Alfie has Seibold’s stamp as game’s next immortal
Manly coach Anthony Seibold has weighed in on the Immortals debate by insisting Broncos champion Allan Langer and Raiders legend Bradley Clyde should be first considered as the next inductees.
ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys will prioritise discussions around whether – and when – a current or past player should be drafted as the 14th, or possibly 15th, Immortal.
There is already an indication that another Immortal, maybe two, could be added later this year with Seibold suggesting Langer and Clyde be strongly examined.
An exclusive online News Corp poll, asking who should become the next Immortal, attracted 2500 respondents with Ron Coote and Darren Lockyer finishing equal first.
They had 17 per cent of the vote.
Langer ran third on 11 per cent, just ahead of Peter Sterling, Johnathan Thurston and Brett Kenny. Strangely, Clyde pulled just one per cent of the vote.
“Someone who comes to mind straight away is ‘Alfie’ Langer,” Seibold told The Big Sports Breakfast Weekend radio show. “Look at the success he had individually and with the Broncos, State of Origin and Australia for such a long period.
“I think he certainly needs to be considered. Because he’s such a larrikin away from football, people forget how good of a footy player he really was.
“’Alf’ is someone who would be genuinely considered and be someone well recognised if he was the next Immortal.
“The other one who definitely won’t get mentioned – but he’s the best forward I saw – is Bradley Clyde.
“For whatever reason, I don’t feel he gets mentioned a whole heap. I remember watching him play, he really changed the game.”
It has been six years since the last Immortals were named with names like Steve Mortimer, Laurie Daley, Billy Slater, Johnathan Thurston, Brad Fittler and Greg Inglis all in the mix for the honour.