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Johnathan Thurston and Wayne Bennett, the two key opponents in Sunday’s NRL grand final, cleaned up at the annual Dally M Awards in Sydney last night.
Thurston won one short of the max, capturing a record fourth Dally M Medal by a record margin, won the Arthur Summons-Norm Provan Medal voted by the fans, shared the Dally M captain of the year award with co-Cowboy prop Matt Scott, and won the Dally M halfback of the year.
The only award Thurston missed out on was the rep player of the year, won by his Queensland Origin teammate and Broncos combatant in the decider – Corey Parker.
Bennett, despite winning a record seven premierships, won coach of the year for only the third time, after sharing it in 1987 with Raider Don Furner, and winning it in 2000 with the Broncos.
How Thurston at 32, and Bennett 65, deal their cards will decide the issue on Sunday.
Thurston is the undisputed best player in the rugby league world – Bennett the undisputed best coach.
Thurston’s ability to dictate the pattern of play will have the Broncos trying desperately hard to cut him off at the pass. Bennett has coached in seven NRL grand finals and won the lot.
What an awesome clash of superlatives.
Thurston is an Immortal-in-waiting, and the same should apply to Bennett.
It’s farcical the Immortal status is owned and selected by Rugby League Week, who have been tardy in selecting recipients.
The first inductees were Clive Churchill, Reg Gasnier, Johnny Raper, and Bobby Fulton in 1981.
It took the publication 19 more years to add Graeme Langlands and Wally Lewis, another four years before Artie Beetson became an Immortal, and a further nine years before Andrew Johns was inducted.
But there have been four major blunders on the way.
Ken Irvine, the best winger I’ve seen in either code, should have been an original inductee in 1981, while Peter Stirling, Ron Coote, and Mal Meninga should have inducted well before Johns.
Which brings me to Wayne Bennett.
Under the current brief, rugby league coaches aren’t eligible to be Immortals, contenders must have been seen in action, and then retired for five years.
That is as big a farce as the RLW owning and calling the Immortal shots.
The NRL should buy the rights off RLW, no matter the cost, and immediately set about correcting the wrongs.
But first things first.
It will be fascinating watching how Johnathan Thurston weaves his magic on the field on Sunday, and oh to be a fly on the wall to see how Wayne Bennett tries to keep his unbeaten grand final record intact.