South Sydney premiership heroes, Greg Inglis and Sam Burgess, have been joined by Rabbitohs Grand Finalist, Benji Marshall CNZM, as the latest inductees into the NRL Hall of Fame, announced today by the National Rugby League.
Inglis, Rabbitohs first grade player number 1077, played 263 NRL games over 15 seasons, including 146 games for the South Sydney Rabbitohs. He played in five NRL Grand Finals, winning three including the Rabbitohs’ drought-breaking 21st premiership in 2014, and was crowned the Clive Churchill Medalist in 2007 as a five-eighth. He is also regarded as one of the best players ever to have played in the centres and at fullback.
Greg played 39 Tests for Australia and 32 State of Origin games for Queensland, is currently State of Origin’s leading try scorer of all time, and won the Golden Boot award as the world’s best player in 2009.
He is a five-time Dally M award-winning player across a number of positions, a two-time George Piggins Medalist as the Rabbitohs’ best and fairest player in a particular season, and was an inductee in the Indigenous Team of the Century when it was announced in 2008.
Inglis is regarded as a leader both on and off the field, captaining the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Indigenous All Stars, Queensland State of Origin, and the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII sides. Greg is also regarded as a leader amongst the Indigenous community right across Australia and dedicates a lot of his time to helping Indigenous charities and communities around the country.
Burgess, Rabbitohs first grade player number 1073, played 270 first grade games across the NRL with South Sydney and the Super League with the Bradford Bulls since 2006.
Sam arrived in Sydney on his 21st birthday ahead of his initial NRL season in 2010 where he made his debut in the cardinal and myrtle against the Roosters in round one. Burgess would play 182 matches for South Sydney, including the 2014 NRL Grand Final in which he was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for his inspirational performance playing the entire game with a shattered cheekbone and eye socket.
Burgess remains the only South Sydney player to have won the award named after the Rabbitohs’ greatest player and fellow Life Member, ‘The Little Master’ Clive Churchill.
Sam played 23 Test matches for England between 2008 and 2018, and played two Tests for Great Britain in 2007. Sam also represented England at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, playing in five Tests for the home nation.
Adding to the 2014 NRL Premiership trophy and his Clive Churchill Medal, Sam was also awarded the RLIF International Player of the Year award in 2014, was the Dally M Lock of the Year in the same year, has won the George Piggins Medal as the Rabbitohs best and fairest player on three occasions and the Jack Rayner Players’ Player award five times.
Marshall, Rabbitohs first grade player 1167, played 346 first grade games in his career including one season and 22 games for South Sydney in 2021, helping the Club play in the 2021 Grand Final against the Penrith Panthers, after which he retired from playing Rugby League.
Marshall had extraordinary talent and toughness to come back from injuries, leading the Wests Tigers to their first-ever Premiership in 2005 and New Zealand to World Cup glory in 2008. He also had the honour of captaining his country. In 2010, he won the coveted Golden Boot award and won the Dally M five-eighth of the year award in 2011.
All three players hold a special place in South Sydney folklore, particularly Inglis and Burgess who were inducted as Life Members of the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2020.
Inglis, Burgess and Marshall are being inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame alongside Lionel Morgan, Les Boyd, Ben Elias, Steve Renouf, Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk at a ceremony on Wednesday 21 August.
Australian Rugby League Commission Chairman, Peter V’Landys AM, said: “I’m in awe of this group of players and what they have each done in the game and for the game,” Mr V’landys said.
“This is the best of the best across several phenomenal eras. The group is full of Premiership winners, Dally M Medal winners, Clive Churchill Medal winners, Australia, New Zealand and England representatives.
“There are brilliant halves, powerful and durable forwards and gifted outside backs. All of these players are exceptional.”
Inglis, Burgess and Marshall join other South Sydney representatives in the NRL Hall of Fame including Wayne Bennett, Cec Blinkhorn, Billy Cann, Ron Coote, Jack Gibson, Herb Gilbert, Howard Hallett, Brian Hambly, Harold Horder, Bob McCarthy, John O’Neill, George Piggins, John Sattler, George Treweek, Benny Wearing, Harry Wells and Immortal Clive Churchill.
