STATUES OF LEGENDS
At present, there are statues recognising the on-field achievements of five Queensland State of Origin champions and one Queensland Rugby Union champion.
The Rugby League statues are located on the Northern Plaza (Caxton Street end) while the Rugby Union statue is on the Southern Plaza (Milton Road end). The text from their respective plaques is shown underneath each photo.
WALLY LEWIS
The Emperor of Lang Park
This honour was bestowed upon Wally Lewis by the former Chairman of the Queensland Rugby League, Senator and acclaimed father of State of Origin, the late Ron McAuliffe, in recognition of the impact Wally had on matches played at this ground across three decades.
Lewis is arguably the greatest rugby league player of all time. He is one of only a handful of players to be named a Rugby League Immortal and was one of the six inaugural members of the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame.
He achieved the greatest honour in Rugby League: the captaincy of his country, but it was through his feats as Queensland skipper and playmaker in State of Origin that he achieved legendary status.
He played 31 Origin games (30 as captain) and was awarded a record 8 Man of the Match awards over a 12-year period. The name Wally Lewis is synonymous with State of Origin and Queensland Rugby League and continues to be an inspiration to future generations of footballers.
The Wally Lewis Statue was first unveiled in 1992 before State of Origin Game 2.
Check out our exclusive Wally Lewis merchandise ➡️
ARTHUR BEETSON
Rugby League Immortal
Arthur Beetson achieved every major accolade in Rugby League both as a player and coach in a career that spanned more than a quarter of a century.
Beetson was born in Roma, Queensland on 22 January 1945, and died on 1 December 2011. He was regarded as the best post-war forward in Australian Rugby League history and the first Indigenous Australian to captain his country in any sport.
His record as a player included:
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54 first grade games for Redcliffe (1964-65 and 1981)
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223 first grade games in the NSWRL with Balmain, Eastern Suburbs and
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Parramatta (1966-80)
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12 games for Hull Kingston Rovers (UK, 1968-69)
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2 NSWRL premierships with Eastern Suburbs – team captain (1974-75)
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1 State of Origin game for Queensland - team captain (1980)
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2 interstate games for Queensland (1981)
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17 interstate games for New South Wales (1966-77)
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1 game for New South Wales v Great Britain 1966
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28 Tests for Australia (1966-77)
His record as a coach included:
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196 games in the NSWRL with Eastern Suburbs (1977-78, 1985-88, and 1994) and Cronulla-Sutherland (1992-93)
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16 games Queensland State of Origin (1981-84 and 1989-90)
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1 Test for Australia (1983)
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Redcliffe (1981-82)
He received the following recognitions:
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Order of Australia in recognition of services to Rugby League (1987)
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Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame (2003)
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The 7th Australian Rugby League Immortal (2003)
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Australian Rugby League Team of the Century, the Queensland Rugby League Team of the Century and the Indigenous Australians Rugby League Team of the Century (2008)
DARREN LOCKYER
Champion player and leader
Darren Lockyer was a champion of his era, incomparable in the sport of Rugby League for his longevity and continued excellence at the highest level.
He held the following records upon his retirement in 2011:
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Most Tests for Australia: 59 (1998 - 2011)
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Most Tests for Australia as captain: 38 (2003 – 2011)
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Most State of Origin games for Queensland: 36 (1998-2011)
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Most NRL/ARL first grade appearances: 355 (1995-2011)
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Most points for the Brisbane Broncos: 1277 (1995 – 2011)
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Most appearances for the Brisbane Broncos: 366 (1995 – 2011. - 355 ARL/NRL, 11 WCC and Super League WCC)
To add to his illustrious list of achievements, he was:
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Captain of Queensland during the Origin record – six series victory: 2006 – 11
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Queensland Origin captain in 22 games (2004-2011)
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Dally M Fullback of the Year, three times (1998, 2000, 2002)
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Dally M Five-Eighth of the Year, twice (2000, 2002)
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Golden Boot Award winner (world’s best player) twice (2003, 2006)
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Captained the Broncos to a premiership (2006) and played in three other Broncos grand final wins (1997, 1998 and 2000)
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Queensland Team of the Century: fullback (2008)
Beyond the records, Darren Lockyer was one of the greatest ambassadors for Rugby League in its history, among the most popular and respected players the sport has seen.
He played the game hard, in the greatest spirit and with remarkable natural brilliance and grace. For that alone, he is an icon of Queensland and Australian sport whose affinity with this Stadium is momentous.
MAL MENINGA
Record breaking player and coach
Mal Meninga’s involvement in Rugby League at the top level, as a player who achieved every major honour and as a record breaking coach spans a period of more than 35 years.
