Rugby League Cares and the Rugby Football League have announced that four of the greatest players in the sport’s history will receive the highest honour the sport can bestow upon them next month when they are inducted into the Rugby League Hall of Fame.
Andy Farrell OBE, Adrian Morley, Clive Sullivan MBE and David Watkins MBE will formally join the 28 current members in Rugby League’s most exclusive club at an induction ceremony in Wigan on Thursday, October 27.
RFL Chief Executive Ralph Rimmer said: “On behalf of the whole sport I would like to congratulate Andy, Adrian, Clive and David on this wonderful achievement, which is so richly deserved.
“Millions of people have played this great sport in the last 127 years, and it is a testimony to the quality of all four players that they are among just 32 who have so far been selected for inclusion in the Rugby League Hall of Fame.
“We are looking forward to inducting these four sporting giants into the Hall of Fame next month on what will undoubtedly be a very special evening for everyone.”
The inductions will take place at a celebration dinner at The Edge Arena in Wigan on Thursday October 27. At the same event, the first members will be inducted into the newly-established Women’s Rugby League Hall of Fame – the former Great Britain internationals Brenda Dobek, Lisa McIntosh and Sally Milburn.
In a 13-year career at Wigan, Andy Farrell (pictured top) won six Championships and four Challenge Cups and was regarded as one of the most talented players of his generation.
He captained both Wigan and Great Britain by example and made 46 international appearances, playing in two World Cup tournaments.
Adrian Morley (above) established a reputation as the consummate professional over his near 20-year career, in which he became the sport’s most-capped British player with 30 appearances for Great Britain and 23 for England.
Morley was a Challenge Cup winner with Leeds in 1999 before joining Sydney Roosters, with whom he won the 2002 Premiership and 2003 World Club Challenge. He won the Grand Final with Bradford in 2005 then captaining Warrington to Challenge Cup final success in 2009, 2010 and 2012.
Cardiff-born Clive Sullivan (above) was the last Great Britain captain to lift the World Cup trophy, leading the nation to success in 1972, and was also part of the last Lions side to win the Ashes two years earlier.
He made over 550 appearances for Hull FC and Hull KR between 1961 and 1980, scoring a remarkable 365 tries (247 for Hull, 118 for Rovers).
After joining Salford from Welsh rugby union in 1967 at the age of 25, David Watkins (above) went on to play 466 games as a Rugby League player, including over 400 for Salford, 22 for Wales and 13 for Great Britain.
He is Salford’s record points-scorer (2,907) and scored in 92 consecutive matches for the Red Devils. Watkins played in all six games for Wales in the 1975 World Cup.
