy a house near Perpignan.
In fact it was Denise who declared that she wanted to live in the Perpignan area but Steve took absolutely no convincing at all.
They actually made the move full time in 2017, probably anticipating an early retirement rather than the continuation of Steve’s journalistic career.
Funnily enough, at the start of 2018 we were looking for a new reporter for the Catalans’ home games after Ricky Wilby, who had been our man on the spot, decided that he would go in a different direction.
It was a remarkable coincidence that I received an email from Steve suggesting that he would be available to cover the Dragons for us shortly after learning that Ricky wouldn’t be carrying on.
Needless to say I snapped his hand off.
Steve then created a new identity for himself as Catalan Media on various social media and he picked up other work from various media outlets and built up a big following for his work, which was hardly surprising, as he had a lovely light touch and he saw the positive side in everything he did.
The photograph that accompanies this column sums him up perfectly.
That is a man who enjoys life and has a cheeky glint in his eye. He was great company.
He first let me know of his diagnosis on 5th November 2024, which ironically is a date I always have in my diary because it was my mother’s birthday.
Steve revealed at the time that the cancer was probably too advanced for him to hold out any hope of a cure, so he would have to adapt his life to live with it.
Naturally I was shocked by the news and I replied to that effect, conveying my obvious sympathy.
Steve’s reply to me was quite amazing.
“I’m not scared or defeated, I’ve played Rugby League and anything else is infinitely less painful,” he said.
“I’ve gone behind to a shock early score for Big C Rovers but I’m determined to take the game all the way to Golden Point.
“Thanks for your continued support and wisdom and I look forward to the new season with vigour and vitality.
“As for Denise, she’s even tougher than me.
“Best wishes and deepest respect.”
That was Steve Brady through and through. I, and I’m sure our readers, will miss him more than we can imagine.
He and Denise came to our company Christmas event in December 2024 and you wouldn’t have guessed there was anything wrong with him.
He was as cheerful and chatty as he always had been.
Perhaps the highlight of his time with League Express was when he reported on the game between the Catalans and Wigan that took place at the Nou Camp Stadium in Barcelona on 18th May 2019, which saw the Dragons triumph 33-16.
I’ll quote his first three paragraphs of that report.
“Records tumbled and perceptions shifted in Barcelona as Super League’s French connection pushed boundaries and opened new doors for the future of the game.
The most vocal of anti-expansionists were silenced by the sight of 31,555 supporters singing in the sunshine at one of the world’s most iconic sporting venues.
The biggest-ever crowd for a regular round Super League game, the first-ever contest between Challenge Cup-holders and Champions on ‘foreign soil’, created a moment in time for Rugby á Treize.”
Steve was a remarkable advocate for Rugby á Treize and it’s no surprise to see him being widely mourned in French Rugby League circles.
And when Denise revealed the news of his death last Thursday on the social media site X, it got a remarkable number of responses, with 180 replies and 86 retweets.
I visited him in Wigan and Leigh Hospice a few weeks ago and he was as cheerful as ever in the face of his impending death, despite being in obvious pain.
But now he will be with us no more.
Perhaps the final thing I can say is to repeat what I said last week when we posted the news of Steve’s death on our website.
“Steve was an enthusiastic, highly professional reporter who was a joy to work with.
“He had a great sense of humour and he and his wife Denise were great together.
“My best wishes go to her at what is clearly a very difficult time.
“We will all miss Steve. He leaves a big gap that will be difficult to fill.”

As the headline to my column said this week: ‘Something will be missing in 2026’.

My condolences to Denise and to his family.