How fantastic is it to see Adrian Morley in the RFL Hall of Fame?
The latest inductees were enrolled this week with Moz, Andy Farrell, David Watkins and the late Clive Sullivan, all brilliant players and worthy recipients. Likewise, it’s great to see a Women’s Hall of Fame created with Brenda Dobek, Lisa McIntosh and Sally Milburn their inaugural members. Congratulations.
But I obviously know Adrian really well. I roomed with him at the 2000 World Cup when I first came into the England side and knew then what he was all about. He always did the right thing at the right time. He trained super hard and led by example on the pitch but was also a great social captain off it. He’s an outstanding person and was an outstanding player for 20 years.
He’s the only Brit to win a Grand Final both in Australia and in England. He was a trailblazer. And a player I looked up to. When I first broke into the Test team he was the best forward in the world. And definitely the most intimidating.
He played the game as close to the edge as you possibly could and then developed into a real captain as he got older at Warrington. The success they had was down to the way he led that team. Team-mates followed him.
It’s great to see Andy Farrell in there, too. He was another brilliant leader. I had a bit of a rivalry with him when he was at Wigan and I was with Bradford. As I look back now, though, I’ve huge respect for him as a player, as a captain and now as an outstanding coach with the way he’s currently leading that Ireland rugby union side. He’s always had leadership qualities but he’s just sharpened them now to develop into a quality coach.
Jamie Peacock is an ambassador for The National Lottery - an Official Partner of the Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021).
