NSW Rugby creates Hall of Fame, inducts 62 legends of the game as inaugural members

In their 150th year, NSW Rugby has finally created a Hall of Fame and inducted some of the greatest to ever play the game. From Ella to Campese, see which legends were honoured.

In their 150th year, NSW Rugby have finally created a Hall of Fame and inducted some of the greatest to ever play the game.

Inaugural inductees include Mark Ella, David Campese, Nick Farr-Jones, Phil Kearns, Matt Burke, Simon Poidevin, Ken Catchpole, David Brockhoff, Cyril Towers and Dally Messenger.

Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh is an inductee, as is 2014 premiership player Benn Robinson, the most recently retired player to be given a place in the HOF.

In total, 47 men and 15 women were inducted during a special ceremony in Sydney on Tuesday night.

In 1999, NSW Rugby named their ‘Greatest Team Ever’ and all of those players, as well as the 13 in the Wallabies HOF, were automatic inclusions as inductees, including Burke, who also sat on the panel to select the newcomers.

“When we chose the 1999 team, that was chosen as a team, 1-15 and reserves, and some incredible players missed out and we had a look and said, ‘We need to recognise the brilliance that has gone before us’,” Burke told this masthead.

“And so we weren’t choosing a team, we were choosing players. We went way back to players in the 1900s.

“What constitutes a Waratahs legend? Using me as an example, is it the first to 100 games, or is it a bloke who spanned World War I and World War II, playing from 1913-19 and served his country? You’ve got no concept of what happened back then,

“We took a wide berth on that and were able to incorporate a lot of players, some only played four or five times for NSW but their contribution outside of that was quite incredible.

“Not everyone fits the bill of that. That’s why this group is a special group, and we get the ability to add to it each year now.”

The cut-off is that eligible players must have been retired for at least five years.

Herbert Henry (Dally) Messenger in 1909.

Mark Ella.

The subcommittee who chose the inductees were NSWRU president Burke, John Morrison (deputy chair), Steve Johnson (NSWRU honorary archivist/statistician), Ian Kennedy (former Waratahs coach), Ron Graham (life member), Larry Thomson (country women’s rugby), Erin Morton (Sydney women’s rugby) and Mark Green (administration).

“We’re not putting people in for the sake of putting them in, they have to have done something remarkable, this is an elite group,” said Burke, who juggles his rugby duties with reading the sports news for Network Ten.

“This also allows history to be reminded to people. Kids don’t know history.

“We did a Waratahs coaching clinic a couple of years ago, with the junior kids, and one of the boys walked off at the end laughing his head off. I said, ‘What’s so funny?’ He said a kid came up to him and said how much they’d had rucking, mauling, kicking, passing, but he goes, ‘What’s the bloke from the news coaching us for?’

Matt Burke was a part of NSW Rugby’s ‘Greatest Ever Team’ in 1999. Picture: AAP Image/Action Photographics/Colin Whelan

“At least he’s watching the news. But you’ve got the parents on the sideline knowing all the Wallabies and Waratahs, but these kids don’t know.

“That’s a part of history you need to remember.

“We call these Super Rugby franchises clubs now, but for me that’s not right, because you’re playing for your state, so you’re representing yourself, your family and friends.

“But the bloke down the road who will never make a NSW, Queensland or Brumbies jersey, they’ll got to every game and watch, so I believe you’ve got to incorporate the meaning of the blue jersey.”

Benn Robinson, the most capped ever Waratah, was another inductee. Picture: AAP Image/Dean Lewins

Robinson, the most capped ever Waratahs with 151 Super Rugby games, was forced to retire due to an eye injury in 2016.

“I’m overwhelmed, I was emotional when I found out, it’s come as such a shock and when I told my three boys they were expecting me a big trophy,” Robinson said.

“I’ve been playing under the NSW banner since under-8s, my boys are now playing for Shammies (Petersham) and the cycle has started again.

“It’s an amazing feeling, especially for my mum and dad who have been with me the whole way.

“NSW very special to me, my first team was the NSW under-17s side, and I’ve been proud to be a part of NSW ever since.”

Also during the evening, the 2024 NSW Waratahs player awards were announced, with departing backrower Lachlan Swinton winning the Matt Burke Cup as best men’s player, and Atasi Lafai claiming the best women’s player.

Originally published as NSW Rugby creates Hall of Fame, inducts 62 legends of the game as inaugural members