Vote: Who should be the next rugby league Immortal?

RUGBY league will welcome a ninth player into the Immortals this year, but who should it be? Read the contenders and have your say!

NRL CEO Todd Greenberg has confirmed the league will welcome a ninth player into the Immortals at the end of the season.

With a host of glittering contenders, we’ve run the eye over the players most likely to join Reg Gasnier, Johnny Raper, Graeme Langlands, Wally Lewis, Clive Churchill, Arthur Beetson and Andrew Johns.

Read on and vote for who should be the next Immortal in the poll below!

MAL MENINGA

Meninga’s credentials speak for themselves. A three-time premiership captains with the Raiders, 46 Tests for Australia and 32 Origins as a player, nine State of Origin series wins from 10 attempts as coach of Queensland and a World Cup victory as Australian mentor. The best centre of his age, Meninga’s longevity as a player and continued excellence as a representative coach make his case compelling — he was also named at centre of the Australia team of the century in 2008.

Mal Meninga in action for the Raiders.

KEN IRVINE

Numbers don’t lie and Ken Irvine’s 212 first grade tries means he stands alone as Australian rugby league’s most prolific finisher. Irvine is the only man to score more than 200 first grade tries, also scoring 30 in 24 games for NSW and 33 in 31 Tests for Australia. The North Sydney legend also collected two premierships with Manly at the end of his career and was named to the Australian team of the century.

Ken Irvine scored 212 tries.

DARREN LOCKYER

Lockyer’s longevity and mastery of two different positions form the crux of his case — the Broncos demigod once held the record for most first grade matches and is still the most capped Australian Test player of all time with 59 games. He won three premierships, played 36 Origin matches for Queensland and went from being the best fullback in the world to the best five-eighth in the world in a matter of months, dominating both positions with his skill and clutch playmaking.

Darren Lockyer starred in two different positions for the Broncos.

NORM PROVAN

Provan has been on the brink of Immortality several times after winning 10 premierships with St George in a brilliant 15-year career from 1951 to 1965, the last four as captain-coach. At 85 years old, Provan is one of the last living links to the greatest club side the game has ever known, but the inclusion of teammates Reg Gasnier, Johnny Raper and Graeme Langlands could count against him.

Norm Provan won 10 premierships with St George.

BRAD FITTLER

One of the best players of the 1990s, Fittler was a dual premiership winner with Penrith and the Roosters, the second title coming as skipper, and an automatic selection for New South Wales and Australia. A veteran of 336 first grade matches, 31 Origins and 40 Tests, Fittler was a competition heavyweight until his final day and captained Australia to victory in the 1995 and 2000 World Cups.

Brad Fittler won premierships with two clubs.

LAURIE DALEY

Either Daley or Meninga can be counted as the greatest player in Canberra’s history and Daley’s 244 matches and three premierships for the Green Machine resulted in a statue being erected at GIO Stadium in his honour. Along with Fittler, he is one of the best players in New South Wales State of Origin history and earned 23 caps for the Blues as well as 21 Tests for Australia. Daley also achieved success in the coaching arena, steering the Blues to a drought-breaking series win in 2014.

Laurie Daley starred for the Raiders, NSW and Australia.

Originally published as Vote: Who should be the next rugby league Immortal?