Ben Elias

Benny Elias changed the notion of the hooking role in the 1980s with his creativity and brilliance at the play-the-ball. Emerging as an elite performer at schoolboy level, Elias quickly transferred his talents to first grade and was a prominent figure in the Balmain Tigers’ rise as a premiership force.

Representative recognition followed and he played the first of 19 State of Origin games for New South Wales at the age of 21 in 1985. He was a key performer in the Blues’ maiden series success that year, one of five series victories he featured in over the course of a decade.

Elias won three Origin Player of the Match Awards and was Player of the Series in 1990. He captained the Blues six times, including the 1990 triumph and played one of his finest hands in the series decider at Suncorp Stadium in his final Origin game in 1994.

Despite fierce competition for the hooking position at Test level, Elias produced several decisive performances for Australia, including their 1985 series win over New Zealand, victory in the World Cup final in 1988 and a memorable Ashes triumph over Great Britain in 1990.