Sky Sports takes a look at the highs, lows and key moments that have been making the headlines in an unforgettable year of rugby league.
Salford Takeover
Saga of the Year
At the start of the year Salford's future looked bleak. A £1.5m rescue package had been rejected by councillors in December, with Reds supporters staging a number of fundraising events and bucket collections before home games.
Neighbours Swinton Lions donated a large percentage of their share of the gate receipts from the pre-season friendly meeting between the two clubs on January 6 to aid the City Reds' survival bid.
Then, in mid-January, Salford were given another four weeks to settle their debts after long-serving chairman John Wilkinson revealed talks with a potential new investor - who at that stage was unnamed - were at an advanced stage.
The news the club's long-suffering fans were longing to hear finally arrived on January 31 after it was revealed millionaire racehorse owner Marwan Koukash had completed his takeover, bringing to an end months of uncertainty over Salford's future.
Koukash was not a man who would be happy with the club simply existing following an excellent track record in other sports. He immediately set about laying the foundations to help make his latest purchase a success in Super League.
He has brought charisma to the game. He is outspoken and forthright in his views. He wanted the salary cap increasing in order to bring more high-profile players to Super League, although he failed in attempts to lure Sam Tomkins and Sonny Bill Williams to the City Reds.
Brian Noble was brought in to help the existing core of players and while the club may not have lit the touch paper in 2013, next season promises to deliver much more.
Salford have recruited well, bringing in a number of seasoned campaigners to add experience to Noble's squad, while they have made players such as Rangi Chase and Harrison Hansen their marquee captures.
Super League seems a better place with Koukash and Salford in the mix. But can the now Red Devils as they are known challenge for honours in the coming years?
Ben Crooks
Young player of the Year
When you think of the name Crooks you think of rugby league. However, now it might be Ben that springs to mind and not his famous father, Lee.
The 20-year-old centre enjoyed a season to remember with an impressive 19 tries in 18 Super League appearances for the East Yorkshire club.
The youngster excelled mid-season, scoring four times against Castleford Tigers before then bagging a hat-trick of tries against the Wakefield Wildcats.
Crooks missed out on silverware after the Black and Whites were beaten at Wembley by Wigan in August, but that did not prevent him from landing the Super League Young Player of the Year award.
One of the centre's finest moments was a superb breakaway try in the first-half of Hull's 18-6 victory over then champions Leeds Rhinos in May.
2013 Rugby League World Cup
Success of the Year
The critics were sharpening their knives even before a ball was kicked in this year's tournament in England and Wales (as well as France and Ireland).
There were fears some of the game's unfamiliar venues would struggle to attract the crowds and that there would be a lop-sided scores with a number of international minnows involved.
However, as it transpired the tournament proved to be one of the most successful ever - in terms of both quality on the pitch, attendances and revenue for the game going forward.
England gave Australia a fright in their group opener while there were a number of eye-catching attendances at the likes of Rochdale, Bristol and Workington in games involving Fiji, USA and Scotland respectively.
Fiji would tackle the Kangaroos at Wembley while Steve McCormack's Scotland did superbly well to makes the quarter-finals against the Kiwis.
However, it was always going to be between the game's big three and England, New Zealand and Australia all reached the semi-finals of the competition.
Just over 67,500 fans attended the semi-final double header while Old Trafford was sold out for the final between New Zealand and Australia, a new record crowd for an international rugby league match. In the end, the Kangaroos simply proved too good for their trans-Tasman rivals, gaining revenge for their loss against the same opponents in the last final five years ago.
In 2008 Billy Slater made a mistake that helped New Zealand to victory in Brisbane, but he atoned in Manchester with two tries as Australia ran out deserved 34-2 winners.
Steve Prescott MBE
Gone, but not forgotten
The year saw rugby league lose one of its real ambassadors. In November Prescott lost his battle with cancer.
Prescott achieved a great deal on the pitch, but it was his efforts off the field that will leave a lasting legacy.
The full-back played for St Helens before sandwiching a spell with Wakefield between two stints for hometown club Hull FC.
In September 2006, Prescott was diagnosed with pseudomyxoma peritonei, a rare form of cancer, and given months to live.
A year later he set up the Steve Prescott Foundation. The charity raised almost £500,000 with a series of fund-raising activities.
Prescott was awarded the MBE in the 2010 New Year Honours for services to rugby league and charity.
Lee Briers and Steve Menzies
Calling it a day
Fewer names are more synonymous with rugby league than Lee Briers and Steve Menzies.
Warrington stalwart Briers was forced to call time on his career in November following advice from a neck specialist.
The half-back joined Warrington as an 18-year-old from St Helens in 1997 and made 425 appearances for the Primrose and Blue, including becoming the leading points scorer in their history with 2586 points.
Briers was the type of guy who could inspire his team to victory. Deadly with the boot he was also adept at reading the play of the opposition, which brought about more than his fair share of intercept tries.
Never one to accept a decision lightly, Briers would always be in the match officials' ears ensuring his team were treated - in his view - 'fairly'.
In Menzies you have the consummate professional. Many rugby league players call time on their careers in their early 30s. For Menzies, he eventually hung up his boots aged 39, having spent an incredible 21 years in the game's top flights.
By no means was Menzies on his way out either, with the former Australia international a key member of the Catalan Dragons squad in his final season.
Menzies spent the vast majority of his career with Manly in Australia before trying his hand in the Super League with the Bradford Bulls and later Catalan. He won 13 caps for his country while he played for New South Wales 20 times in State of Origin.
