Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart AM is one of five NSW sports greats to be inducted into the NSW Hall of Champions.

Also inducted into the Hall of Champions are Graham Arnold (football), Mo’onia Gerrard OAM (netball), Naazmi Johnston (gymnastics) and Mark “Mono” Stewart (adaptive surfing).

Netball great Liz Ellis AO will be the second netball player to be elevated to Legend Status in the NSW Hall of Champions, located at the Quaycentre at Sydney Olympic Park.

The NSW greats will be honoured at the NSW Champions of Sport Ceremony on November 24.

Stuart’s decorated career as a rugby league player and coach began in 1988 with his first-grade debut for the Canberra Raiders.

He swiftly cemented himself as one of the game’s best half-backs, winning three premierships with the Canberra Raiders, including the team’s first win in 1989, and again in 1990 and 1994.

He was honoured with the Clive Churchill Medal as man-of-the-match in the 1990 grand final with the Canberra Raiders.

In 1992 and 1993, he was named Canberra Raiders’ Player of the Year.

Between 1990-94, he played nine Tests for the Australian Kangaroos, and 14 games for the NSW Blues Origin team.

Ricky retired from playing rugby league in 2000 and has since coached more than 500 NRL games across four clubs, including
the Sydney Roosters, Cronulla Sharks, Parramatta Eels and Canberra Raiders.

In 2005, he coached the NSW Blues Origin team, winning the series 2-1 against Queensland. This would be the last
NSW victory until 2014.

Between 2006-08, he coached the Kangaroos to 10 wins out of 11 international matches.

In 2018, Stuart was inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame and in 2022, the NSW Rugby League Hall of Fame. He was
appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

This year Stuart was named Dally M NRL Coach of the Year.