Rumours and Stuff

[parra pete]

What Pete wrote was a great little anecdote of a meet up with an old mate, but the Immortal stuff, Avenger you are 100% right. Not only is the guy not as good as the plays you have mentioned and deserve it way more, but the guy was a absolute selfish joke and embarrassment to himself and the game during the SL war and all his footy and media mates want to simply forget and erase history as it happened, while all those loyal and great players get ignored.

Well I suppose as long as there are still old coots like us around that lived through those days, we will always know and remember exactly who players like Mal really are and exactly how good or great they were on the football field. Mal wasn't a particularly fancy, or skilful or super fast player. But what he was was a bulldozer of a player and a tough nut in an exceptionally gifted team. From where I sit he was a great player, but not quite in the Immortal class sphere of players. Just a rung below and add his off field clangers, I would never have rewarded him with games most esteemed and illustrious honor.

And as for his insight, wisdom and TV presence when on FOX League panel shows? Well lets say I would rather go wash my balls. The charisma of a walnut and I'm being kind.

You can think what you like..of course. But in regards to Mal, you are WRONG. He is an outstanding human being, an Immortal for his achievements as a player, coach, and a person. He inspires everyone around him, and the current group of players are so close it is a credit to the way he has bonded them. AND he has charisma by the bucketloads - and has time for everyone....

 

[Avenger]

You can think what you like..of course. But in regards to Mal, you are WRONG. He is an outstanding human being, an Immortal for his achievements as a player, coach, and a person. He inspires everyone around him, and the current group of players are so close it is a credit to the way he has bonded them. AND he has charisma by the bucketloads - and has time for everyone....

We are not saying he isn’t a good fellah if immortal status was solely based on that Paul Vautin would be one too.

Mal Meninga was ridiculously overrated. Brett Kenny, Sterling and Price had better careers and were greater players and all deserved to be an immortal BEFORE him. If you want to judge post footy too then there should be a statue of Sterling in the middle of our stadium with the players forced to run around it. I don’t think there is a more respected player than him. The fact that he isn’t an immortal is a crime.

 

[Incorrect]

Immortal for his achievements as a player, coach, and a person.

Coaching records and personality traits are irrelevant when it comes to Immortal induction. It has been asked in the past if Wayne Bennett should be considered in the next round of inductions for his coaching legacy but Immortal status is reserved for playing feats.

For the record, I feel like Mal's induction was a little undeserved given judgement is usually based on talent primarily. Longevity should not be rewarded which to me it kind of felt like was the catalyst for his induction given he held so many appearance records for Qld and Australia at the time... If you go back to pure rugby league talent, as an example, whose highlight reel would you rather watch - Brett Kenny's or Mal Meninga's?? Bert had skills and intuition that can't be taught or developed IMO. Mal was just bigger than his opposite number (most of the time) and bashed and barged his way to immortality...

 

[TheRam]

He snapped his ACL after we signed him.
Not much we could do there.

Mate he was already an injury riddle has been and none of us but pou were surprised that he picked up another ACL or even the neck injury that ultimately retired him.

Terrible knee jerk reaction signing and indefensible.

So stop it or you go in the pou class of dimwits.

 

[Stagger eel]

Isn't Apa Twidle one of the players that @Stagger eel put in the 'Not Convinced' category?

But you say the club rate him. OK then, but wow. I mean Stagger isn't a dumb dumb like Pou who flogs himself mercilessly over plod. So it's very interesting and without knowing anything about this young player, I almost would side with Stagger then the club who have gotten it so terribly wrong more times then not on the players that they rate over the years and then they just disappear or never quite get there. How old is the kid and is he of decent size and speed? What are his strengths and weaknesses? Anyone?

Will be interesting to see what develops.

it is plausible that I may of got it wrong myself? ...but just remember there is an average of 3 players in every flegg squad that become NRL players each year, but we seemed to have unearthed a special group in that 18/19s age bracket that could.

Twidle is a good young player who could be better suited at 6 but from I've seen of him he doesn't strike me as the player that could take the extra step up.

 

[Stagger eel]

Haha...

Hodgson.

he was medically retired though, it would of been a monumental f**k up had we had to take the cap hit because of his retirement.

 

[84 Baby]

Why are we so insistent on moving Guth?? He was still our best player last year and when he wasn’t on the field we were defensively totally embarrassing. Paps might improve our attack but he’s pretty average defensively especially compared to Guth.

He’s not going to be here forever so having a plan in place is better than not.
If one could be got for 2024 onwards, I’d take Tracey or Meaney. Both are improvements on our current outside back stocks and could work under Gutho to learn his best fullback attributes so in couple of years they could step in.
The issue with Papendheycnezen or Campbell is that they are almost out and out fullbacks

 

[Avenger]

I’m hoping we sign some players for 2025 from 1 November and then agitate for them to get an early release.

That would be a good plan rather than signing players for the sake of it for 2024.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Mate he was already an injury riddle has been and none of us but pou were surprised that he picked up another ACL or even the neck injury that ultimately retired him.

Not true. He played 20 games in 2021, and to a very high level: https://www.nrl.com/players/nrl-premiership/eels/josh-hodgson/

He was worth the risk, especially considering he was the only hooker available at the price we wanted to pay.

 

[Stevie]

See Dom Young poor bloke has swelling of the brain. I reckon if he played today he’d be similar to Waqa last season.

 

[King-Gutho94]

Coaching records and personality traits are irrelevant when it comes to Immortal induction. It has been asked in the past if Wayne Bennett should be considered in the next round of inductions for his coaching legacy but Immortal status is reserved for playing feats.

