Canberra Raiders Coach Ricky Stuart has been inducted into the NSW Hall of Champions, at last night's NSW Champions of Sport gala event in Sydney.
Stuart joined other NSW sporting champions Graham Arnold (Football), Mo'onia Gerrard OAM (Netball), Naazmi Johnston (Gymnastics), Mark 'Monoi' Stewart (Adaptive Surfing) as inductees.
Ricky Stuart AM– Rugby League
Ricky Stuart’s decorated career as a Rugby League player and coach began in 1988 with his first-grade debut for the Canberra Raiders. He swiftly cemented himself as one of the game’s best half-backs, winning three premierships with the Canberra Raiders, including the team’s first win in 1989, and again in 1990 and 1994.
He was honoured with the Clive Churchill Medal as man-of-the-match in the 1990 grand final with the Canberra Raiders. In 1992 and 1993, he was named Canberra Raider’s Player of the Year.
Between 1990-94, he played nine Tests for the Australian Kangaroos, and 14 games for the NSW Blues Origin team.
Ricky retired from playing Rugby League in 2000. He has since coached over 500 NRL games across four clubs, including the Sydney Roosters, Cronulla Sharks, Parramatta Eels, and Canberra Raiders.
In 2005, he coached the NSW Blues Origin team, winning the series 2-1 against Queensland. This would be the last NSW victory until 2014. Between 2006-08, he coached the Kangaroos to 10 wins out of 11 international matches.
In 2018, Stuart was inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame and in 2022, the NSW Rugby League Hall of Fame. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
In 2025, Ricky was named Dally M NRL Coach of the Year.
Graham Arnold – Football
Graham Arnold’s 14-year playing career featured 88 matches (56 A internationals) for the Socceroos, with 33 goals scored (19 A-level), making him the 10th highest goal scorer in Australian history.
He began his career playing for Sydney United from 1984–1990 (178 games, 67 goals) and debuted for the national team in 1985. Arnold played in the 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998 World Cup Qualifiers, the 1988 Olympics, and was NSL Player of the Year in 1986.
In 2000, Graham was appointed Assistant Coach of the Socceroos (2000-2010). In that time, he was Interim coach for the Socceroos in 2007, and coach of the Australian team at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Graham won Coach of the Year on three occasions during his four-year tenure as manager of Sydney FC (2014-18). He returned to coach the Socceroos between 2018-2024, becoming the longest-serving Socceroos coach.
He led the Olyroos to their first Olympic appearance in 12 years at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In 2022, he became the first Australian-born coach to reach the World Cup Round of 16 and win multiple matches in a single FIFA World Cup, finishing 11th in the world.
Mo’onia Gerrard OAM - Netball
Mo’onia Gerrard played an impressive 68 Test matches with the Australian Diamonds, winning two Netball World Cups in 2007 and 2011, and achieving silver at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, in which year she was honoured with the title of 2010 Australian International Player of the Year.
Her elite debut with the Sydney Sandpipers in the 1999 Commonwealth Bank Trophy saw her win the Best New Talent Award. In 2003 she won the Players’ Player Award for the Sandpipers, before joining rival team, the Sydney Swifts, in 2004.
In 2008, Mo’onia joined the Adelaide Thunderbirds, who she co-captained to victory in the 2010 ANZ Championship. In 2011, she returned to the Sydney Swifts, and co-captained the team from 2012-13, before finishing her career in 2013.
In 2014, she was a Finalist in the NSW Premier’s Woman of the Year Awards, and in 2016, she received an Order of Australia Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
In 2023, Mo’onia returned to the sport to play for Tonga in their first year entering the Netball World Cup.
Naazmi Johnston - Gymnastics
Naazmi Johnston made her elite, international debut at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, where she won a team bronze in the Group All-Around, and finished fourth in the Individual All-Around.
At the Australian Championships, Naazmi won a combined 16 gold and five silver medals in three years from 2007-2010. At the World Championships in 2007, she was the top placed Oceania gymnast, which earned her a coveted wildcard position for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she was Australia’s sole gymnastics representative, placing a respectable 22nd.
In 2010, Naazmi became the first Australian rhythmic gymnast in over a decade to win the Individual All-Around gold medal at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games. She also won gold medals in the Group All-Around and Ball plus silver in Ribbon and Rope. Following her achievements, she was named Australia’s co-flagbearer alongside swimmer Alicia Coutts at the Closing ceremony.
Mark ‘Mono’ Stewart – Adaptive Surfing
As a teenager, Mark ‘Mono’ Stewart played Football and was a star striker, representing Northern NSW in the Tasman Cup. After a severe injury and Osteosarcoma(bone cancer) diagnosis, Mark lost his right leg at 15 years old. This did not dissuade him from his goals, and he went on to become one of the world’s first, and best, adaptive surfers.
‘Mono’ has won gold eight times in the Australian Adaptive Surfing Championships, from 2016-2025. He has an impressive medal tally of 33 gold, seven silver, and five bronze across a range of national and international competitions. He also has six World Titles across ISA and AASP Professional platforms.
He has won multiple competitions including the 2015 ISA World Adaptive Surfing Championships, the 2021 Australian Para Surfer of the Year Award, and the 2022 World Professional Adaptive Surfing Championships.
In 2021, ‘Mono’ became the world’s oldest Para Surfing champion, winning the ISA World Adaptive Surfing Championships at Pismo Beach, California, at age 59. In 2023, he was the first adaptive surfer to get a perfect score with two 10-point rides in the Final of an International event. This is only the fourth time any surfer has achieved the feat.
