Serial Bradford Bulls winner Jamie Peacock in Hall of Fame

Jane Banks, Michelle Land, Jamie Peacock MBE and Paul Sculthorpe MBE have been recognised as the best of the very best and will take their place in the Hall of Fame at a celebration induction dinner hosted by Rugby League Cares on Tuesday October 22. 

The four champions of the men’s and women’s games will be inducted alongside the late James Lomas and Alan Prescott, whose elevation into the sport’s most prestigious and exclusive club was announced last week.

The inductions take the number of players in the Rugby League Hall of Fame to 41 players – 36 men and five women - which represents a tiny fraction of the number who have played the sport since its formation in 1895. 

Jane Banks

Jane Banks was capped 19 times by Great Britain during an illustrious career that saw her selected for four tours of the southern hemisphere, the first time as a 17-year-old in 1996 when she was an integral part of the Ashes-winning Lionesses squad. 

She was named player of the tour on the 1998 series in New Zealand and took the player of the series award in the 2000 World Series played in the UK.

Banks played in a number of positions, moving from full-back and centre early in her career before switching to second row and prop later on, when she led from the front.

Blessed with speed and courageous in defence, she started her career as a junior at Wigan St Pats before playing for Warrington Ladies, Hindley Pumas, Bradford Thunderbirds and Warrington.

Former Bradford Thunderbirds ace Jane Banks helped Great Britain win the Ashes as a teenager back in 1996. (Image: Sportsbeat.)

Jamie Peacock MBE

Jamie Peacock is a true giant of the Super League era, a player who set high standards which he expected all around him to rise to.

He made 47 international appearances, 21 for England and 26 for Great Britain during an 18-year career with Bradford Bulls, Leeds Rhinos and Hull Kingston Rovers. 

The former Stanningley junior made his Super League debut with Bradford Bulls in 1999 and gained his first England call up the following season in the 2000 World Cup.

He was a two-time Challenge Cup final winner and three-time Grand Final winner with Bradford before joining Leeds in 2006, when he went on to win a further six Grand Finals and two Challenge Cups, before his retirement in 2016.

Peacock was named Man of Steel in 2003 and was named in the Super League Dream team a record 11 times.

His international high point came in November 2006 when he captained Great Britain to a 23-12 victory over Australia in Sydney, scoring a try in the Lions’ first Test win in Australia for 14 years.

To be considered for entry into the Hall of Fame, players must have a record of outstanding achievement at the very highest levels of the sport; possess a reputation that transcends the era in which they played; and have made a contribution to the sport that will last as long as Rugby League is played.

Inductees are selected by a specially-convened panel comprising representatives from across the sport, including former international players, coaches, historians, administrators and media.

To be eligible for consideration for inclusion in the Hall of Fame, a player must have played Rugby League in the UK for at least 10 years and played their last match at least five years before the date of the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Two years ago, former Great Britain internationals Brenda Dobek, Lisa McIntosh and Sally Milburn had the honour of becoming the first three women to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, alongside the distinguished quartet of Andy Farrell OBE, Adrian Morley, Clive Sullivan MBE and David Watkins.