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Why hasn’t Jack Gibson ever been mentioned as a potential rugby league Immortal? The third grader at St George became a Super Coach, revolutionising the way the 13-man code was played.
The result – back-to-back premierships with the Roosters in 1974 and 1975, going one better with Parramatta in 1981, 1982, and 1983.
The droll one has made as much impact on rugby league as the seven Immortals – Clive Churchill, Reg Gasnier, Johnny Raper, Bobby Fulton, Graeme Langlands, Wally Lewis, and Artie Beetson.
No new Immortals have been named since Beetson in 2003. But at the end of the month, at least an eighth will surface, maybe a ninth as well.
And all we hear is the media trumpeting Andrew Johns, Andrew Johns, Andrew Johns.
He’s not in my top six contenders after Gibson, Ken Irvine, Norm Provan, Ron Coote, Peter Sterling, and Mal Meninga.
And as time goes by, Darren Lockyer will have far greater Immortal qualifications that Johns. But Lockyer has only been retired for “five minutes”, so he will have to bide his time.
Irvine, the greatest winger Australia has produced, still holds the NRL try-scoring record with 212 from 236 games with North Sydney, and Manly. But his phenomenal strike rate showed up even more with 30 tries for NSW in 24 games, and 33 tries for the Kangaroos from 31.
Provan was literally a giant of the game. Standing 200cm (6ft 7), he was a vital cog in the St George machinery that won a world record 11 successive premierships from 1956 to 1966, playing in the first 10, four of them as captain-coach. The second-rower played 19 games for NSW, and 14 for the Kangaroos.
Coote was premiership hungry, leading from the front. He played in nine grand finals in 11 seasons, winning four with Souths – 1967, 1968, 1970, and 1971 – and two with the Roosters in 1974 and 1975. Coote played 13 games for NSW, and 23 for the Kangaroos. Rightfully rated the second greatest lock after Raper.
Sterling was in a class of his own, a magician when it came to half-back organisational skills. In 227 games for Parramatta between 1978 and 1992, he won four premierships – 1981, 1982, 1983, and 1986 – playing 13 games for NSW, and 18 for the Kangaroos.
Meninga was a block-busting centre, and prolific points-scorer, in two premierships for Canberra in 1981 and 1985, and 32 games for Queensland, and 46 for the Kangaroos. He is the only player to captain the Kangaroos on successive tours in 1990, and 1994. Since then he has coached Queensland to a record six successive Origin series victories, and has his foot in the door to stretch that to seven.
All six very worthy contenders to become Immortals.
My pick this time round – Jack Gibson, and Ken Irvine.