Boyd Cordner /

Year inducted: 2026
True Blue number: 977
Origin number: 253
Born: 9 June, 1992, Taree, NSW
Club: Sydney Roosters
Position: Second row
Premiership Career: (2011-20) 181 games, 50 tries, 1 goal
First Grade debut: Sydney Roosters v Warriors at Sydney Football Stadium on 4 June, 2011
Representative honours: Australia 20 Tests (2013-19), NSW 16 State of Origin appearances (2013-20)

When the battle was at its most intense, whether at NRL level for the Sydney Roosters, in the cauldron of State of Origin or in a fiercely contested World Cup final, Boyd Cordner was invariably front and centre.

Originally from the New South Wales mid-North Coast town of Taree, Cordner rose through the Roosters’ ranks, earning respect through competitiveness and courage and developing into an outstanding leader for club, state and country.

The second rower’s defining years came in 2018 and 2019 when he skippered the Blues to back-to-back Origin titles under coach Brad Fittler and led the Roosters to successive Grand Final victories.

Cordner played 16 games for the Blues, was named ‘Player of the Match’ in the series-deciding Game Two of 2018, and figured in 20 Tests for Australia, the last four as captain.

Tall and athletic, Cordner broke into the Blues’ line-up at the tail-end of the Maroons’ eight years of dominance in 2013, but it was through his relentless approach to defence and his willingness to take the toughest carries that the wheel began to turn back in New South Wales’ favour.