Jason Taumalolo's phenomenal contribution to international rugby league has been honoured with the Tonga champion one of 42 inductees into the inaugural Hall of Legends.
The Mate Ma'a co-captain is the only member of the cohort named on Thursday by the International Rugby League (IRL) that is still playing, a tribute to his role in the Pacific revolution that has transformed the face of the global game.
The list of inductees includes a suite of rugby league Immortals including Clive Churchill, Mal Meninga, Wally Lewis, Reg Gasnier and John Raper.
Six female players were honoured, with recently retired Jillaroos champion Ali Brigginshaw a notable inclusion.
The judges have included 10 pre-1954 male players and 26 from the era since.
France great Puig Aubert has been recognised with the dazzling fullback regarded as one of the greatest in his position of all time. He also captained Les Chanticleers to a famous away series win over the Kangaroos in 1951.
Recent Australia rugby league captains Darren Lockyer and Cameron Smith, both likely to be made Immortals in the future, made the list.
England and Great Britain superstar Ellery Hanley was one of nine Lions champions to get the nod.
Current New Zealand coach Stacey Jones has also been inducted after a stellar 46-Test career. In 2009 there were calls in Rugby League Week magazine for Jones to be made the first Immortal from outside Australia, an honour that may well yet be bestowed upon him.
Kangaroos and Fiji prop Petero Civoniceva was the only Bati representative inducted after a stellar Test career that included 51 Tests, 45 for Australia and six for Fiji.
The inaugural 'Legends' will be honoured further when the IRL Golden Boot is announced at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night.
Scores of Pacific players have referenced the decision by Taumalolo to switch international allegiances from New Zealand to Tonga ahead of the 2017 World Cup as a turning point in their own desire to honour their heritages.
"Jason Taumalolo paved the way for us, the next generation," Payne Haas said when he made the switch from Australia to Samoa last year.
"He is someone that inspired me to make this move as well."
IRL HALL OF LEGENDS:
Pre-1954: Clive Churchill, Dally Messenger, Dave Brown, Frank Burge (Australia), Puig Aubert, Jean Galia (France), Jim Sullivan, Gus Risman (Great Britain), Harold Wagstaff, William 'Billy' Batten (England/GB).
Post-1954: Darren Lockyer, John Raper, Wally Lewis, Reg Gasnier, Mal Meninga, Cameron Smith, Arthur Beetson, Graeme Langlands, Bob Fulton, Andrew Johns, Johnathan Thurston, Ron Coote, Brad Fittler, Billy Slater (Australia), Billy Boston, Mick Sullivan (Wales/GB), Ellery Hanley, Alex Murphy, Malcolm Reilly, Roger Millward, Neil Fox (England/GB), Mark Graham, Ruben Wiki, Stacey Jones (New Zealand), Petero Civoniceva (Fiji/Aus), Jason Taumalolo (Tonga/NZ).
Women: Ali Brigginshaw, Karyn Murphy, Tahnee Norris (Australia), Honey Hireme-Smiler, Trish Hina (New Zealand), Luisa Avaiki (Samoa/NZ).
Australian Associates Press
