Top 10 Oldest NRL Players in History

They say Rugby League is a young man's game. Well, this lot disagrees. 

Every now and then, a veteran comes along who simply refuses to hand over the jersey.

Some were legends squeezing one last season out of tired legs. Others were coaches who pulled the boots back on when injuries left them short.

Ranked by age at their final premiership game and based on players with verified birth and final-game dates, these are the top 10 oldest players in NRL history. 

We’ve also had a look through everyone currently plying their trade in first grade and found the current oldest player in the NRL ahead of the 2027 season. 

Note this list is inclusive of players from across the NSWRFL, ARL and NRL eras. 

Top 10 Oldest Players in NRL History

10. Daly Cherry-Evans – 37 years, 226 days (Sydney Roosters, 2026)

Kicking things off is a man who only booked his spot on this list a few weeks ago.

Daly Cherry-Evans signed off from the NRL in the best way possible, kicking the winning field goal in the Roosters' 19-18 Grand Final win over Newcastle on 4 October, making him the oldest premiership winner since George Green in 1922.

It's his last NRL game, too, with the former Manly captain heading to Hull FC in the English Super League in 2027.

Fun fact: his Grand Final heroics pushed Cameron Smith (37 years, 129 days in the 2020 decider) out of the top 10.

9. Cliff Lyons – 37 years, 313 days (Manly, 1999)

Cliff Lyons thought he was done after 1998.

Manly had other ideas. After the Sea Eagles conceded 123 points in the first three rounds of 1999, the club called the 37-year-old out of retirement.

The Manly great played on until Round 26 that year, finishing up with a two-point loss to St George Illawarra.

8. Bob Craig – 37 years, 363 days (Balmain, 1919)

Bob Craig was two days short of his 38th birthday when he played his last premiership game for Balmain in 1919.

Before he switched codes, Craig won Olympic gold in rugby union with Australasia at the 1908 London Games.

Not a bad way to fill out the CV. He then helped Balmain to four premierships between 1915 and 1919.

7. Sandy Pearce – 38 years, 25 days (Eastern Suburbs, 1921)

Sandy Pearce was a foundation player at Eastern Suburbs, playing 157 games for the club between 1908 and 1921.

He was part of all three of Easts' first premierships, in 1911, 1912 and 1913.

He wasn't done after his final premiership game either. Later in 1921 he played a Test for Australia at 38 years and 158 days, still the oldest Test player in Australian rugby league history.

6. Harry Porter – 38 years, 28 days (Canterbury, 1948)

You’re a wizard Harry. Almost. Harry Porter was one third of one of the great front rows of his era.

Alongside Roy Kirkaldy and Eddie Burns, he helped Canterbury win the club's first two premierships in 1938 and 1942.

Porter shared the captaincy in 1948, his final season, before calling time after 11 seasons at Belmore.

5. Paul Gallen – 38 years, 31 days (Cronulla, 2019)

The only NRL-era player in the top five is Cronulla royalty, Paul Gallen.

Gallen played all 348 of his first-grade games for the Sharks and captained the club to its first premiership in 2016, ending a 49-year wait.

His final game came in a 2019 finals loss to Manly, a month after his 38th birthday.

4. Roy Kirkaldy – 38 years, 134 days (Canterbury, 1948)

Porter's front-row partner Roy Kirkaldy was even older when he called it quits.

Kirkaldy won premierships with Canterbury in 1938 and 1942 and, like Porter, finished up at the end of 1948 after 11 seasons at Belmore.

Two blokes in their late 30s in the same front row? Opposition props must have loved that.

3. George Green – 38 years, 263 days (North Sydney, 1922)

George Green bowed out in the best possible way.

His final premiership game was North Sydney's 35-3 win over Glebe in the 1922 premiership final.

That makes Green the oldest premiership winner in history, a record that still stands more than a century later.

2. Tedda Courtney – 39 years, 311 days (Western Suburbs, 1924)

Tedda Courtney was there right at the start of rugby league in Australia, playing all three Tests on the first Kangaroo tour in 1908-09.

He was still going 16 years later.

In his final season at Western Suburbs in 1924, Courtney played alongside his son, Ed Courtney Jr. They played two games together that season and remain the only father and son to line up together in Sydney first grade.

1. Billy Wilson – 40 years, 5 days (North Sydney, 1967)

Standing alone at the top, and the only player known to have played first grade at 40, is Billy Wilson.

Wilson was a premiership winner with St George during the club's famous run, including five straight titles from 1958 to 1962, and captained Australia against New Zealand in 1963.

By 1967 he was North Sydney's non-playing coach. Then injuries ravaged the squad, and Wilson was forced to pull the boots back on for three games.

His final game came on 4 June 1967 against Canterbury, two decades after his first-grade debut.

Who Is the Oldest Player in the NRL?

The oldest player to take the field in the NRL in 2026 was Daly Cherry-Evans, who turned 37 in February.

With Cherry-Evans heading to England, the oldest players left in the NRL are a couple of 36-year-old halves.

Souths five-eighth Cody Walker is the older of the two, born on 10 January 1990. He's yet to confirm his plans for 2027.

The other is Broncos halfback Ben Hunt, born on 27 March 1990, has signed on at Red Hill for another season. 

If Walker hangs up the boots, Hunt is in line to be the oldest player in the comp next year.

Want to see whether the old heads can still get it done in 2027? Check out the latest NRL markets at Sportsbet as the new season takes shape.

*Odds are subject to change.