9th Immortal

[RazorRam0n]

Sterlo should already be an Immortal.

who represents the eels dominated 80's era?

fulton? his acheivements were 70s

lewis? myth dominated a 2nd rate comp and showed up 3 times a year rep games.

the 80's demand sterlo's induction

 

[Disinterested third party]

8 man of the match awards in Origin. Yeah third rate.

 

[Tommy Smith]

who represents the eels dominated 80's era?

fulton? his acheivements were 70s

lewis? myth dominated a 2nd rate comp and showed up 3 times a year rep games.

the 80's demand sterlo's induction

Absolutely.

The 80s were the greatest decade of rugby league and the Eels were the dominant force and the Icons of that decade.

And so it stands to reason that the legendary halfback who helmed that all time great side to 4 Premierships would be an Immortal.

The way I see it you should have fair representation across the decades. As it is they're overly nostalgic for the old days as so often happens...

40s/50s - Churchill
60s - Langlands/Gasnier/Raper
70s - Fulton/Beetson
80s - Lewis
90s/2000s - Johns

The way I see it you need to add:

50s - Provan
80s - Sterling/Meninga
90s/2000s - Fittler/Lockyer

And then we'll have...

2000s/2010s - Thurston/Smith/Slater

2020s - Suli

 

[AJB1102]

Obviously the NRL just having taken over the Immortals concept primed them to decide to announce they'll be making an addition. Makes you wonder if its all just about marketing and showing it off/boosting its profile, or inducting a genuinely deserving recipient who was even better than a once in a generation player. Hopefully both.

Personally I think marketing/fan engagement will play a big part so I'd say Meninga or Lockyer. Fans of Norm just not gonna hit enough little blue thumbs up or 'retweet' buttons.

Provan would be a good nod to the game's past but not as marketable to a wider audience who don't know/care much about the history - purists will love it but POPEYE and the tough crowd aren't their demographic.

Meninga has relevance because if you're 30 you remember him pretty well. He has current relevance through his Origin and Roos coaching (even though coaching doesn't come into Immortal judging).

Locky the last bloke to have smoke blown up his are like JT and Smith, and I'm sure CH9 would LOOOVE another Immortal in their stable and probably can influence that shit.

 

[King hit]

8 man of the match awards in Origin. Yeah third rate.

You do know he didn’t deserve some of them. His 1985 one is a god damned joke

 

[Disinterested third party]

Your opinion. The record stands.

He was superb in that game and pretty much played a great NSW side on his own at times in game 2 of 1985.

 

[King hit]

Your opinion. The record stands.

He was superb in that game and pretty much played a great NSW side on his own at times in game 2 of 1985.

It was Linder and Close that got the Maroons back in that game, Wally had no try assists and got outplayed by Kenny. If I had to give the award I would’ve given it to Mortimer. Was involved in so many important moments and had a big hand in 2 of the 3 tries

 

[The Great Dane]

Sterlo should already be an Immortal.

So should Provan, Meninga, Lazarus, and a whole host of others too... And a ton of others should have been at least seriously considered like Daley, Stuart, Kevin Walters, Langer, Kenny, Grothe, Steve Mortimer, Chief, and a whole host of others, sure most of them probably wouldn't have and shouldn't have become immortals, but they should have at least been seriously considered at one point or another.

That's the main reason that the immortals is such a load of crap, cause it wasn't really anything other then a gimmick to sell magazines and in the early days grog when sales were down, so it wasn't annual and it didn't have standard criteria of what made a person eligible or not, so a whole host of players (literally whole generations of them) that should have been considered and many that should have been inducted never were and probably never will be, while other guys were inducted before their time.

The NRL should really just induct everyone that's missed out cause of the haphazardness of the whole thing in previous years to get it up to date, and then organise a schedule for it and some basic criteria and move ahead with it from there.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

You do know he didn’t deserve some of them. His 1985 one is a god damned joke

It was Linder and Close that got the Maroons back in that game, Wally had no try assists and got outplayed by Kenny. If I had to give the award I would’ve given it to Mortimer. Was involved in so many important moments and had a big hand in 2 of the 3 tries

Lol, aren't you about 12? Where are you getting your info from?

Lewis made ordinary players better than they were and basically made origin competitive through the 80s.

 

[Disinterested third party]

It was Linder and Close that got the Maroons back in that game, Wally had no try assists and got outplayed by Kenny. If I had to give the award I would’ve given it to Mortimer. Was involved in so many important moments and had a big hand in 2 of the 3 tries

I suggest you rewatch it again sometime.

