Who are the greatest Kangaroos players of all time? From Clive Churchill and Reg Gasnier to Wally Lewis, Mal Meninga, Darren Lockyer and Johnathan Thurston, The Sporting Base ranks the top 25 players to wear the green and gold for Australia’s rugby league team.
The Kangaroos are chasing a 13th Rugby League World Cup on home soil, and they have already been tested. Kevin Walters’ side edged New Zealand 24-22 in the opening round, then needed a Tom Trbojevic hat-trick to get past Fiji 36-22 at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday 25 October. The Cook Islands in Townsville are next, followed by a semi-final at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Sunday 8 November and the final at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday 15 November.
Australia has won the World Cup 12 times, more than every other nation combined, and our full list of Rugby League World Cup winners shows how long that dominance has lasted. The players below are the reason for it, from the Pioneer Kangaroos of 1908 to the Melbourne Storm stars who won the 2013 and 2017 tournaments.
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How we ranked them
This list is TSB’s opinion. We weighed what each player did in the green and gold: Test and World Cup wins, captaincy, Kangaroo tours, Golden Boots and how long they stayed at the top. Club and State of Origin careers only count where they lifted a player’s standing in the game. The 2008 Australian Team of the Century and the Immortals guided the shortlist, but the order is ours. Appearances, tries and points are senior internationals for Australia (Tests and World Cup matches) as recorded by Rugby League Project, up to the end of 2025. Other sources count some older matches differently, so totals can vary slightly.
Read more: Rugby League World Cup Winners: Every Champion Since 1954
25. Allan Langer (1988-1999)
Matches for Australia: 25 (5 tries)
World Cup: Unbeaten in seven World Cup matches, including the 1988 and 1992 finals
The little Broncos halfback scored two tries in Australia’s win over New Zealand in the 1988 World Cup final and played in the 1992 final win over Great Britain. He toured with the 1990 Kangaroos, and his cheek and speed made him one of the most dangerous halves of his era.
24. Ray Price (1978-1984)
Matches for Australia: 23 (10 tries)
Kangaroo tours: 1978, 1982
Known as “Mr Perpetual Motion”, Price was a dual-code international who became one of the hardest-working locks the game has seen. He was an automatic pick for the 1982 Kangaroo tour, the first touring side to go through Great Britain and France undefeated, earning the nickname The Invincibles.
23. Dally Messenger (1908-1910)
Matches for Australia: 8 (52 points)
Captaincy: Captained Australia on the first Kangaroo tour and against the 1910 Lions
Immortal: 2018
Messenger was rugby league’s first superstar in Australia. A member of the Pioneer Kangaroos of 1908-09, he captained Australia in the first two Tests of that tour and was the top points scorer on it.
22. Mick Cronin (1973-1982)
Matches for Australia: 35 (314 points, 142 goals)
World Cup: 1975
The goal-kicking Parramatta centre retired as the Kangaroos’ all-time leading point scorer. His 314 points are still second only to Johnathan Thurston, and he partnered Bob Fulton in the centres at the 1975 World Cup.
21. Cooper Cronk (2007-2017)
Matches for Australia: 38 (16 tries)
World Cups: 2013, 2017 (won all 10 World Cup matches he played)
Golden Boot: 2016
Cronk won 34 of his 38 matches for Australia. The Storm halfback was the calm organiser behind two World Cup wins and was named the world’s best player in 2016.
20. Petero Civoniceva (2001-2011)
Matches for Australia: 45 (37 wins)
Kangaroo tours: 2001, 2003
Only three players have played more matches for Australia than Civoniceva. In 2009 the Broncos and Panthers prop broke the record for the most international matches for Australia by a forward.
19. Laurie Daley (1990-1999)
Matches for Australia: 21 (11 tries)
World Cup: Unbeaten in five World Cup matches
Daley was a powerful centre and five-eighth for the great Canberra side of the early 1990s. When Mal Meninga was suspended for the first Test against New Zealand in 1993, Daley captained Australia and kicked two field goals in a 14-14 draw. The Super League war kept him out of the 1995 World Cup.
