Who is John O’Gready you say? Well consider this.

There would be no Provan-Summons Trophy on Grand Final Day without Norm Provan and Arthur Summons but if there wasn’t someone there on that special day in 1963 at the Sydney Cricket Ground – there’d be no trophy at all because it was photographer O’Gready who took the shot. “Jolly Jack” was a long-time photographer for The Sun-Herald and worked at the paper until 1988 – he died in 1999. O’Gready took thousands of rugby league photos in his time but none would ever come close to Provan and Summons. Better known as “The Gladiators”.

Our other Hall of Fame entrant today needs no introduction – Banjo Paterson.

But why is an Aussie bush poet and author famous for countless endeavours and having his face on the $10 bill in our Hall of Fame?

Because one of Australia’s greatest ever writers was also an avid rugby league fan who spruiked the game in articles for the Sydney Sportsman throughout the 1920’s.

The writer behind “The Man from Snowy River” and “Waltzing Matilda” was a celebrity fan of the game long before there was ever such a thing.