 

[mxlegend99]

Should be Mitchell Pearce. He has been trying to kill his Origin career for years and it just wont die.

 

[JJ]

Absolutely.

The 80s were the greatest decade of rugby league and the Eels were the dominant force and the Icons of that decade.

And so it stands to reason that the legendary halfback who helmed that all time great side to 4 Premierships would be an Immortal.

The way I see it you should have fair representation across the decades. As it is they're overly nostalgic for the old days as so often happens...

40s/50s - Churchill
60s - Langlands/Gasnier/Raper
70s - Fulton/Beetson
80s - Lewis
90s/2000s - Johns

The way I see it you need to add:

50s - Provan
80s - Sterling/Meninga
90s/2000s - Fittler/Lockyer

And then we'll have...

2000s/2010s - Thurston/Smith/Slater

2020s - Suli

There is a great irony that the 80s was Australia's most dominant period, yet there's just Lewis as an 'immortal' - they were so far ahead of the rest of us it was insane - in the 40s-60s England and at some times NZ were flat out better yet some argue for another immortal because St George were quite good?!?!?!

Sterling, Mortimer, Kenny, Meninga, Miles, and others are criminally underrated in this attempt to peddle something non-existent

 

[kdalymc]

Don’t you need 250 games?
Wally Lewis has 80

 

[Captain Apollo]

Don’t you need 250 games?
Wally Lewis has 80

Nope. Also don't forget until 1988 there was no team outside NSW or the ACT in First Grade. Qld and Brisbane itself had separate competitions. Wally had plenty of first grade games playing for Fortitude Valley and then Wynnum-Manly in the Brisbane First Grade competition (namely 211 games all up, plus he played 10 games for Wakefield Trinity in the UK). This was all before he played for the Broncos.

Also there is no 250 game requirement at all. I think you are mixing that up with the NRL's "laughable" Testimonial Game guidelines.

 

[Captain Apollo]

Found this old article from2015 by Steve Mascord about the Immortals. People may find it if some interest, or not, as the case may be - http://www.theroar.com.au/2015/10/16/mascord-everyone-care-much-immortals/

 

[JJ]

It's laughable that some are suggesting Lewis isn't deserving... the guy was phenomenal, dominated like nobody else at the highest levels

 

[RazorRam0n]

So should Provan, Meninga, Lazarus, and a whole host of others too... And a ton of others should have been at least seriously considered like Daley, Stuart, Kevin Walters, Langer, Kenny, Grothe, Steve Mortimer, Chief, and a whole host of others, sure most of them probably wouldn't have and shouldn't have become immortals, but they should have at least been seriously considered at one point or another.

That's the main reason that the immortals is such a load of crap, cause it wasn't really anything other then a gimmick to sell magazines and in the early days grog when sales were down, so it wasn't annual and it didn't have standard criteria of what made a person eligible or not, so a whole host of players (literally whole generations of them) that should have been considered and many that should have been inducted never were and probably never will be, while other guys were inducted before their time.

The NRL should really just induct everyone that's missed out cause of the haphazardness of the whole thing in previous years to get it up to date, and then organise a schedule for it and some basic criteria and move ahead with it from there.

the concept of the immortals is the best (THE ALPHA) of their specific generation.

you can't really debate that for those inducted so far. again what you're proposing is a hall of fame concept.

sterlo though fits that criteria for the the alpha of the 80s

 

[Disinterested third party]

Nope. Also don't forget until 1988 there was no team outside NSW or the ACT in First Grade. Qld and Brisbane itself had separate competitions. Wally had plenty of first grade games playing for Fortitude Valley and then Wynnum-Manly in the Brisbane First Grade competition (namely 211 games all up, plus he played 10 games for Wakefield Trinity in the UK. This was all before he played for the Broncos.

Also there is no 250 game requirement at all. I think you are mixing that up with the NRL's "laughable" Testimonial Game guidelines.

He also won 3 premierships in Brisbane football. Also dominated the same Sydney clubs mentioned in 1984 in the Panasonic Cup. People need to learn a bit before castigating one of the great footballers of all time.

 

[RazorRam0n]

anyone who has half good enough was playing nswrl back then, hence why origin came about. anyone who stuck qrl was playing with plebs

 

[Captain Apollo]

anyone who has half good enough was playing nswrl back then, hence why origin came about. anyone who stuck qrl was playing with plebs

Yes and no. Back in those days of the early to mid-1980s when Origin was just getting off the ground, Ron McAuliffe, President of the QRL, had all the Queensland based Origin players sign contracts which prevented them from going to clubs in the NSWRL if they wanted to play Origin.