18. Ron Coote (1967-1975)
Matches for Australia: 24 (13 tries)
Captaincy: Captained Australia in three matches at the 1970 World Cup
Immortal: 2024
The lanky lock was a premiership winner with both South Sydney and Eastern Suburbs, and at international level he led Australia during their 1970 World Cup campaign. In 2024 he was named the game’s 14th Immortal.
17. Norm Provan (1954-1960)
Matches for Australia: 18 (8 tries)
World Cup: 1957
Immortal: 2018
The towering St George second-rower was part of Australia’s first World Cup win in 1957 and toured with the 1956 Kangaroos. He is best remembered for the Dragons’ record run of premierships, but he was named in the Team of the Century and became an Immortal in 2018.
16. Ken Irvine (1959-1970)
Matches for Australia: 36 (40 tries)
Team of the Century: Wing
No Australian has scored more tries in senior internationals than Irvine. In Tests alone he crossed 33 times in 33 matches, a national record until Darren Lockyer passed it in 2010, and he was the only Australian to score in every Test of the 1962 and 1963-64 Ashes series.
15. Brad Fittler (1991-2001)
Matches for Australia: 40 (19 tries)
World Cups: 1992, 1995 (captain), 2000 (captain)
Golden Boot: 2000
Fittler captained Australia to World Cup titles in 1995 and 2000 after playing in the 1992 win as a youngster, and won 34 of his 40 matches for his country.
14. Greg Inglis (2006-2016)
Matches for Australia: 39 (31 tries)
World Cup: 2013
Golden Boot: 2009
Inglis could play fullback, centre, wing or five-eighth at the highest level, and his 31 tries for Australia are the third-most in senior internationals. He won the Golden Boot in 2009 and was a key part of the side that went through the 2013 World Cup undefeated.
Read more: Top 25 South Sydney Rabbitohs Players of All Time
13. Billy Slater (2008-2017)
Matches for Australia: 30 (27 tries)
World Cups: 2013, 2017
Golden Boot: 2008
Slater lost only two of his 30 matches for Australia. He was player of the tournament at the 2008 World Cup, then broke the all-time World Cup try-scoring record on the way to the 2017 title and finished with 16 tries in the competition.
12. Arthur Beetson (1966-1977)
Matches for Australia: 29
World Cup: 1968
Immortal: 2003
Beetson became the first Indigenous Australian to captain Australia in any sport when he led the side against France in 1973. He was named in the Team of the Century and is often called the best post-war forward the country has produced.
11. Bob Fulton (1968-1978)
Matches for Australia: 37 (26 tries)
World Cups: 1968, 1970, 1975
Immortal: 1981
Fulton was named man of the series at the 1970 World Cup and won three World Cups as a player. He did even more for the Kangaroos as coach, guiding them through 39 Tests between 1989 and 1998, including the 1990 and 1994 Kangaroo tours and the 1992 and 1995 World Cup wins.
10. Johnny Raper (1959-1968)
Matches for Australia: 40 (11 tries)
World Cup: 1968 (captain)
Immortal: 1981
“Chook” was the cover-defending lock who set the standard for the position. He made three Kangaroo tours and captained Australia through an unbeaten 1968 World Cup, finishing with a 20-2 win over France in the final at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
9. Graeme Langlands (1963-1975)
Matches for Australia: 45 (20 tries, 206 points)
Captaincy: Captained Australia 15 times, including the unbeaten 1975 World Cup campaign
Immortal: 1999
“Changa” retired as Australia’s most-capped player. The St George fullback and goal-kicker was captain-coach of the 1973 Kangaroos and was involved in what many call the greatest try never scored, in the drawn 1972 World Cup final in Lyon.
8. Reg Gasnier (1959-1967)
Matches for Australia: 39 (28 tries)
Captaincy: Captained Australia eight times
Immortal: 1981
Gasnier finished his international career as Australia’s most-capped player. The gliding St George centre captained his country eight times, was coach-captain of the 1967-68 Kangaroos and was picked in the centres in the Team of the Century.
