November 25: Lockyer lauded; an era ends for Kiwis

On this day, Darren Lockyer named world's best, Kiwis greats say goodbye and a Hall of Fame member is born.

1953

NRL Hall of Fame member Graham Eadie was born. As well as winning four premierships with Manly, Eadie played in 20 Test matches for Australia. He went on two Kangaroos tours (1973 and 1978) and played starring roles in Ashes series wins in 1978 and 1979.

1994

Eastern Suburbs sign Great Britain star Phil Clarke to a three-year deal worth a reported $450,000. In terrible news, Clarke's career ended when he suffered a broken neck in 1996.

2000

Australia coach Chris Anderson rates the team that beats New Zealand 40-12 in the World Cup final as better than the 1982 Invincibles. The men in green and gold scored 22 points in the final 13 minutes at Old Trafford. Wendell Sailor scored two tries for the Kangaroos.

2003

Kangaroos captain Darren Lockyer wins the Golden Boot award after being voted the best player in the world in 2003. In a magnificent career, Lockyer played 59 Tests (and four Super League Tests) as well as playing for Queensland 36 times. At club level, he made 355 appearances for the Broncos.

2006

Kiwi stalwarts Ruben Wiki, Stacey Jones and Nigel Vagana announce their retirements from international rugby league following Australia's 16-12 victory over New Zealand in a thrilling Tri-Nations final in Sydney.

2014

Lyall Gorman, former chairman of A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers, is officially appointed CEO of Cronulla. On day one he flags the possibility of the Sharks supporting an A-League franchise should the competition expand. "We can't afford to get ahead of ourselves," he says. 

2017

Tonga fail to claim a dramatic comeback victory over England in a World Cup semi-final in Auckland. After England led 20-0, Tonga prop Andrew Fifita loses the ball within metres on the final play of the game with his team trailing by two points. England lose hooker Josh Hodgson with a torn ACL.

2020

Rising Penrith rookie Matt Burton signs a two-year contract with Canterbury from 2022.

This article contains information from the official records of NRL historian David Middleton.