Rugby league, specifically the NRL, is the toughest sport in the world. A natural response to playing the toughest sport in the world are injuries. And while it would be awesome if they didn't exist, unfortunately, that comes with the territory.
With injuries, comes players playing with and through them. And while you may find yourself grimacing at the gladiatorial nature of a player playing through a broken bone, nothing makes for a better story. It's moments like these that turn great plays, games and players into legends that will far outlast the player that did it.
You only have to look as far back as Round 3 of the 2022 season to find the latest one. Sure, if Ray Stone scores the game-winning try by trying harder than everyone and doesn't injure himself, it's awesome. The fact he tore his ACL and still got the job done, while horrible and sad, makes it a legendary moment.
So, with that being said, let's take a look at some of the toughest, most memorable and most heroic moments and games the game has seen.
Josh Morris
A game that Paul Gallen called the toughest game of football he'd ever experienced, Game 1 of the 2014 State of Origin series was one to remember. Josh Morris' tackle on Greg Inglis stands above all other memorable moments of the game.
Down on the sideline with the trainer examining his knee, Morris was told he had torn his ACL. Instead of waiting for the stretcher or making the long walk back to the sheds, he sprinted back to tackle Greg Inglis who was in the process of setting up a try.
Brett Morris
In the same game, Brett dislocated his shoulder as slammed the ball down to score. Left grimacing and writhing in pain as it popped back into its socket, Morris stayed on for the remainder of the game.
Scoring a try while dislocating your shoulder in a State of Origin match is heroic enough, but not for Brett Morris. The real legend was born in the 73rd minute, when he made a try-saving ball-and-all tackle on Darius Boyd, barrelling him into touch.
Darren Lockyer
In the 69th minute of what would turn out to be his final home game ever, Darren Lockyer was a victim of friendly fire. Up by six points in a sudden-death final against the St George Illawarra Dragons, Beale leapt for a bomb - and his knee landed flush on Lockyer's cheekbone.
Ten minutes later, in the 81st minute, Darren Lockyer rocketed a field goal with his left foot, sending the Broncos to the preliminary final. Lockyer would eventually rule himself out for the preliminary final after surgery which would be the last act of his club career.
Shaun Kenny-Dowall
This one doesn't have the legendary status of some others, probably for a few reasons. One is the position Kenny-Dowall played and the other is that it just wasn't spoken about that much.
Five minutes into the 2013 NRL grand final, Kenny-Dowall spat a tooth out of his mouth after his first hit-up. He would then go on to play 75 minutes of a grand final with a broken jaw, scoring the game-winning try in the 60th minute.
On the eve of the 2018 NRL grand final, Cooper Cronk had committed to playing. During the week, when he was undertaking five hours of physio a day and gritting his teeth through the pain of pushups to prove his fitness, he wasn't so sure.
Playing in the unfamiliar number 23 jersey, Cronk had one of the best games you will see, all while barely touching the ball. Cronk had only 18 touches in the game but if you watched it, the impact of having him out there is unquestionable.
Ruling himself out on Friday night before calling Trent Robinson to let him know "I'm in" after a Friday night physio session, Cronk put in one of the toughest performances the sporting world has ever seen.
Taking the first run of the night in the 2014 grand final, Sam Burgess charged at fellow Englishman and rival James Graham. Unfortunately for Burgess, the top of Graham's head connected to the point of his cheekbone.
"I broke my cheek," the words Burgess can be seen telling the trainer as he reels away from the play, which has lived on in folklore ever since.
Burgess did that in the first ten seconds of the game. He would go on to play all eighty minutes of the match and lead his team to victory.
With a ridiculous 22 runs for 218 metres and 39 tackles (1 miss), Burgess was not only tough to play on, but he was the best player on the field, ending the night with the Clive Churchill medal around his neck.
Third Tackle: Shane Webcke
In round 24 of the regular season, Shane Webcke suffered a broken arm that would need at least eight weeks to heal. With the grand final six weeks away, Webcke refused to let that deter him.
Training hard, with a secret deal between him and Coach Wayne Bennet to allow him to play in the preliminary final, Webcke lined up against Parramatta. With his arm swaddled like a newborn baby in plastic, resin and foam, Webcke was instrumental in the win.
Roosters Captain Brad Fittler, who the Broncos would face in the grand final, said the Eels should have "run at his suspect arm more often". Well, in the grand final the big rooster's pack did everything they could to dominate the legendary prop.
Webcke stood tough and led his Broncos to victory.
A week before the biggest game of his and the Newcastle Knight's life, Andrew Johns was laying in a hospital bed with three broken ribs and a punctured lung.
Told his life would be at risk if he played, Johns defied anyone who told him he could not or should not play and laced up his boots for the grand final. He went on to make one of the most replayed and most famous plays the game has ever seen.
"Down the blind with Andrew Johns, inside to Albert" is a piece of commentary that every footy fan has heard a million times. If Johns does what he probably should have done, and nurses his ribs at the behest of his doctor, it never happens and Newcastle doesn't win.
Possibly the most celebrated display of toughness the game has ever seen, John Sattler's name has lived on through this game ever since.
Three minutes into the 1970 grand final against the Manly Sea Eagles, Sattlers' jaw was broken in three places after a brutal swinging forearm when he wasn't even looking, let alone had the ball.
Despite his clear pain being obvious to even through the grainy black and white footage, Sattler refused to leave the field. Sattler captained his side to a 23-12 victory despite both his teammates and coach begging him to head to the bench.
It is the toughest performance anyone has ever put forth on the rugby league field and Sattler lives on as a hero because of it.