I read that the 10 nominees for the statue were to be announced before the England v Australia game.

Apart from Clive Sullivan I haven't seen the other 9?

Billy Boston

A prolific try-scorer during his career with Wigan and Blackpool Borough, the Welsh flier lit up Wembley on six occasions, winning three Challenge Cups. A member of the RL Hall of Fame, Boston scored 478 tries in 485 games for Wigan.

Jonathan Davies

Another signing from Wales RU, Davies made a hugely successful cross-code switch with Widnes and Warrington. Equally at home at stand-off, centre and full-back, from where he scored a stunning try at Wembley in 1994 as Great Britain defeated Australia 8-4.

Shaun Edwards

Won nine Challenge Cup finals at Wembley with Wigan and also appeared at the stadium with London Broncos in 1999. Edwards was the lynchpin of the Wigan side. Was sent off for a high tackle on Bradley Clyde of Australia at Wembley in 1994.

Don Fox

A huge talent, Fox remains a heroic figure at both Featherstone and Wakefield Trinity, with whom he won the Lance Todd Trophy as Man of the Match at Wembley in 1968. His place in Cup legend is assured from that final, when he missed the last-kick conversion that would have won the game for Wakefield.

Neil Fox

The younger brother of Don and Peter, Neil Fox scored a phenomenal 6,220 points during a career that took in six clubs, most notably Wakefield Trinity. A strong, powerful centre, his two tries and seven goals helped Trinity to victory over Hull at Wembley in 1960.

Ellery Hanley

Regarded by many as the greatest Rugby League player of all time, the three-time Man of Steel often saved his best for Wembley with Wigan and Great Britain. He won four Challenge Cup finals with Wigan, the first against Halifax in 1988 when he scored a sensational try.

Alex Murphy

The scrum-half captained three different clubs at Wembley – St Helens, Leigh and Warrington – and is still held in high esteem by fans of all three clubs. A precocious talent, Murphy was outstanding in a Great Britain jersey, for which he collected 27 caps.

Martin Offiah

‘Chariots’ is already celebrated at Wembley with a bar named after him in recognition of the wonder try he scored in the 1994 Challenge Cup final against Leeds, when he brought the stadium to its feet on an 80-metre run. He won four Challenge Cup finals with Wigan and represented Great Britain on 33 occasions.

Clive Sullivan

The flying Welsh winger remains a legendary figure in Hull, where he scored 250 tries for Hull and 118 for Hull KR. He captained Great Britain in the 1972 World Cup final and was on the wing for Hull KR in the Hull derby at Wembley in 1980.

Lance Todd

The New Zealander was a member of Wigan’s first Challenge Cup winning team in 1911 and later went on to be a hugely successful manager at Salford. The man of the match award in the Challenge Cup final, the Lance Todd Trophy, commemorates his contribution to the sport.

Where abouts can you vote for this?

The fact that 4 out of 10 names on the list are black goes to show the positive contribution that black players have made to the great history of rugby league, and rugby league should be rightly proud of its role at the forefront of racial equality in sport.

I can't imagine that there are many statues of black people (particularly sportspeople) in this country and if one of those 4 were selected (on merit) then it could serve as inspiration and recognition to the black sporting community in my opinion.

It would in itself be racist to select a statue because it's of a black person though.

Whoever it is should be wearing an international jersey. I don't want some Goon representing the sport unless they are clearly in an England/GB kit.

Quote ="g_balls"Where abouts can you vote for this?'" IRL have done a new poll with the updated list: www.internationalrugbyleague.net/polls.htm

Quote ="g_balls"Where abouts can you vote for this?'" IRL have done a new poll with the updated list: www.internationalrugbyleague.net/polls.htm

I'm uncomfortable with positive discrimination in a general sense but in this instance, for all the reasons you've already articulated, it seems unnecessary.

For me it should be on merit, and I can't see past Neil Fox.

Totally agree it should be on merit (as stated in my post) and that positive discrimination would be patronising. However given that names of the calibre of Boston, Offiah, Sullivan and Hanley are amongst the running there is a good chance of this happening, and it is the quality of the above list of great black players that we should be proud of.

