Shots 1 and 3, I’d crop down, just to the action. You have unnecessary sky and players/pitch that don’t really contribute to the action and point of focus in the image.
Thanks for the comment Paul your opinion is welcome.I have cropped 1 and 3 with a big difference to photo 1.If you have any more advice on sport photography i would be more than happy to recieve it.
Most would use a 70-200mm f/2.8 or else primes – 300mm f/2.8, 400mm f/2.8 and such.
Personally, I use 70-200mm f/2.8 on my 2nd body and a 300mm f/2.8 on my main body.
In general, and considering price, the 70-200mm f/2.8 is a good enough compromise for range and price. If you then feel that you are lacking range, you can always consider adding an extender, but this would very much depend on light.