Meninga was born in Bundaberg, Queensland on 8 July 1960. Upon his retirement as a player in 1994, he held the record for the most number of appearances and points scored for the Australian team and was the leading points scorer for the Queensland State of Origin side. As coach of the Queensland Maroons from 2006-13, Meninga delivered a record 8 consecutive Origin series wins.
His record as a player included:
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158 first grade games for the South Brisbane Magpies (1979-85)
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166 first grade games for the Canberra Raiders (1986-94)
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31 first grade games for St. Helens (UK 1984-85)
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2 BRL premierships with South Brisbane Magpies (1981 and 1985)
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3 NSWRL premierships as captain of the Canberra Raiders Magpies (1989, 1990 and 1994)
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32 State of Origin games for Queensland (1980 -94) – 9 as captain
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10 interstate and other games for Queensland (1979 – 85)
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46 Tests for Australia (1982-94) – 24 as captain
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The only player to have been selected for 4 Kangaroos tours to Great Britain – 2 as captain
His record as a coach includes:
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125 games with the Canberra Raiders (1997-2001)
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30 games with the Queensland State of Origin team including a record 8 consecutive series wins (2006-13)
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8 games with the Prime Minister’s XIII (2005-12)
He holds the following honours:
- Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of services to Rugby League (1994)
- Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame (2003)
- South Brisbane Magpies, Queensland Rugby League and Australian Rugby League Team of the Century (2008) and Canberra Raiders Greatest Team (2013).
ALLAN LANGER
"Alf" a Queensland crowd favourite
Allan Langer fought all the odds and size disadvantage to become one of the greatest players in Queensland Rugby League history. He achieved a number of major accolades including captaining his club to premierships, Queensland in State of Origin series wins and Australia at Test level.
His record as a player included:
- 33 first grade games for the Ipswich Jets (1986-87)
- 288 first grade games for the Brisbane Broncos (1988-99, 2002)
- 51 first grade games for the Warrington Wolves (UK 2000-01)
- 3 NSWRL / NRL premierships as captain of the Brisbane Broncos (1992-93, 1998)
- 1 Super League premiership as captain of the Brisbane Broncos (1997)
- 34 State of Origin games for Queensland (1987-94, 1996, 1998, 2001-02) – 5 as captain
- 3 Super League Tri-Series games for Queensland (1997)
- 24 Tests for Australia (1988-99) - 1 as captain (1998)
- 1 Super League Test for Australia (1997)
- Clive Churchill Medal winner (1992)
- Rothmans Medal winner (1992)
- Dally M Medal winner (1996)
- Brisbane Broncos Player of the Year (1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996)
He holds the following honours:
- Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of service to Rugby League (2000)
- Queensland Rugby League’s Team of the Century (2008)
- Inaugural inductee into the Brisbane Broncos Hall of Fame (2003)
- Brisbane Broncos Legends Team (2007)
- Sport Australia Hall of Fame (2008)
JOHN EALES
Second-rower John Eales is Australia’s most successful Rugby captain. A proud Queenslander, Eales’ stature in Australian Rugby is so grand, the award for the Wallabies’ best player each year is named after him, the John Eales Medal.
Playing Records
- 109 matches for Queensland (1990-2001), 16 as captain
- 611 points for Queensland – 10 tries, 101 conversions and 121 penalties
- Won two Super Rugby championships for Queensland in 1994 and 1995
- Named in Queensland’s Team of the Century in 1999
- 1997 Stan Pilecki Medal – Queensland’s Players’ Player
- 44 matches for Brothers (1990-2001) – 12 tries, 7 conversions, 1 drop goal
- Named in Brothers’ Old Boys Team of the Century in 2001
- 86 Tests for Australia (1991-2001), a record 55 as captain
- Won 66 of 86 Tests – 79.9% winning record
- Retired the most capped international lock in Rugby Union history
- 173 points for Australia – 2 tries, 31 conversions and 34 penalties
- World’s highest scoring Test forward
- Captained Australia in their first match at Lang Park – July 1996 v All Blacks
- One of only five Australians to have won two Rugby World Cups – captained victorious 1999 side
- Five Bledisloe Cup wins – 1992, 1994, 1998, 2001 and 2001
- Captained Australia to victory over the 2001 British and Irish Lions
- Played 20 Tests against the All Blacks for 11 wins
- Captained 11 Tests against the All Blacks for 6 wins
Life Honours
- Queensland of the year – 2002
- Australian Sports Medal – 2000
- Member of the Order of Australia – 1999
- World Rugby Hall of Fame – 2007
- Australian Institute of Sport’s ‘Best of the Best’ – 2001
- Sports Australia Hall of Fame – 2007
- Wallabies Hall of Fame – 2011