Michael Cronin /

Year inducted: 2023

True Blue number: 668

Origin number: 5

Born: 28 June, 1951, Kiama, NSW

Club/s: Parramatta Eels

Position: Centre

Premiership career: (1977-86) 216 games, 75 ties, 865 goals, 2 field goals, 1971 points

First Grade debut: Parramatta Eels v North Sydney Bears at Cumberland Oval on 20 March, 1977

Representative honours: (1973-82) Australia 33 Tests; (1973-83) NSW 25 interstate matches

Other honours: NRL Hall of Fame 2008, NSWRL Player of the Year 1978, Rothmans Medal 1977-78

Although Michael Cronin is fondly remembered for the many records he broke as a goalkicker, his qualities as a ball-playing centre are often overlooked. From a shy country boy from the picturesque South Coast town of Gerringong, Cronin developed into a backline colossus, once described as “the Arthur Beetson of the backs” for his ability to stand in tackles and offload the ball to support runners.

For years Cronin resisted offers to join Sydney clubs and made his first representative teams in the early 1970s while continuing to play in the local Group 7 competition. He pulled on his first New South Wales jersey in 1973, the same year he was chosen to tour with the Kangaroos and for the next decade he was a fixture in leading representative teams.

Cronin helped ensure that the Blues kept the Maroons at bay in interstate football during the 1970s, winning 17 and drawing two of his 19 games played under the old interstate residency rules. The tide turned somewhat with the arrival of State of Origin in 1980 and Cronin discovered by bitter experience how serious the Maroons were about Origin football when he wore a full-blooded challenge by Parramatta team-mate Arthur Beetson in the first game at Lang Park.

All up Cronin appeared 27 times for the Blues and scored 192 points. He played in four grand final-winning teams for Parramatta, scoring a record 1,971 points for the club and played 33 Tests for Australia.