Johnathan Thurston's narrative of the skinny Gungagari kid that first worked odd jobs to play games for free and plot a plan to live out an NRL dream is not entirely unremarkable.

After all, rugby league is the working-class man's game, and a sport for every body, every size.

Before reaching superstardom, he was once a supermarket butcher, he washed cars before they went to auction, and he even started a hospitality traineeship.

But now Thurston's hard journey on his way to a revered status as one of the true greats of rugby league will also be elevated higher into rarified air.

The 40-year-old is set to be one of seven past male and females, including one of two Indigenous champions that will be inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

"I was looking at the (inductees) list earlier, like Timmy Cahill and Nova Peris as well, and to be recognised with them and alongside some of greats of their sport, like Cathy Freeman and, of course, the Don (Bradman), Dawn Fraser, the list goes on, is, yeah, just such a huge honour," Thurston told the Nine Network on Wednesday.

Thurston initially missed a phone call over being informed of the prestigious honour from Sport Australia chairman John Bertrand.

The message left for the two-time NRL premiership winner and four-time Dally M Medal recipient had the prominent Indigenous figure believing the induction was a "gee up", but admitted to walking around later with a "smile to my face" once he knew the call was legitimate.

He added that the recognition was "very humbling" and listening to the past Australia II captain leave such a voicemail made the laconic retired star feel "very proud".

The Hall of Fame describes inductees of displaying dignitary, integrity, courage and ambition, and Thurston appears to have that in spades after fighting above his weight just to take his shot.

That bumpy road to the top of Australian sport certainly proved to be a road worth taking reflecting back.

"My goal was always to play in the NRL, and if I had to wash a thousand cars just to do that, I would do that," Thurston said.

"If I had to stack all the shelves in the Coles, I would do that because that was my way to getting into the NRL."

For Thurston, what the uncontracted hopeful did off the field first was as important to getting into a position to one day kick a premiership-winning field goal.

"I was a porter at the Novotel, so I was the first person people would see when they'd arrive at the hotel, so I took that seriously and wanted to make it a good experience for them at the hotel.

"If I had to collect a thousand bags I would have because that was my dream, playing in the NRL, and that was part of the journey."

Canterbury, against all advice of NRL recruiters, gave Thurston that shot when not one single club was keen to take a punt.

Those talent scouts thought the teenage playmaker was too light, too fragile and, frankly, a liability in defence.

Thurston proved the knockers wrong in his bit role off the bench for Canterbury's last premiership that quickly lured him home for North Queensland's title quest and a more cashed-up offer.

By the time Thurston took the head gear off at the end of the 2018 season, the list of accolades included a Clive Churchill Medal, holding the State of Origin shield 11 times of which eight series wins were in a row.

"Every athlete has challenges and setbacks, but there's a determination in the athletes that continue to soldier on," Thurston said.

"They are one-minded, and they just want to achieve that goal of what they want in their sport.

"Those days when I was younger, they just made me more determined ... I've worked extremely hard and made a lot of sacrifices."