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Latrell Mitchell through the years.\u00a0Polly Hanning<\/p>\n
In partnership with the NRL, Nine.com.au is spotlighting some incredible athletes.<\/p>\n
Fans can vote on who they believe are the best Indigenous players of the past 50 years in both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s game.<\/p>\n
In this piece, we\u2019re focusing on the speed machines and try-scoring freaks in the men\u2019s game as we take a look at the top outside backs. <\/p>\n
TO VOTE FOR THE BEST INDIGENOUS PLAYER OF THE LAST 50 YEARS, CLICK\u00a0HERE<\/a><\/p>\n Greg Inglis<\/p>\n If you had to pick one word to describe Greg Inglis<\/a>, it would have to be aura.<\/p>\n From the moment he burst onto the scene with the Storm<\/a> as a rangy teenager, GI clearly possessed once-in-a-generation talent.<\/p>\n He won grand finals at centre and five-eighth, trampling rival players – sorry Jamie Soward<\/a> – at will on his way to the top of the rugby league world.<\/p>\n Inglis then made the move to South Sydney<\/a> in the midst of Melbourne\u2019s salary cap cheating scandal, becoming a beacon of hope for desperate fans and eventually leading the foundation club to a drought-breaking title after 43 years of pain.<\/p>\n In that 30-6 win over the Bulldogs, it was Inglis who scored the final try and sent goosebumps down the collective spines of NRL fans across the country, diving out before performing his iconic goanna crawl celebration – a nod to his community, given the animal is deeply spiritual and revered within Indigenous culture.<\/p>\n In the Origin arena, there were few better than Inglis. He holds the record for most tries (18) and is among the most capped players ever with 32 appearances. <\/p>\n The hulking centre tormented NSW fans throughout Queensland<\/a>\u2019s iconic eight-straight series triumphs, making grown men opposing him look like boys.<\/p>\n Greg Inglis was a dominant force at Origin level.\u00a0Getty<\/p>\n \u201cI remember watching him as a young fella and just knowing if I was to ever make the game … the things this fella could do, I wish i could do,\u201d Rabbitohs superstar Latrell Mitchell said on Nine\u2019s 100% Footy on Monday night. <\/p>\n His legacy has continued after retirement by launching the Goanna Academy – the country\u2019s first Indigenous-owned mental health provider, giving back and helping the community while drawing on his own past experiences. <\/p>\n Latrell Mitchell<\/p>\n Around the time that Inglis\u2019 on-field career was winding down, a young kid with eerie similarities named Latrell Mitchell<\/a> started making a name for himself.<\/p>\n The frame, fend, skill and speed made it impossible not to compare Latrell to GI.<\/p>\n He emerged as the game\u2019s best centre during the Sydney Roosters\u2019 back-to-back premierships in 2018 and 2019, forming a lethal pairing with Joey Manu<\/a>.<\/p>\n His move to the Rabbitohs in 2020 drew obvious parallels to Inglis and he has become the club\u2019s marquee man and poster boy ever since.<\/p>\n The 29-year-old\u2019s representative career has been rather limited due to injuries, but whenever he pulls on the Blues or Kangaroos jumper, he is almost unstoppable.<\/p>\n Mitchell polarises opinion and is never afraid to speak his mind – aside from when he went on a self-imposed media ban for about two years<\/a> – but away from the field remains a humble family man who loves spending time on his farm. <\/p>\n Latrell Mitchell scoring a try against the Dolphins.\u00a0NRL Imagery<\/p>\n There is no bigger name in the sport today than \u201cTrell Mit\u201d and if he can lift the trophy for Souths before it\u2019s all said and done, his legacy will be cemented.<\/p>\n Speaking on 100% Footy, Phil Gould<\/a> – who is on the panel of judges assessing the top Indigenous players of the past 50 years – spoke about the rise of the game\u2019s biggest star from a young age and his unparalleled brilliance.<\/p>\n \u201cI first saw you playing as a teenager – from the time we first laid eyes on you, it looked like you were a 14-year-old playing in the under nines and you were so much better than everyone else,\u201d the former NSW Blues coach said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou must have an unshakeable belief in your own ability to influence games. <\/p>\n \u201cYou can make big moments happen, you have more than your share and you don\u2019t wait for it to happen, you just impose yourself and make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Mitchell said for him, it\u2019s all about making moments when they arise.<\/p>\n \u201cIt comes from Taree and for me to be able to create a legacy for himself … when the ball is in my court and I know when it bounces, we\u2019re on,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s game is about moments … I have the mindset of flipping it.\u201d<\/p>\n Off the field, Mitchell is a passionate Indigenous ambassador and has launched the Winmarra Foundation to help kids like him connect to their culture.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me to go out and give these kids an opportunity, it enlightens me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Mitchell will be a crucial part of South Sydney\u2019s finals push once he returns from a back injury that has plagued his 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n Wendell Sailor<\/p>\n Larger-than-life and controversial, there is no doubting Wendell Sailor<\/a> left an indelible mark on both rugby league and rugby union.<\/p>\n His bustling 191cm and 105kg frame made him a handful like few others in his generation, the man known as \u201cBig Dell\u201d was one-half of a stellar wing tandem with Broncos<\/a> teammate Lote Tuqiri throughout the late-1990s and early-2000s.<\/p>\n Wendell Sailor in action for the Broncos in 2001.\u00a0nna\\zgates<\/p>\n His exploits in the green and gold Kangaroos jersey were enormous, scoring 17 tries in just 16 games, while also featuring 14 times for Queensland.<\/p>\n Sailor scored in Brisbane\u2019s 2000 premiership victory, but soon after made the jump to rugby union, where he became a Wallabies<\/a> superstar.<\/p>\n He returned to the NRL with the Dragons in 2008 for a brief two-year stint, which coincided with helping get the Indigenous All Stars concept off the ground.<\/p>\n His son, Tristan, ended up playing for the Red V before moving to the Super League, where he continues to play.<\/p>\n Nathan Blacklock <\/p>\n Regarded as one of the best players to never feature in State of Origin, fleet-footed Dragons<\/a> legend Nathan Blacklock<\/a> was a try-scoring excitement machine.<\/p>\n Hailing from the small northern NSW town of Tingha, which has a population of less than 1000 people as of the last census, Blacklock made his way to the big smoke in the mid-1990s when he signed with the Sydney Roosters.<\/p>\n His move to join the famous St George club catapulted him to stardom, with Blacklock becoming a cult hero both before and after the merge with Illawarra.<\/p>\n Nathan Blacklock celebrates his runaway try in the 1999 grand final.\u00a0Sydney Morning Herald<\/p>\n Across his time in the Red V jersey, the speedster scored a blistering 120 tries in 137 games and was beloved for his iconic backflip try celebrations.<\/p>\n Blacklock might not be remembered as the greatest of all-time, but there were few who could light up a stadium and get the crowd on their feet quite like him. <\/p>\n There have been plenty of players likened to Blacklock since his retirement, but it\u2019s borderline impossible to replicate what the Red V speedster offered.<\/p>\n Alex Johnston<\/p>\n It\u2019s impossible to talk about the greatest Indigenous outside backs without mentioning the greatest try scorer in the sport\u2019s 118-year history, Alex Johnston<\/a>. <\/p>\n![\"Greg](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/05fa83361eeeca8009d4843f1fbb3368f3505134.jpeg\")
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