Kiwis and West Tigers star Benji Marshall has become just the fourth New Zealander to be inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame.
The former Kiwis captain and current Tigers head coach was among the 11 players announced on Wednesday by the NRL in the 2024 induction class, and will be Hall of Famer No 123.
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He joins fellow Kiwis Mark Graham (2018), and Stacey Jones and Ruben Wiki, who were both inducted in 2019.
Marshall, who retired in 2021, inspired a generation of young Kiwis to play and be interested in rugby league. His flick pass to Pat Richards to set up a try in the Tigers' victory over the North Queensland Cowboys in the 2005 NRL Grand Final is one of the NRL's most iconic plays.
Kiwi No 717, Marshall played 31 tests for New Zealand, including an influential role in the famous Rugby League World Cup victory over the Kangaroos in Australia in 2008 that shocked the rugby league world.
Marshall, the winner of the prestigious Golden Boot Award in 2010, played 346 NRL matches between 2003-2021, the most by a New Zealander.
He played for the Tigers (257 in two stints), St George Illawarra Dragons (54), Brisbane Broncos (13) and South Sydney Rabbitohs (22), before an emotional retirement announcement after 19 seasons.
The 39-year-old also made four appearances for the NRL All-Stars in the early-2010s and one for the Maori All-Stars in 2021, while he played six games for the Blues in 2014 after making an ill-fated switch to rugby union.
Marshall is in his first season as head coach of the currently last-placed Tigers (4-0-17) after working as an assistant in 2023.
Included in the 2024 inductees is the original Melbourne Storm 'Big Four' of Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Billy Slater and Greg Inglis, who all helped Queensland to eight consecutive State of Origin series victories.
Another modern day Queensland great and two time NRL premiership winner, Johnathan Thurston, is also in the class of 2024. Englishman Sam Burgess, who led the South Sydney Rabbitohs to victory in the 2014 NRL grand final, becomes the first England inductee.
The other four players to be added in the class of 2024 are Lionel Morgan, Les Boyd, Ben Elias and Steve Renouf.
The formal inductions will be made in a special ceremony on Wednesday, August 21 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
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