SIR Billy Boston and Ellery Hanley are among the eleven English and Welsh players to be selected for the new International Rugby League Hall of Legends.
But there is no place among the 36 from the men’s game for Garry Schofield, widely regarded as one of the greatest British rugby league backs of all time.
Now 61 and currently writing a World Cup colunm for League Express, he is celebrated for winning the 1990 IRL Golden Boot as the world’s best player and the 1991 Man of Steel award.
With 46, former Hull FC and Leeds star Schofield is the joint-record Great Britain Test appearance maker with Mick Sullivan.
Former Huddersfield, Wigan and St Helens winger and two-time World Cup winner Sullivan does make the list of legends, picked by an international committee of coaches, players, administrators, journalists and commentators from more than 240 nominees.
The other British inductees are pioneers Harold Wagstaff and William ‘Billy’ Batten, Jim Sullivan, Gus Risman, Alex Murphy, Malcolm Reilly, Roger Millward and Neil Fox.
Other Hall of Legends members include New Zealand’s Stacey Jones, the current coach of the national team, Ruben Wiki and Mark Graham, Australia’s Darren Lockyer (co-owner of London Broncos), Cameron Smith, Wally Lewis and Mal Meninga and France’s Puig Aubert and Jean Galia.
Tonga’s Jason Taumalolo is the only current player in the select group who must meet one or more eligibility criteria: a significant contribution to international Rugby League, membership of their nation’s Hall of Fame or equivalent recognition, an IRL Golden Cap for 50 Tests or an IRL Golden Boot or Rugby League International Federation International Player of the Year Award.
“The inaugural IRL Hall of Legends is a special group of players and a real who’s who of International Rugby League,” said IRL chairman Troy Grant.
“The list of nominees was exceptional and there will be further inductions to come. We simply couldn’t induct every deserving nominee at our first attempt. Their recognition will come.”
Pre-1954: Clive Churchill (Aus), Dally Messenger (Aus), Puig Aubert (Fra), Jim Sullivan (Wal/GB), Harold Wagstaff (Eng/GB), Dave Brown (Aus), Gus Risman (Wal/GB), Frank Frank Burge (Aus), Billy Batten (Eng/GB), Jean Galia (Fra).
Post 1954: Darren Lockyer (Aus), John Raper (Aus), Wally Lewis (Aus), Reg Gasnier (Aus), Mal Meninga (Aus), Cameron Smith (Aus), Arthur Beetson (Aus), Graeme Langlands (Aus), Billy Boston (Wales/GB), Bob Fulton (Aus), Andrew Johns (Aus), Ellery Hanley (Eng/GB), Mark Graham (NZ), Johnathan Thurston (Aus), Ron Coote (Aus), Ruben Wiki (NZ), Stacey Jones (NZ), Brad Fittler (Aus), Alex Murphy (Eng/GB), Malcolm Reilly (Eng/GB), Roger Millward (Eng/GB), Neil Fox (Eng/GB), Petero Civoniceva (Fiji/Aus), Mick Sullivan (Wal/GB), Jason Taumalolo (Ton/NZ), Billy Slater (Aus).
Women: Ali Brigginshaw (Aus), Karyn Murphy (Aus), Honey Hireme-Smiler (NZ), Luisa Avaiki (Sam/NZ), Tahnee Norris (Aus), Trish Hina (NZ).