7. Johnathan Thurston (2006-2017)
Matches for Australia: 38 (382 points, 165 goals)
World Cup: 2013 (man of the match in the final)
Golden Boot: 2011, 2013, 2015
No one has scored more points for Australia than Thurston, and only he has won three Golden Boots. He was man of the match in the 34-2 win over New Zealand in the 2013 World Cup final at Old Trafford. He entered the Hall of Fame in 2024, and NRL.com has named him the most obvious candidate to become the next Immortal.
6. Andrew Johns (1995-2006)
Matches for Australia: 25 (220 points)
Golden Boot: 1999, 2001
Immortal: 2012
Johns could play halfback or hooker at Test level and was the halfback in the Team of the Century. He scored 32 points against Fiji in 1996 and 30 against South Africa at the 1995 World Cup, won two Golden Boots and became the eighth Immortal in 2012.
5. Cameron Smith (2006-2017)
Matches for Australia: 56 (49 wins)
World Cups: 2013 and 2017 (both as captain)
Golden Boot: 2007, 2017
Only Darren Lockyer has played more matches for Australia. Smith took over as captain in 2012 and led the Kangaroos to World Cup wins in 2013 and 2017, beating England 6-0 in the second of those finals. He won the Golden Boot ten years apart, in 2007 and 2017.
4. Clive Churchill (1948-1956)
Matches for Australia: 38
Captaincy: Captained Australia in 24 Tests and at the first World Cup in 1954
Immortal: 1981
“The Little Master” changed how fullback was played, turning it into an attacking position. He retired as Australia’s most-capped player, captained his country in 24 Tests and led the side at the first Rugby League World Cup in 1954. The grand final man of the match medal carries his name.
3. Wally Lewis (1981-1991)
Matches for Australia: 35 (12 tries)
Captaincy: Australian captain from 1984 to 1989, including the unbeaten 1986 Kangaroo tour
Golden Boot: 1984
Immortal: 1999
“The King” was vice-captain of the 1982 Invincibles and then captain of the 1986 Kangaroos, who also went through Great Britain and France unbeaten and became known as The Unbeatables. He captained Australia to victory over New Zealand in the 1988 World Cup final and won the first Golden Boot in 1984.
2. Darren Lockyer (1998-2011)
Matches for Australia: 59 (35 tries)
World Cup: 2000
Golden Boot: 2003, 2006
Nobody has played more matches for Australia than Lockyer, and in 2009 he also broke the record for most games as captain. He won a World Cup at fullback in 2000, took over the captaincy in 2003, scored the extra-time winner in the 2006 Tri-Nations final and led the Kangaroos to the 2009 Four Nations title.
1. Mal Meninga (1982-1994)
Matches for Australia: 47 (22 tries, 282 points)
Captaincy: Captained Australia in 23 Tests and led the 1990 and 1994 Kangaroo tours
World Cup: 1992 (captain)
Golden Boot: 1989
Immortal: 2018
Meninga is the only player picked for four Kangaroo tours, 1982, 1986, 1990 and 1994, and the only one to captain two of them. He was part of both the Invincibles and the Unbeatables, and captained Australia to a 10-6 World Cup final win over Great Britain at Wembley in 1992 in front of 73,631 people. As coach, he then led the Kangaroos to the 2017 and 2021 World Cups. No one has given more to the green and gold.
Who missed out?
Immortals Frank Burge and Dave Brown were close, and so were Team of the Century hooker Noel Kelly, Peter Sterling, Brett Kenny, Gorden Tallis and Shane Webcke. Brian Bevan, the winger in the Team of the Century, is not here because he never played for Australia. Of today’s Kangaroos, captain James Tedesco has the strongest case, and a home World Cup win would only add to it.
The 2026 Kangaroos’ chance to join them
“I think we need more from everyone,” Walters said after the Fiji scare, the ABC reported. Win the semi-final on 8 November, and a home World Cup final awaits. Follow every match through our NRL hub and the NRL Match Centre.
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