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The weekend belonged to Wayne Bennett, celebrating his 700th rugby league game as a coach with his Knights turning an 18-0 deficit to the Sharks into a 31-18 win at Remondis Stadium.
It’s hard to get your head around 700 games, that translates to over 3,000 training sessions in his stellar seven-premiership winning career.
Those stats strongly suggest he should be rewarded with Immortal status.
Coaches are an integral part of the rugby league scene, men who can make or break a club’s premierships ambitions.
Bennett’s seven premierships just heads Jack Gibson and Ken Kearney’s five, and Tim Sheens’ four. And there’s nothing against Gibson, Kearney and Sheens being Immortalised as well.
Not enough emphasis has been placed on Immortal status since its inception in 1981 as the brainchild of Rugby League Week. That year Clive Churchill, Reg Gasnier, Johnny Raper and Bobby Fulton were the inaugural inductees.
It took another 19 years for the next two Immortals to be recognised – Graeme Langlands and Wally Lewis. In 2003 Artie Beetson was inducted, and Andrew Johns in 2012.
Three things must happen to give the Immortals an official status.
Firstly, take the Immortal ownership away from Rugby League Week and give the official status to the Commission.
Secondly take Wayne Bennett off the list of selectors that includes Ray Warren, Ray Hadley, John Grant, Phil Rothfield, Roy Masters, Geoff Prenter, Norm Tasker, Ian Heads, and the code’s brilliant historian David Middleton.
Nothing wrong with that selection panel, except that Bennett would never vote for himself. It’s not in his nature.
Lastly, make a definite period of inducting new Immortals, be it annually, every two years, or three – but make it meaningful instead of haphazard.
Which leads to the question of who should next be Immortalised?
Ken Irvine was the greatest rugby league winger of all time, and it’s a disgrace he hasn’t been inducted in 33 years. Mal Meninga should have beaten Andrew Johns for the recognition in 2012. Then Wayne Bennett, Ron Coote, Jack Gibson, and Norm Provan.
Once Darren Lockyer has been retired for five years, he will be an automatic Immortal, as will Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Greg Inglis and Johnathan Thurston.
In the meantime, congratulations to Wayne Bennett on his latest well-earned milestone. Not enough praise can be heaped on this remarkably resilient 64-year-old.