SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – JULY 10: Blues coach Brad Fittler looks on during game three of the 2019 State of Origin series between the New South Wales Blues and the Queensland Maroons at ANZ Stadium on July 10, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Former rugby league great and current New South Wales Blues coach Brad Fittler has officially been inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
One of the all-time greats of the game, Fittler played 336 first-grade games during a career which stretched from 1989 to 2004.
Making his NRL debut as a 17-year-old for the Penrith Panthers, he would play 119 games at the foot of the mountains before switching to the Sydney Roosters, where he played a further 217 games until his retirement.
Winning two NRL premierships, Fittler is also the most capped New South Wales State of Origin player in history with 31 games, 14 of which he was captain.
He also played 38 Tests for Australia, captaining 20 of those matches while also leading Australia to a pair of Rugby League World Cup victories.
Since then, he has worked in rugby league media and took over coaching the New South Wales Blues in 2018, a role he has held ever since.
Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’Landys said it was a phenomenal achievement for Fittler.
Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) Chairman Peter V’landys AM has today honoured NSW Blues Coach Brad Fittler, who has been inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
“This is a phenomenal achievement by Brad when you consider that he is now recognised in the illustrious company of Australian sporting icons such as Sir Donald Bradman AC and Dawn Fraser AC MBE,” V’landys said.
“He also joins an esteemed group of Rugby League players who have received this very honour including Clive Churchill AO, Wally Lewis AM, Dally Messenger, Norm Provan, Arthur Beetson OAM, Bob Fulton AM and current Kangaroo’s coach Mal Meninga AM.
“He has become one of the most respected and admired figures in the game of Rugby League and I have the greatest personal regard for Brad. I still have great memories of a young Freddy debuting for Penrith in 1989 while still in high school. It was apparent even then that he would go on to become a brilliant leader in the game.
“On behalf of the Australian Rugby League Commission, I congratulate Brad on this achievement which not only recognises his personal contribution to the great game of Rugby League and Australian sport in general, but also the remarkable contribution of his family and those that have been alongside him on the journey.
“We are very proud to have an individual of Brad’s calibre joining the list of Rugby League greats inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.”
Source:: ZeroTackle
