This Sunday, Newcastle Knights Tyson Frizell will set a new premiership record for most games taken to play in an NRL Grand Final.
The former Kangaroos and Blues forward, who turns 35 next week, will play his 306th first-grade game when he lines up against the Roosters in his first premiership decider.
Frizell began his career at Cronulla in 2011 and joined St George Illawarra in 2013 for an eight-season stay that garnered just three finals games. Linking with the Knights in 2021, the ironman had not previously been past week two of the playoffs until this year.
We take a look at the long-serving stars Frizell overtakes on the list…and the unfortunate stalwarts who never got the opportunity to play on the game’s biggest stage.
MOST FIRST GRADE GAMES TO PLAY IN A GRAND FINAL
Paul Gallen – 279 games (2016)
Gallen made his NRL debut for Cronulla in 2001 and played in preliminary final losses in 2002 and 2008. After the horrors of the club’s supplements scandal and a wooden spoon in 2014, the warhorse triumphantly led the Sharks to their first grand final victory in 2016.
Jason Taylor – 276 games (2001)
The scheming halfback and goalkicking wizard began his first-grade career with Western Suburbs in 1990, before enduring agonising prelim losses with North Sydney in 1994 and 1996-97.
Following a disastrous season with the fledgling Northern Eagles joint venture in 2000, Taylor was a vital cog in Parramatta’s runaway minor premiership success in 2001. But the season culminated in a crushing upset loss to Newcastle in the grand final, after which Taylor hung up the boots.
Bob O’Reilly – 269 games (1981)
The first Parramatta junior to represent Australia while still at the club, O’Reilly played for the Eels from 1967-75 – joining Penrith as his former team reached their first two grand finals in 1976-77.
But after disappointing two-season stints with the Panthers and Roosters, ‘The Bear’ returned to Parramatta in 1980 and helped the club to its maiden premiership the following season. O’Reilly retired in 1982 with a then-record 286 first-grade games to his credit.
Andrew Ettingshausen – 268 games (1997)
Debuting for the Sharks as a 17-year-old wonderboy in 1983, Ettingshausen became a representative staple and one of the great outside-backs of the modern era – but he played in just three finals matches in his first 12 seasons.
‘ET’ was Cronulla’s captain by the time coach John Lang led a mid-1990s rejuvenation of the club and skippered the Sharks in their 1997 Super League grand final defeat to the Broncos. Ettingshausen was also at the helm for prelim losses in 1996 and ’99; he retired in 2000 after 328 games.
Jarrod Croker – 257 games (2019)
An absolute ironman and pointscoring machine for Canberra, Croker played more than 20 games in all but one season from 2009 to 2020.
The reliable centre led the Raiders to their first preliminary final in 19 years in 2016, while he was co-captain with Josh Hodgson as they reached their first grand final in 25 years in 2019 – a gut-wrenching 14-8 loss to the Roosters. Croker retired in 2023 with 307 games and 2,374 points in the NRL.
Les Davidson – 237 games (1997)
One of the most feared enforcers of his era, Test forward Davidson played in three finals campaigns for South Sydney during the second half of the 1980s.
‘Bundy’ joined struggling Cronulla in 1991 and provided valuable experience as the club surged up the ladder in the mid-1990s, lining up in a preliminary final in 1996 and featuring in the Sharks’ 1997 Super League grand final loss. He retired after an injury-hit 1998 campaign aged 35.
John Sutton – 229 games (2014)
Local junior Sutton endured three wooden spoons in his first four seasons with Souths and was one of the few remnants of that struggling team when they became a powerhouse under Michael Maguire.
Sutton was co-captain when the Rabbitohs reached their first prelim in 23 years in 2012 and was sole skipper as the club snapped a 43-year premiership drought with a 30-6 grand final win over Canterbury in 2014. He retired with a club record 336 appearances for the Rabbitohs.
Ben Hornby – 226 games (2010)
Hornby was one of three members of St George Illawarra’s history-making 2010 grand final line-up who debuted for the joint venture in 2000.
The former Origin fullback and Test halfback was also the Dragons’ captain as they overwhelmed the Roosters 32-8 in the decider. Hornby holds the club’s record for most appearances (273).
MOST FIRST GRADE GAMES WITHOUT PLAYING IN A GRAND FINAL
John Morris – 300 games
The versatile Morris became just the 19th player to bring up 300 first-grade appearances in 2014. It also happened to be his last game, injury his neck in the milestone match. Morris also remains the only member of the esteemed 300 club not to have played in a grand final.
Morris debuted with a handful of games in Newcastle’s 2001 premiership season but did not feature in the finals. A stint with Parramatta (2003-06) garnered a prelim in 2005, while he went without finals footy at Wests Tigers (2007-09) and played three post-season matches at Cronulla (2010-14).
Issac Luke – 286 games
More heartbreaking than ‘Bully’s’ appearance in second place on this list is the fact that he was denied his place in Souths’ 2014 grand final-winning side by a one-week ban for a dangerous tackle.
After three straight prelims with the Rabbitohs, Luke played just one more finals match – a qualifying final loss with the Warriors in 2018 – and finished his career in 2020 with short stays at St George Illawarra and Brisbane.
Greg Florimo – 285 games
As North Sydney’s all-time appearances record-holder – and the fact the Bears’ only grand final showing was in 1943 – it’s natural that ‘Flo’ features at the pointy end of this list.
Debuting for the club in 1986, the utility was one of three players (with Gary Larson and Billy Moore) to play in all four of Norths’ agonising preliminary final losses in 1991, 1994, 1996 and 1997. Florimo held the most games without a grand final appearance record for 15 years.
Mario Fenech – 272 games
The former holder of this record, Fenech’s failure to reach a grand final follows the so-close-yet-so-far theme of his career, having been denied an elusive Australian jumper in 1989 by injury.
The fiery, wholehearted hooker/prop played in four finals series for South Sydney and was captain of the side that won the 1989 minor premiership, only to bow out in straight sets.
Fenech joined North Sydney in 1991 and played in another two preliminary final losses before finishing an admirable 15-season career with South Queensland Crushers.
Luke Bailey – 269 games
The rugged Origin and Test prop, an Illawarra junior, spent the first seven years of his career with the star-studded but underachieving Dragons, making it as far as a preliminary final in 2005 and ’06.
Bailey became a foundation co-captain of the Titans in 2007 and, with Scott Prince, led the club to its first finals series in 2009. The Titans reached a prelim in 2010 before spiralling down the ladder. Bailey retired in 2014.
Aaron Woods – 268 games
The burly front-rower played finals football as a rookie with Wests Tigers in 2011. After joining Canterbury in 2018, he moved to Cronulla midway through that season and featured in a run to a preliminary final.
Woods played just one more finals match with the Sharks and finished his career with stints at St George Illawarra and Manly, retiring in 2024.
Craig Coleman – 266 games
South Sydney’s halfback linchpin for a decade, ‘Tugger’ played in nine finals games for the Rabbitohs – including a preliminary final for the minor premiers in 1989.
After finishing up at Redfern in 1992, Coleman played every game for struggling Gold Coast in 1994-95 and retired in 1966 after a season with Western Suburbs.
NOTE: Current players Luke Brooks (270 games), Jack de Belin (270 games) and Jake Trbojevic (265 games) are also yet to play in a grand final but could still do so.