The Plus500 Brumbies are delighted to announce that foundation squad members George Gregan, Stephen Larkham and Joe Roff as the the inaugural Brumbies Legends inductees.
The trio were officially inducted last Friday at the State of the Union lunch which recognised the 25th anniversary of Brumbies Rugby with players from both the 1996 and 2001 Super Rugby winning squads in attendance.
The Brumbies Legends initiative has been established to recognise exceptional men and women's players of International significance.
The Selection Committee, which comprises Life Members, former players, the current Brumbies playing leadership group and senior members of the High Performance team, met recently to consider the Board nominations for our foundational inductees into the Brumbies Legends.
Over the next year, the Brumbies will also introduce the ACT & Southern NSW Hall of Fame that recognises exceptional men's and women's players, coaches and match officials over the course of our 84-year history, including the defining amateur years.
Plus500 Brumbies CEO Phil Thomson said: "The Brumbies Legends initiative is a great way of formally recognising some of the great achievements made by individual players that have come through the club."
"George, Stephen and Joe all had extremely successful careers and epitomise what it means to be a Brumby and it's really exciting to have them as the first three names on the list of Legends.
"Friday's State of the Union event was a great opportunity to also celebrate those involved at the beginning of the organisation and also in the first ever Super Rugby title win in 2001."
George Gregan
George was named at scrumhalf in the side's first ever Super Rugby match against Transvaal in 1996, making him forever, Brumby number nine. A former Australian Under-19 and Under-21 representative, George is one of only 15 Brumbies centurions and the fourth most capped with 136 appearances, captaining the side in the 2001 Super Rugby triumph and being a member of the 2004 Championship winning side. Not only one of the best halfbacks to play the game, but his durability was also unmatched with George holding the record for most consecutive games for the club with 80 and the second most matches as captain with 47. Not only a captain for his club, George captained his country and pulled on the Wallaby gold a remarkable 139 times, the most of any Australian Rugby player. A Rugby World Cup winner with the Wallabies in 1999, George is synonymous with Rugby not only in Australia but around the globe and is also a member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame.
Stephen Larkham
When you think of Brumbies Rugby, it's hard not to think of Bernie. Brumby number 13 after debuting for the club in their inaugural Super Rugby game in the centres, Larkham when on to be remembered as one of the of great number 10s to have ever played the game in World Rugby. The starting flyhalf in both of the Brumbies Super Rugby titles in 2001 and 2004, Larkham formed an iconic partnership with fellow Brumbies Legends inductee George Gregan, with the pair having a stand named after them at the venue of so many of their greatest moments, GIO Stadium in Bruce. Larkham is the eighth highest capped Brumby with 116 appearances for the club and is also a Wallabies centurion with 102 caps for his country. He was the starting number 10 Australia's Rugby World Cup winning side of 1999 and will be forever remembered for his iconic 48-metre drop goal in the semi-final against South Africa. Larkham would go on to become the Head Coach of the Brumbies from 2014 to 2017 and remains one of the organisations biggest supporters.
Joe Roff
Brumby number 11, Roff was renowned for his incredible finishing ability, still holding the record for most Brumbies tries with 57. A Super Rugby Champion in both the 2001 and 2004 teams, Roff scored twice in both finals He also holds the record for most tries in a season with 15 and most points in a match with 25, against the Chiefs in 2003. Roff wore the Brumbies colours on 86 occasions between 1996 and 2004 and is still the third highest point scorer with a total of 588. Roff was also a World Cup winner with the Wallabies in 1999 and is equal sixth on the Australian all time try scorers list with 30.
