Immortals add on five
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 the honour. Previously, only post-war players were considered.
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.