The NRL has announced a shortlist of ten players who will be considered to become the next rugby league Immortal, with the list featuring Dally Messenger, Mal Meninga and Darren Lockyer.
Alongside Messenger, Meninga and Lockyer are Frank Burge, Dave Brown, Brian Bevan, Duncan Hall, Norm Provan, Ken Irvine and Ron Coote.
Messenger is considered to be one of the favourites for the prestigious honour. The award for best player in the game at season’s end – the Dally M – is named after him and he was one of the original pioneers of the game.
Meninga played 155 games in the Brisbane Rugby League competition before spending nine years at the Raiders. He played 42 Origins and 84 Test matches while Lockyer played his whole career at the Broncos, representing Queensland 38 times and Australia 62.
Of the other candidates, Frank Burge was a try-scoring machine, grabbing 153 in 151 games for Glebe to go with his 46 in 36 games playing in the green and gold, while South Sydney’s Ron Coote pulled on the national jersey 42 times. He has the Ron Coote Cup between South Sydney and the Sydney Roosters named after him.
One of the best centres to ever lace up a boot, Ken Irvine is another favourite for the honour, having played 33 matches for the Kangaroos during the 1950s and 60s, scoring 33 tries at one per game during that time.
The Immortal concept, formerly owned by Rugby League Week, was signed over to the NRL after the publication collapsed in 2017.
Rugby League Week launched the concept in 1981, naming an original group of four players who they believed to be the greatest in history. The four were Clive Churchill, Bob Fulton, Reg Gasnier and Johnny Raper.
In 1999, Graeme Langlands and Wally Lewis were added, with Arthur Beetson becoming the seventh Immortal in 2003. The eighth and final Immortal to be added by the publication was Andrew Johns.
There is currently no timeline on when the eighth Immortal will be announced, however, it’s expected to happen this year.
CJ
Guest
Brett Kenny would be up there as well. I would rate him with Lewis and Meninga and Lockyer. For me though, Inglis is the best I have seen, but I assume there is a policy about waiting till someone is retired.
Matt H
Roar Guru
Very tough to pick. I would like to see two from pre WW2, to catch up fro the years they were not eligible and then maybe 1 or 2 post. For me: Dally Messenger Frank Burge Ken Irvine Darren Lockyer But they are all pretty handy players.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Ronny Coote should get the nod for having the best rhyming slang nickname...
JohnB
Guest
And luckily none of the other current immortals have any skeletons in their respective closets. Incidentally, without wanting to be seen as bagging him, no way Meninga played 84 tests.
BA Sports
Roar Guru
Yeah and his first name! He was a vastly underrated hooker at the turn of the century. Not sure if he is immortal or a hall of famer, but certainly worthy of higher accolades.
bigbaz
Roar Guru
Kenny Irvine , geez , at least get a future immortals’ position right
Paul
Roar Guru
What stopped me from having a lot of time for this guy was when he played with a cast on his arm after breaking it, then used that cast on at least on occasion as a battering ram and knocked a guy out and seriously hurt several more. He was asked/questioned why he continued to wear the cast, months after he apparently could have had it removed and was eventually forced to get it taken off. . All the other guys who have reached this position could win a game off their own efforts. Meninga was dependent on very good players around him, which he had through the bulk of his career. As an Immortal candidate, he makes a fair Hall of Famer
Steve
Guest
TBF, if becoming an immortal after being a self confessed drug taker your entire career doesn't rule you out, nor should a brother who is a criminal.
Haradasun
Guest
The criteria includes you have to have seen them play and only on field performances to be judged.
Sideline Commentator
Roar Guru
Good post.
Concerned Observer
Guest
Good points mate, I’m sure everyone that points out the utter derogatory vitriol that you bravely typed out are just haters or queenslanders. I’m also certain that at no point were you trying to paint Meninga as the same as his brother by mentioning his personal life. Truly, thou art a shining knight defending the sanctity of rugby league from one of its greatest villains. Sure, his record and achievements are largely the only criteria by which the immortals are judged by but you say to ignore that because of one quote back more than 2 decades ago. I’d hate to mildly upset you mate.
Shane
Guest
I'm sure I am not the only real fan who has a long memory and therefore, thinks it's a total joke Mal Meninga is even considered for such a prestigious position, let alone being nominated. Now before all you keyboard warriors launch into me about his record or start throwing anti-qld bias suggestions, let me repeat a quote from Meninga during the height of the Super League War in 1995: Rugby League has given me nothing my entire life. Idiot, if it wasn't for the great game, you would be known for nothing more than having the shortest political career in history (a 45 second radio interview, check it out on youtube) and for being the brother of a cop killer. If the NRL are serious, they would hold such derogatory comments against him forever.
James Ditchfield
Roar Rookie
There should be one or two immortals from each 'era' of the game. There are two many extenuating circumstances at play to judge one player's career against every other player from throughout rugby league's rich history.
Paul C
Guest
I commented earlier & there were two comments before mine? What happened?