Rugby League Immortal: Rule change has Cam Smith, Billy Slater and Johnathan Thurston in running

Rugby League’s 14th Immortal will be unveiled at a ceremony next month and a change to the eligibility rules means three recently retired Queenslanders are now in the running.

Rugby league will name a new Immortal next month and Cameron Smith is now at the front of the queue after a change in the rules opened the door for the Melbourne, Queensland and Australian legend to further cement his legacy.

Smith, who retired at the end of 2020, was ineligible under the previous rules because players were only able to enter the Hall of Fame after they had been retired for five years.

Entry to the Hall of Fame is a prerequisite for Immortal consideration. However, the committee charged with deciding the next Hall of Fame entrants and Immortal met on Wednesday and elected to change the rules, deeming that three years was now the threshold for entry to rugby league’s most rarefied air.

SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE ON WHO SHOULD BE NAME RUGBY LEAGUE’S NEXT IMMORTAL

It is understood the previous threshold had been put in place to ensure players didn’t enter the Hall of Fame and then backflip on retirement. However, there was an acknowledgement on Wednesday that three years was enough and the by-product of that decision is that Smith is now suddenly in contention to secure arguably his greatest honour.

Long- time teammates Billy Slater and Johnathan Thurston as well as Ken Irvine, Ron Coote and Darren Lockyer will also come under consideration but Smith’s club career alone screams out Immortal given he played 430 games for the Storm and won three premierships.

Cameron Smith. Picture: AAP Image/Dave Hunt

Throw in 42 games for Queensland, 56 Test matches for Australia and four games for the All Stars and his career in elite rugby league stretches beyond 500 games, giving him an indisputable case for entry to an iconic club.

Even the readers of The Daily Telegraph concede Smith should be at the chosen one - 24 per cent of readers voted for Smith to be the next Immortal ahead of Coote (18 per cent) and Allan Langer (12 per cent).

Parramatta icon Peter Sterling and seven-time premiership-winning coach Wayne Bennett were next best at eight per cent ahead of Thurston and Ken Irvine.

Bennett, however, is unlikely to be considered for Immortal status because there is a requirement that you need to be in the Hall of Fame for your playing career before you can take the next step.

Coaches, female players and referees had previously not been considered for the Hall of Fame but that will also change next month as they are given their own categories - six women, two coaches and two referees will be inducted.

Bennett seems certain to be one of the two coaches given his record in the premiership at the helm of Canberra, Brisbane, St George Illawarra, Newcastle, South Sydney and the Dolphins, not to forget his stints with Queensland and Australia.

Few in the game deserve Hall of Fame entry as much as Bennett, who continues to command immense respect across the code. So much so that Souths made Bennett their first point of call when it came to appointing a coach for next season. Parramatta also threw their hat in the ring before landing on Storm assistant Jason Ryles.

Chair Peter V’landys confirmed the game would host a ceremony next month where it would induct 25 new members into the Hall of Fame and announce a new Immortal.

The Hall of Fame committee, featuring some of the game’s most esteemed figures, has agreed that one Immortal will be considered every four years.

The NRL also confirmed that respected radio and television broadcaster David Morrow would be inducted into the 2024 Hall of Fame as a contributor.

“Those being acknowledged are legends of the game and their achievements through the course of the game’s history will now be honoured in the Hall of Fame forever,” ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys said.

Originally published as Rugby League Immortal: Rule change has Cam Smith, Billy Slater and Johnathan Thurston in running