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.
twodogs
Guest
Dunno about that. Ricky would've surely found a way to f*** it all up!
twodogs
Guest
Talented? Hes hard to tackle. That's about it my friend. Dangerous maybe.
Ken
Guest
I think Inglis is the most talented and dangerous player in the game (although it's a fair knock that someone else made that his involvement probably isn't quite up to immortal status). He has 0 grand final wins though, the 2 Storm games he was involved in were annulled as I'm sure you know. You probably don't want to hear this but BRL records are never going to be much more than footnotes when it comes to consideration with immortal status and the like. The Sydney comp always had more money, more depth and then eventually became the national comp - the Immortals concept was born from this comp - historically it's always going to be considered the big show.
David
Guest
Exactly right. Give Craig Bellamy or Hasler that bronco side.immortal what a load of rubbish, he walked out on his only real challenge.
Ed J
Guest
This is why Queenslanders hate people from NSW. I think the immortal concept is for players only, but in defence of Wayne Bennet, he won premierships at Souths in the old BRL and he was a very significant part in building the Raiders premiership teams (Jackson, Belcher and Greinke were at Souths). At the time the Wynum team he beat included some pretty good players (Wally Lewis, Gene Miles, Colin Scott). They probably would have beat the Sydney grand finalists (St, George, Canterbury and Parramatta 86). Oddly Queensland lost those Origin series. As for the idea that Greg Inglis shouldn't be an immortal, Origin domination three grand final wins, it shows what a great society Australia is, because nobody is too stupid to own a computer here.
Jackson Henry
Roar Guru
Any criteria you can think of. (Perhaps not defence though (!)).
Bluebag
Guest
Lockyer an automatic immortal? Under what criteria?
River Lad
Guest
Yep, agree.
Zedman
Guest
Fair suck of the sav Dave,this bloke has had a golden run like no other then along comes a chance to do the hard yards and get some real credibility and he bails out. Bennett lost a few fans with the Knights walkout.
Storm Boy
Guest
Bennett should coach the Wallabies or maybe the England league team.
Luis
Guest
Jack I back you up 1000 % well say
Squirrel
Guest
C'mon he had a state of origin team that even sticky Stuart could have got premierships in.
River Lad
Guest
The list has forgotten Jack Rayner who captain-coached Souths to 5 premierships. Between 1949 and 1955, Rayner captain-coached Souths to 5 premierships and 2 runners-up. A magnificent effort. How easily people forget. Souths would have won in 1952 against Wests had the referee been fair. That would have made 6 premierships as captain-coach for Rayner.
Paulipaul
Guest
Greg Inglis??? Are you serious???? He has not even won a dally m meaning he has never been the best in a single season let alone an immortal. ..This article was 5 minutes I will never get back. Load of crap
Parrafan
Guest
Yep, 5 premierships with two teams and as many of my magpies friends still decry would have had a premiership as a player if not for Darcy Lawler.
Charles NSW
Guest
If you remember right the Dragons were primed to win one at the time. Brown did not have the command that Bennett had to pull it through having been a player himself not long before being a coach. Bennett is a good coach that based his coaching on simplicity but not brilliant in the tactical sense in my view. As far as being immortal no!
Devout Saint
Guest
There is no way that Bennett should be named an immortal. It is one of the most stupid ideas ever. He coached Brisbane for what 18 years. In all that time he always had at least 8 current state of origin reps. I think he should have won more comps with the roster he always had. If I coached Brisbane while Bennett did, I would have expected to win 6 comps too. His biggest achievement was taking Saints to a premiership with Hornby and Soward as the halves. But then one must question why he wanted Hornby and Soward as his halves in the first place. On the subject of immortal I think Thurston and Inglis should both be giving immortal status in the future.
Jack Henry
Guest
Yeah? Smith over Meninga? The reason why I included Loz is because he's tied with Lockyer as to the best "football brain" I've ever seen. I know he's one of Phil Gould's favourites...which in some people's minds might actually discredit the idea.
Devout Saint
Guest
Langer and Meninga should never be given immortal status. Daley would have if his career was not so injury plagued. Johns is definitely an immortal. I actually think Sterling and Kenny should be named immortals.
Renegade
Roar Guru
Jack, Daley is one of my all time favourite players but he, langer and Meninga although greats of the game aren't immortals.... Johns deserves his status. The next one will be Lockyer and then Cam Smith.... Slater would be the only other of the current group that is a chance.