This week marks a half-century of celebrating NAIDOC Week and as a result, it’s appropriate that we reflect on the impact Indigenous players have had on rugby league over the past 50 years.
In partnership with the NRL, Nine.com.au is spotlighting some incredible athletes.
Fans can vote on who they believe are the best Indigenous players of the past 50 years in both the men’s and women’s game.
In this piece, we’re focusing on the speed machines and try-scoring freaks in the men’s game as we take a look at the top outside backs.
Greg Inglis
If you had to pick one word to describe this bloke, it would have to be aura.
From the moment he burst on to the scene with the Storm as a rangy teenager, GI clearly possessed once-in-a-generation talent.
He won grand finals at centre and five-eighth, trampling rival players - sorry Jamie Soward - at will on his way to the top of the rugby league world.
Inglis then made the move to South Sydney in the midst of Melbourne’s salary cap cheating scandal, becoming a beacon of hope for desperate fans and eventually leading the foundation club to a drought-breaking title after 43 years of pain.
GF moment: Inglis' iconic celebration
In that 30-6 win over the Bulldogs, it was Inglis who scored the final try and sent goosebumps down the collective spines of NRL fans across the country, diving out before performing his iconic goanna crawl celebration - a nod to his community, given the animal is deeply spiritual and revered within Indigenous culture.
In the Origin arena, there were few better than Inglis. He holds the record for most tries (18) and is among the most capped players with 32 appearances.
The hulking centre tormented NSW fans throughout Queensland’s iconic eight-straight series triumphs, making grown men opposing him look like boys.
“I remember watching him as a young fella and just knowing if I was to ever make the game ... the things this fella could do, I wish I could do,” Rabbitohs superstar Latrell Mitchell said on Nine’s 100% Footy on Monday night.
His legacy has continued after retirement by launching the Goanna Academy - the country’s first Indigenous-owned mental health provider, giving back and helping the community while drawing on his own past experiences.
Latrell Mitchell
Around the time that Inglis’ on-field career was winding down, a young kid with eerie similarities named Latrell Mitchell started making a name for himself.
The frame, fend, skill and speed made it impossible not to compare Latrell to GI.
He emerged as the game’s best centre during the Sydney Roosters’ back-to-back premierships in 2018 and 2019, forming a lethal pairing with Joey Manu.
His move to the Rabbitohs in 2020 drew obvious parallels to Inglis and he has become the club’s marquee man and poster boy ever since.
Latrell was in a mood
The 29-year-old’s representative career has been rather limited due to injuries, but whenever he pulls on the Blues or Kangaroos jumper, he is almost unstoppable.
Mitchell polarises opinion and is never afraid to speak his mind - aside from when he went on a self-imposed media ban for about two years - but away from the field remains a humble family man who loves spending time on his farm.
There is no bigger name in the sport today than “Trell Mit” and if he can lift the trophy for Souths before it’s all said and done, his legacy will be cemented.
Speaking on Nine’s 100% Footy on Monday night, Phil Gould, who is on the panel of judges assessing the top Indigenous players of the past 50 years, spoke about the rise of the game’s biggest star from a young age and his unparalleled brilliance.
“I first saw you playing as a teenager - from the time we first laid eyes on you, it looked like you were a 14-year-old playing in the under nines and you were so much better than everyone else,” the former NSW Blues coach said.
“You must have an unshakeable belief in your own ability to influence games.
“You can make big moments happen, you have more than your share and you don’t wait for it to happen, you just impose yourself and make it happen.”
Mitchell said for him, it’s all about making moments when they arise.
“It comes from Taree and for me to be able to create a legacy for himself ... when the ball is in my court and I know when it bounces, we’re on,” he replied.
“Today’s game is about moments ... I have the mindset of flipping it.”
Off the field, Mitchell is a passionate Indigenous ambassador and has launched the Winmarra Foundation to help kids like him connect to their culture.
“For me to go out and give these kids an opportunity, it enlightens me,” he said.
Wendell Sailor
Larger-than-life and controversial, there is no doubting Wendell Sailor left an indelible mark on both rugby league and rugby union.
His bustling 191cm and 105kg frame made him a handful like few others in his generation, the man known as “Big Dell” was one-half of a stellar wing tandem with Broncos teammate Lote Tuqiri throughout the late-1990s and early-2000s.
His exploits in the green and gold Kangaroos jersey were enormous, scoring 17 tries in just 16 games, while also featuring 14 times for Queensland.
Sailor scored in Brisbane’s 2000 premiership victory, but soon after made the jump to rugby union, where he became a Wallabies superstar.
Sailor and Campbell recount iconic All Stars try
He returned to the NRL with the Dragons in 2008 for a brief two-year stint, which coincided with helping get the Indigenous All Stars concept off the ground.
Nathan Blacklock
Regarded as one of the best players to never feature in State of Origin, fleet-footed Dragons legend Nathan Blacklock was a try-scoring excitement machine.
Hailing from the small northern NSW town of Tingha, which has a population of less than 1000 people as of the last census, Blacklock made his way to the big smoke in the mid-1990s when he signed with the Sydney Roosters.
Indigenous Inspirations: Nathan Blacklock
His move to join the famous St George Dragons catapulted him to stardom, with Blacklock becoming a cult hero both before and after the merge with Illawarra.
Across his time in the Red V jersey, the speedster scored a blistering 120 tries in 137 games and was beloved for his iconic backflip try celebrations.
Blacklock might not be remembered as the greatest of all-time, but there were few who could light up a stadium and get the crowd on their feet quite like him.
Alex Johnston
It’s impossible to talk about the greatest Indigenous outside backs without mentioning the greatest try scorer in the sport’s 118-year history.
Earlier this year, AJ surpassed Ken Irvine in a moment that will live forever, with thousands of fans flocking onto Allianz Stadium to celebrate.
The two that made history
“It was an amazing night ... I was just grateful to be part of it, but I couldn’t wait to get off the field there,” Mitchell said of his Souths teammate’s epic moment.
Johnston has been an incredible player for the Rabbitohs, where he was part of their drought-breaking premiership in 2014.
He will finish his career with the PNG Chiefs, celebrating another part of his culture, signing a two-year deal with the expansion club for 2028.
Full outside backs list
Josh Addo-Carr, Nathan Blacklock, Will Chambers, Tony Currie, Steve Ella, Terry Fahey, Blake Ferguson, John Ferguson, Dane Gagai, Justin Hodges, Greg Inglis, Alex Johnston, Latrell Mitchell, Steve Renouf, Wendell Sailor, Dale Shearer, Matt Sing, Kotoni Staggs, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Timana Tahu, Willie Tonga
