Why the NRL was right to induct five new Immortals into rugby league’s most exclusive club

IT will cause no end of controversy, but the NRL was right to induct five new players into the Immortals and finally start treating rugby league history with the respect it deserves.

**FEE MAY APPLY** 1935: Dave Brown is congratulated by Dally Messenger (L) after Easts v Balmain game circa 1935, in which he broke his point scoring record. Pic Courtesy of Ian Collis. Historical Rugby League

FOR so long, rugby league hasn’t handled its history and its champions like it should.

For too long, we’ve watched other sports around the world, like baseball, basketball and American football, acknowledge their legends, in ways we have wished would happen here.

On Wednesday night, the game finally proved how serious it is about showcasing its legends.

And it showed that no longer will there be champions lost in time.

SHOCK: Three pre-war Immortals named

CRASH COURSE: Learn about the three old Immortals

The Immortal selection panel, who gathered at 9am on Tuesday inside the SCG Trust boardroom, deserve every ounce of recognition.

Once the pleasantires died down, it was there that the panel of current Immortals — Wally Lewis, Bob Fulton and Andrew Johns — as well as Wayne Bennett, Phil Gould, Ray Warren, Steve Crawley and former Rugby League Week editors Ian Heads and Norm Tasker and Todd Greenberg, got down to work.

And now the game has five new Immortals.

Most fans and commentators were confident that we would wake to hear that just two, probably Norm Provan and Mal Meninga, had been handed the honour.

But that would’ve meant pre-war players, who had been selected on the shortlist, including Dally Messenger, Dave Brown and Frank Burge, had been overlooked.

And if they’re overlooked now, how are they going to fare in four years time, when Darren Lockyer, Ron Coote, Brian Bevan, Duncan Hall are at the Immortal start line? Johnathan Thurston, Cameron Smith and Billy Slater will also be eligible for the following cycle.

The SCG boardroom had the same debate.

That was until one judge piped up: “We can’t keep handing this to the next group to fix. We should put it to rest now.’’

So that’s what they did.

“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.

Messenger and Brown are now Immortals.

“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.”

And look at the names. Bennett, Gould, Fulton, Johns and Lewis. This could be the first time they’ve ever agreed on anything.

But each knew what this decision meant for the game.

They knew the significance of this moment in time.

It was a chance for rugby league to be proud of its past and its present. To be finally proud of itself.

It had nothing to do with politics, agendas or egos.

A rare thing of late, but for all, the timing never better.

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