Wallabies great Stephen Larkham and Hockeyroo Nicole Arrold to be inducted into ACT Sport Hall of Fame
Stephen Larkham's famous 48-metre drop goal in the 1999 World Cup helped build a rugby union legend, but the ACT Brumbies coach wants to leave a legacy of getting his team back to Super Rugby glory.
Larkham will be inducted into the ACT Sport Hall of Fame alongside former Hockeyroo Nicole Arrold at a revamped awards function on Friday night.
Stephen Larkham will be inducted into the ACT Sport Hall of Fame on Friday.Credit:Tim Clayton
They will be joined by administrators, cycling's Russ Baker and hockey's Ray Brown, who will also be recognised for their contribution to the capital's sporting community.
Larkham is preparing for his final season as Brumbies coach after spending most of the past 20 years at the Super Rugby club.
Nicole Arrold played 215 games for the Hockeyroos.Credit:Getty Images
He's won a World Cup, two Super Rugby titles and played more than 100 games for both the Wallabies and the Brumbies.
His long-range drop goal against South Africa in the World Cup semi-final 17 years ago was a golden moment in a glittering career.
But now he wants to help usher in a new generation of Canberra talent before he becomes a full-time Wallabies assistant coach.
"I'm glad that the Hall of Fame has been rejuvenated. Canberra is very passionate about sport and there has been a number of high quality athletes come out of here," Larkham said from London.
"If you sit back and reflect, growing up here I was very passionate about rugby and representing the region at a national level.
"It was a great honour for me and playing for the ACT was my No.1 goal in rugby. At the Brumbies we had a special feeling in those early years.
"A goal of mine in the role of head coach is looking for local talent before looking elsewhere and I've got no doubt these guys will step up."
Arrold will return to Canberra to attend the dinner six years after she finished a glittering Hockeyroos career with a Commonwealth Games gold medal.
Her final moment in a Hockeyroos outfit after 215 games was a tense penalty shootout in the gold medal match in Delhi in 2010 where she slotted the winning shot against New Zealand.
The former Central and University of Canberra star established herself as one of the sport's greatest and is 15th on the all-time Hockeyroos match list.
"It's a real honour to be inducted into the Hall of Fame," Arrold said.
"Playing for the Canberra Strikers was one of the highlights of my career. Coming from a small state where the facilities are excellent and people dedicate their time, this recognises all of that.
"I can recognise now how special the opportunity I had was and I loved every minute of it. The game's too fast for me now though, so I'll stick to some coaching."
Baker has been one of the driving forces behind mountain biking's development in Canberra. He has developed timing software for races and is the president of Mountain Biking Australia.
Brown has been involved in hockey for the past 50 years in a variety of roles, including development and operation of facilities at Lyneham and Tuggeranong.
Baker and Brown will be inducted as associate members of the Hall of Fame, while Larkham and Arrold will be full members.
Larkham is the latest of a string of Brumbies to be added to the list of Canberra's greatest athletes, including former teammates Jeremy Paul, Joe Roff and George Gregan.
And despite being widely regarded as one of the greatest playmakers in Australian rugby history, there's one prize Larkham can't claim.
"Dad [Geoff Larkham] was inducted last year so he was the first in the family. So the pressure was on," Larkham joked.
"It was a very special occasion for dad last year. We had some legends of the sport [at the Brumbies] who gave so much to Canberra.
"It's an honour to be a part of it and it's great to see so many Canberra athletes recognised."
HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Stephen Larkham: 1999 World Cup, 2001 and 2004 Super Rugby titles, 102 games for Australia, 127 games for the Brumbies.
Nicole Arrold: Two-time Olympian (Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008), two-time Commonwealth Games gold medal winner (Melbourne 2006 and Delhi 2010), 215 games for Australia.
Russ Baker: Mountain Bike Australia president, event volunteer and software designer.
Ray Brown: Involved in hockey for more than 50 years, helped grow junior hockey from no teams to 120 in four years.
Chris Dutton is the sports editor at The Canberra Times.