The NRL has confirmed the release process for the inductees into the 2019 Hall of Fame class, which will for the first time feature Contributors.
Up to four Players will be inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame on Wednesday, August 14, alongside three Contributors (one inductee each from Administration, Print Media and Broadcast Media).
The 11 representatives short-listed for the Contributor – Administration have been released, and will include JJ Giltinan, Ted Larkin, H ‘Jersey’ Flegg, Harry Sunderland, Ken Arthurson, John Quayle, Ron McAuliffe, Paul Broughton and Ross Livermore.
The timeline leading to the formal induction of the 2019 Hall of Fame class is as follows:
– The nine nominations short-listed for Contributor – Print Media and five nominations from Contributor – Broadcast Media, will be formally released tomorrow (Wednesday, 7 August);
– The 25 short-listed Players will be announced on Thursday, August 8;
– The four players to be inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame will be released on Tuesday, August 13;
– The three nominations to be inducted from Contributors (one each from Administration, Print Media and Broadcast Media will be released on Wednesday, August 14.
All those selected will be formally inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame during a ceremony at Carriageworks, Redfern, on Wednesday, August 14.
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said the formal process, driven by the Awards and Recognition Committee, leading to the formal induction, was an important part of the Rugby League calendar.
“The formal induction of our Players and our Contributors will be an extremely special and memorable night,” NRL CEO Todd Greenberg.
“For the first time, we will acknowledge a representative from administration, from print media and from broadcast media.
“That is an incredibly important element of what we have done in recent years – reshape our Hall of Fame process to appropriately acknowledge the people who have made significant contributions to the game.
“There are some administrators nominated for the short-list who are indelible parts of the game. Even today, so many of us know the likes of JJ Giltinan, Jersey Flegg, Ken Arthurson and John Quayle.
“Their achievements through the course of the game’s history are revered.”
The 11 members of the contributor list was determined by the History Committee, which comprises Roy Masters, Steve Ricketts, Geoff Armstrong and David Middleton.
Senior Manager of NRL Awards, Frank Puletua said the addition of the Contributors to the Hall of Fame program was significant.
“We started this process with the induction of five Immortals last year alongside six Hall of Famers, we will continue it with the three Contributors and up to four Players this year, then next year we will recognise Coaches and Referees for the first time.
“This is another important step towards acknowledging the many people who have played, being quite honest, momentous roles in the game across decades.”
To view a list of the 2019 NRL Hall of Fame Nominees for Contributors – Administration, please click here.
To view the Hall of Fame and Immortals voting process, click here.