For the record, I feel like Mal's induction was a little undeserved given judgement is usually based on talent primarily. Longevity should not be rewarded which to me it kind of felt like was the catalyst for his induction given he held so many appearance records for Qld and Australia at the time... If you go back to pure rugby league talent, as an example, whose highlight reel would you rather watch - Brett Kenny's or Mal Meninga's?? Bert had skills and intuition that can't be taught or developed IMO. Mal was just bigger than his opposite number (most of the time) and bashed and barged his way to immortality...

If Mal didnt coach QLD to 10 state of origin series win would he be an immortal. I think the push to get him inducted was after he finished up his origin gig and coached Australia.

And that's where his legacy grew because of the coaching a rep side that will probably have 4 or 5 immortals in itself.

All Mal had to do was pick a team there wasn't any coaching needed.

 

[King-Gutho94]

If you look at footballers i think 80% are good blokes especially if you sit them down with them and have a beer without media lurking or anything like that.

You still have 10% who are purely just dopes.
Then the last 10% are probably just grubs like the Matt Lodge's and whatnot.

For example Justin Hodges i couldn't stand him as a player growing up. But i cant look at him the same ever again now after he came up to my Dad & myself & just started talking to us at a function at Adelaide Oval pre-match at Origin this year. Even went up to the bar and got us a beer. I was thinking was this really the same Justin Hodges who was a grub his whole career. He spent 30 mins with us chewing the fat as Dad had his QLD scarf on and is from Cairns like Hodges and played for Cairns Kangaroos so they talking about some people that may have crossed paths with the club up there that both may have knew.

Probably helped no one else in the function room probably were from Adelaide and didn't know wtf he or the Chief Harrigan were as no one else came up to bother them. But yeah Justin Hodges good bloke who would have thought.

 

[Matty Bhoy]

Boys you don’t make 4 Kangaroo tours by accident, captaining two of them. Most tests for Australia, most points scored in Tests for Australia, most points scored in Origin. 2 x BRL premierships, 3 x NSWRL premierships. Couple of runners up in there too.

Meninga’s playing form speaks for itself. He’s an immortal.

That’s not to say others shouldn’t be too. Some of whom represented our club!

 

[King-Gutho94]

The Immortals concept was it a news limited thing as well wasn't it before it got to the ARLC or from another media publication.

The fact Sterlo treated some of the News limited wankers like Rothfield & Kent with the contempt they deserve probably didnt help his cause.

Rothfield & Kent have hated Sterlo for years. They have bagged him in there columns for the past 15-20 years.

 

[Incorrect]

The Immortals concept was it a news limited thing as well wasn't it before it got to the ARLC or from another media publication.

The fact Sterlo treated some of the News limited wankers like Rothfield & Kent with the contempt they deserve probably didnt help his cause.

Rothfield & Kent have hated Sterlo for years. They have bagged him in there columns for the past 15-20 years.

Rugby League Week came up with the concept initially... I don't believe they were affiliated with News Ltd...

 

[King-Gutho94]

Rugby League Week came up with the concept initially... I don't believe they were affiliated with News Ltd...

Fair enough.

These were the judges though for Joey Johns.

Rothfield made the panel for that one


THE EIGHTH IMMORTAL JUDGES
Seven-time Premiership-winning coach Wayne Bennett
Australian Rugby League Commission Chairman John Grant
Channel Nine commentator Ray Warren
2GB and Channel 9 commentator Ray Hadley
Rugby League writers Phil Rothfield and Roy Masters
Former RLW editors Ian Heads, Norman Tasker, Tony Durkin, Geoff Prenter and Martin Lenehan, plus current RLW editor Mitchell Dale
Rugby League historian David Middleton
Immortals Bob Fulton, John Raper, Reg Gasnier, Wally Lewis and Graeme Langlands

Johns becomes the eighth Immortal

Andrew Johns has tonight been named Rugby League Week’s eighth Immortal at the Men of League Gala Dinner in Sydney.

www.nrl.com

 

[Tiger5150]

The Immortals concept was it a news limited thing as well wasn't it before it got to the ARLC or from another media publication.

The fact Sterlo treated some of the News limited wankers like Rothfield & Kent with the contempt they deserve probably didnt help his cause.

Rothfield & Kent have hated Sterlo for years. They have bagged him in there columns for the past 15-20 years.

Sterlo was a great but the fact that were 2 - 3 halves better than him either in his era or in recent years after him will forever exclude him from "Immortal" status. Its s ridiculous concept anyway IMO. Sterlo was one of the greats, leave it there IMO.

 

[Avenger]

Sterlo was a great but the fact that were 2 - 3 halves better than him either in his era or in recent years after him will forever exclude him from "Immortal" status. Its s ridiculous concept anyway IMO. Sterlo was one of the greats, leave it there IMO.

Who was better than him in his prime ?

 

[JokerEel]

Sterlo was a great but the fact that were 2 - 3 halves better than him either in his era or in recent years after him will forever exclude him from "Immortal" status. Its s ridiculous concept anyway IMO. Sterlo was one of the greats, leave it there IMO.

Kimmorley kept Johns at 9 for NSW

 

[Tiger5150]

Who was better than him in his prime ?

At the time that he was in his prime, no one. But in recent years after (the immortal concept requires I think 10 years to pass) Johns, Stuart in their prime were superior IMO. Others would consider Langer & Thurston.