New Immortals inducted into rugby league’s most exclusive club

THE NRL has dropped a bombshell adding five Immortals to rugby league’s famed list including three pre-war players in a historic night for the game.

Australian RL player Dally Messenger in circa 1908 photo.

THE NRL has dropped a bombshell adding five Immortals to rugby league’s famed list. Judges took the unprecedented step of picking three pre-war and two post-war players to join a list which had just eight members prior to last night.

Current Kangaroos coach and three-time premiership winner with Canberra Mal Meninga was selected alongside St George 10-time premiership winner Norm Provan. While in a historic move Dally Messenger, Dave Brown and Frank Burge were granted Immortal status becoming the first players from the pre-war era to be given Immortal status. Previously, only post-war players were considered.

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It had been anticipated that just two players — one from either side of the war era — would join Clive Churchill, Bob Fulton, Reg Gasnier, Johnny Raper, Graeme Langlands, Wally Lewis, Arthur Beetson and Andrew Johns as Immortals.

But NRL boss Todd Greenberg — who was also a judge — said it was a “one-off” opportunity to recognise players given it is the first time the award has come under the governing body’s watch.

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“The judges took the view that this was a one-off opportunity to recognise the past, to recognise three players from the pre-war era who became legends of the game,” Greenberg said.

“If the panel did not take this step we could have lost our chance to include these champion players among our Immortals. “It was an opportunity the game could not afford to miss and the Immortals now reflect the full history of Rugby League — from 1908 to the present.”

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Norm Provan won an incredible 10 premierships for St George. It’s a feat that will never be matched.

Messenger was considered the first superstar of rugby league and was largely responsible for the formation of the code in Australia when he made the switch from rugby union in 1907. This was a mere 12 years after rugby league began life by breaking away from rugby union in the great split of 1895.

Brown was dubbed the “Bradman of League” scoring 93 tries from 94 games with Eastern Suburbs.

He captained Australia at 22 and, from 1935 to 1937, his Eastern Suburbs side won three consecutive premierships, losing just one of the 41 matches they played during that period.

Burge played his first top grade game for Glebe aged 16, scoring 146 tries from 154 games.

All these years later, just 12 more players have passed him and every one of them played at least 50 more matches.

Dally Messenger, the player that gave rugby league the impetus it needed to become a true sporting force in Australia.

Dave Brown was known as the “Bradman of League’.

Provan won an incredible 10 premierships as a player for St George. It is a feat that will never be matched. He is one half of the most famous image in rugby league history, “The Gladiators”, alongside Arthur Summons.

Meninga achieved all there was to in the game, one of the most dominant backs of any era, a true leader, and the only player to feature in four Kangaroos tours.

Fulton, Johns, Lewis, Wayne Bennett, Phil Gould, Ray Warren, Steve Crawley and former Rugby League Week editors Ian Heads and Norm Tasker joined Greenberg as judges. The group met at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday before the announcement at the venue on Wednesday.

Mal Meninga was inducted at the third time of asking. Picture: Brett Costello

Heads, the chair of the judging panel, said it would become increasingly difficult to recognise pre-war players.

“The reality faced was that the challenge of comparing pre-war players unseen by today’s judges -with post war players at each Immortals’ cycle — would only become more difficult year by year,” Heads said.

“There was a prospect that the outstanding players from the past would be competing with the champions from each later generation — and that would create an increasingly crowded starting line.

“These three players each played a key role during the “building days” of Rugby League and the decision to recognise them as Immortals was supported by all members of the selection committee.

Frank Burge was a try-scoring freak and is now an Immortal.

“Harry Bath, a former great player and coach and a founding Immortals judge of 1981 once said:

‘Those who drink the water must never forget who dug the well’.

“Having these early superstars on the Immortals Honour Board delivers on that advice.

“Mal captained his club, his state and his country, and was one of a kind, while Norm’s role in St George’s wonderful dynasty was immense, and quite simply something which will never be repeated.”

Brian Bevan, Duncan Hall, Ken Irvine, Ron Coote and Darren Lockyer were all short-listed but overlooked. Under the new rules regarding the Immortal concept, players are given three strikes before they will no longer be considered again.

Heads said “some would no doubt be included in future Immortals discussions”.

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Originally published as New Immortals inducted into rugby league’s most exclusive club