George Peponis, a Greek from Peloponesse, succeeded to be one of the top rugby league football players in Australia and was awarded with the Order of Australia Medal for his contribution to rugby.

He started his career as a rugby player in 1972 for the Canterbury Bulldogs. From 1976 until 1980 he also played for NSW and in 1979-1980 he played for Australia. In 2002 and until 2009, he was the chairman of Bulldogs Rugby League Club (Bulldogs RLFC). From 2003, he is the chairman of Canterbury League Club. In 2012 and until present, Peponis is also the chairman for the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL).

George Peponis has managed to mix his sporting pedigree with a career as medical doctor and he has been in practice at Five Dock Medical Centre since 1979.

Dr. Peponis was born near Tripoli in central Peloponnese and came to Australia with his parents at the age of eight-months old.