Fox's missed kick or Offiah with head in hands after skinning Alan Tait.

Can't choose between these two.

I'm proud of all the players and to quote the great philosopher Michael Jackson, it don't matter if they're black or white.

Before we all get high and mighty with Nathanwood7 he was just pointing out a positive and did specificaly say they should be selected on merit.

I'm not getting high and mighty - I'm having an interesting discussion about positive discrimination and the contribution of black players to RL.

However, for accuracy, he said if one of those 4 were selected, on merit.

i think, thought it is an iconic picture....., having don fox with his head in his hands would be quite disrespectful to a great player that should be remembered for everything else. yes it is iconic and he is a great player, but to have that as a permanent memory of him would be very disrespectful.

neil fox all the way. not just because im a wakefield fan and called neil after the great man. top points scorer. great contribution. and would be the top points scorer in a match had tries been worth the same in both eras. i cant see past him

Sorry Bren2k, it looked like I aimed that at you as I typed straight after but I was just saying generally as a few had jumped on his comment.

I dont think they made a point to pick non white players and those 4 players were picked on merit.

I do however believe that if it was Football or Rugby Union there is no way in a list of 10 four would be non white. No chance!!

I hope that race hasn't been used for determining who the statue should be.Sporting prowess should be the only determinant.

Either way, I can't see how Jim Sullivan wasn't included in that list.

Lance Todd is more well known due to the fact that the MOM at the Wembley CC final decision being named after Lance Todd because he was a journalist, not because of his playing career.

AFAIK Todd never played at Wembley. Even though Todd was a member of the great Wigan threequarter line of 'Leytham,Jenkins,Todd and Miller' of pre-WW1, his playing career profile didn't increase after he left Wigan.

He did play for NZ pre-WW1.

It does seem to me an odd inclusion.

Lest we forget that Lance Todd is also one of the most successful coaches in rugby league history. He was the first man to manage a club to back-to-back Wembley finals — in 1938 & ’39 with Salford.

As a bloke of 28 and a Wigan fan my stand out memory from all my Wembley visits is Martin Offiah knelt with his head in his hands after scoring a simply amazing try.

Im bias but I'd love to see that.

I really dont agree with any one player being raised above all the rest in this way , after all so many greats have played this great game over the last hundred years or so and not one of the took to them field alone .
Something iconic of the sport would be more fitting to be raised so every fan of every club can look at it and know there team had a part in it .

I have posted this elsewhere and will bang my lonely drum in the hope that someone somewhere will see the logic behind it .

The Ozzies had those two blokes for the Winfield cup. Similar sentiment I suppose.

Unless that Black person was infact the first Black english captain thus proving RL as a forward thinking sport surely?

I think it should be Clive Sullivan,the last GB captain to win the RLWC,
He'd be alongside Bobby Moore,the last England captain to win the World Cup.

Quote ="fleabag"The Ozzies had those two blokes for the Winfield cup. Similar sentiment I suppose. '" 'Those two blokes' also known as Summons and Provan, symbolise the true spirit of RL and professional sportsmanship. They were each the respective captains of their teams and the sculpture is from a picture taken at the end of the NSW Grand Final, I am unsure of the year. Anyway I know they both hold (held in terms of Provan) Australian Caps and that the same sculpture apears within the centre of the NRL trophy. They are also seen at the end of this video: youtu.be/BuhCPjvn83Y

Quote ="fleabag"The Ozzies had those two blokes for the Winfield cup. Similar sentiment I suppose. '" 'Those two blokes' also known as Summons and Provan, symbolise the true spirit of RL and professional sportsmanship. They were each the respective captains of their teams and the sculpture is from a picture taken at the end of the NSW Grand Final, I am unsure of the year. Anyway I know they both hold (held in terms of Provan) Australian Caps and that the same sculpture apears within the centre of the NRL trophy. They are also seen at the end of this video: youtu.be/BuhCPjvn83Y

I hope they do a better job of Wembley statue than that monstrosity - it looks like one of those tacky ornaments that old people have on their sideboards; all that's missing is a collie dog looking up adoringly at the little fella.

Neil Fox played in four decades and is the record points scorer, aswell as conducting himself as a gentleman. That takes some beating.