The National Rugby League Hall of Fame was first established as the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame in 2002, before being reestablished in 2018 in its current form. The hall of fame honours the contributions made to the National Rugby League, Australian Rugby League, Super League and New South Wales Rugby League since 1908 by players, referees, media personalities, coaches and administrators.
The first batch of players were inducted to the hall of fame in 2002 including legends of the sport such as Reg Gasnier, Johnny Raper and Wally Lewis. In 2003 another six members were added to the elite club, with six more added in 2004, 2005 and 2006. In 2007 there were three more inductees: three from pre-1940 and three from post World War II.[1]
There were thirty-five members of the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame up to the end of 2007.
In 2018 the ARL took control of the concept of The Immortals, an accolade till that point administered by Rugby League Week. The ARL clarified the protocols of Immortal induction and the interplay with the Hall of Fame. It was confirmed that Immortals would continue to be inducted rarely & occasionally and would be selected from the overall pool of the Rugby League Hall of Fame. Inductees for the Hall of Fame would occur regularly — perhaps every year —- with six new inductees in 2018. It was also confirmed that the 65 members of the NRL's Team of the Century (selected during the 2008 century celebrations) who were not in the Hall of Fame as at 2007, were all to be entered to the Hall of Fame. Effectively 65 players who had been selected for honour in 2008 were added to the Hall of Fame in March 2018; with a further new six added in July 2018.
Further expansion of the criteria for inclusion have been established since 2023, with categories for coaches, referees, and contributors.
Selection Process
Categories
Player
Individuals who have competed in the elite premiership rugby league competition in Australia and achieved outstanding feats on and off the field throughout a professional playing career.
Coach
People who have coached in the elite premiership rugby league competition in Australia and consistently achieved outstanding results throughout a professional coaching career.
Referee
People who have officiated in the elite premiership rugby league competition in Australia and displayed fairness and integrity consistently throughout a career as a match official.
Contributor
People who have contributed significantly to the growth, popularity and prosperity of the elite premiership rugby league competition in Australia.
Eligibility Criteria
Player
Individual must have competed in the elite premiership rugby league competition in Australia
Individual must have played the majority of their elite rugby league career in Australia
Individual must be retired three years[lower-alpha 1] from competing in a professional sporting competition
Coach
Individual must have coached at a first-grade level in the elite premiership rugby league competition in Australia
Individual may be nominated and inducted at any stage of professional or post-career
Referee
Individual must have officiated at a first-grade level in the elite premiership rugby league competition in Australia
Individual must be retired three years from officiating in the elite rugby league competition in Australia
Contributor
Individual must have contributed significantly to the elite premiership rugby league competition in Australia in fields other than Player, Coach or Referee.
Individual may be nominated and inducted at any stage of professional or post-career
Metrics of Excellence
The Metrics of Excellence, or simply Metrics, is a tailored weighting system applied to specific accolades and areas of achievement at the elite level of the game (i.e. Premiership games played; State of Origin games played; Dally M Medal; Clive Churchill Medal, Grand Finals played, etc.).
The Metrics application automatically compiles players based on the aggregate of points achieved through their collective career achievements. A purely objective function, the application effectively acts as a filtering mechanism.
Equalisation functions are built into the Metrics application to ensure parity for players from different eras of the game (i.e. Pre-War, Wartime period, Super League, etc.) and competitions (i.e. Brisbane Rugby League, Country Rugby League, etc.)
Voting Process – Player
Metrics of Excellence applied to all individuals that have competed in the elite premiership rugby league competition in Australia from 1908 through to the designated qualification year
Complete list of qualified players recompiled based on Metrics results.
Top 100 players to achieve the highest aggregate of points through the Metrics process, extracted from complete list and populated on to the Hall of Fame Provisional Ballot.
Provisional Ballot advanced to Screening Committee for screening process.
Top 25 players selected via screening process populated on to the Hall of Fame Final Ballot.
Final Ballot advanced to Voting College for final selection.
Screening Process
Provisional Ballot presented to the Screening Committee for initial evaluation.
Screening Committee to reduce the Provisional Ballot to 50 by the end of the first deliberation stage.
Screening Committee then tasked with reducing the list from 50 to the final 25 players by the conclusion of the second deliberation stage.
Final Ballot (25) confirmed and documented by the Awards Sub-Committee.
Screening Process - Hall of Fame
Component
Output
Screening
Overview and Briefing
Provisional Ballot
Presentation of Provisional Ballot List
Deliberation Stage 1
Provisional Ballot reduced to 50
Intermission and Review
Discussion Points
Key Discussion Points tabled for 50
Deliberation Stage 2
50 Nominated reduced to final 25
Review
Awards Sub-Committee to finalise Final Ballot (25)
Induction Determinant
Individuals that achieve an aggregate of 10% or greater of the total points available (375) will qualify for induction into the NRL Hall of Fame.
Component
Points
Description
Nominees
25
Final Ballot
Judges
25
Voting College
Points Per Judge
5
Top Selection
4
Second Selection
3
Third Selection
2
Fourth Selection
1
Fifth & Final Selection
Total Points Per Judge
15
Individual Aggregate
Total Points Available
375
Total Aggregate
Total Points Required for Inclusion
38+
10% of Total Votes
Induction Parameters
Player
Minimum two inductions – Maximum four inductions per annual cycle In the event players, outside of the top four tally the same number of votes as those within the top four – a countback mechanism will be executed to determine who received the higher number of five point votes, four point votes, three point votes, etc.
Coach & Referee
Minimum of one induction – Maximum two inductions per four-year cycle
Contributor
Minimum of one induction – Maximum three inductions per two-year cycle
Controlled 10 grand finals, 21 State of Origin series matches, and 24 Test and World Cup matches
2024
Immortals
The Immortals category is reserved for those who are deemed to have had a significant impact on the game of Rugby League. Being named as an "Immortal" of the National Rugby League Hall of Fame is the highest honour which one can receive in the NRL.
↑ Year inducted into previous (ARL) or current (NRL) iteration of Hall of Fame
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