The 8th Immortal

[Tommax25]

What a f***ing joke. What a fantastic example for future players. "Hey kids, do drugs your whole career and you can be an immortal like me, Joey johns" the immortals have now lost all credibility.

Cool story, bro. Tell it again.

Well done Andrew Johns, he tore teams apart like I haven't seen before and on a consistent basis, well deserved.

 

[Ianc]

I think this is a very appropriate decision.

A NSW self confessed drugo is picked as an Immortal by a Sydney-centric, boys club RL community. Makes sense to me!

 

[East Coast Tiger]

The immortals thing is a load of shit anyway. It's run by RLW. They are not in any way any kind of official or even reputable authority on the sport. The ARL Hall of Fame should be given far, far more credibility than this gimmicky nonsense that RLW drags out every now and then when it feels like it or needs to try and sell a few more of its shitty magazines. It may call itself "the Rugby League Bible" but then again the bible is a load of bollocks made up by some liars to make themselves seem more important than they actually were. So on that count it's an apt statement.

 

[drago brelli]

Wow, really profound stuff East Coast.

 

[innerwestrabbit]

Well done Joey, best player I have seen . But I think Coote should have been inducted, basically was the prototype to the modern day back rower . Anyone who was selected in the team of century should be considered an immortal

 

[Lambretta]

http://www.nrl.com/andrew-johns-is-8th-rugby-league-immortal/tabid/10874/newsid/70109/default.aspx



Andrew Johns has leapfrogged Norm Provan, Ron Coote and Mal Meninga to become rugby league's eighth immortal.
Johns, the former Newcastle star, joins Bob Fulton, John Raper, Clive Churchill, Reg Gasnier, Graeme Langlands, Wally Lewis and Arthur Beetson in the illustrious list of Immortals.
Rugby League Week owns the Immortals' brand with the latest inductee chosen by 18 judges including the five living Immortals and a host of rugby league personalities including coach Wayne Bennett and radio presenter Ray Hadley.
The judges came down to four choices - Provan, Coote, Meninga and Johns.




There are loads of things about the "Immortals" concept that bother me, least of all the hap-hazard amateur nature of the whole thing.


But why on earth have they only inducted Johns when all those other fine players were available to be inducted?


Rugby League is terrible at recognising the players that have made the sport great and we need to improve on our legends concept and have a proper Hall of Fame with a set number of inductions each season etc.


Leaving it up to a magazine to get off their arses and sort of organise something when they can be bothered is pretty piss poor imo.

 

[Jason Maher]

 

[Matt23]

Bit soon for mine, Provan & Coote and possibly Meninga should went in first, but Skeepe's over reaction made it all worthwhile, congrats none the less, Joey

 

[blaza88z]

let me say this, Johns on the field is an all time great and is fully deservant of all the accolades

off the field he's an embarrassment, I think having the gig at Channel 9 is the reason he's been able to put his name back into good stead within the rugby league community given the drug/alcohol abuse came to the forefront in the very latter stages of his career

if you're a parent, do you want your kid idolizing this guy when you know he used recreational drugs to get him through also giving him this accolade so soon after his retirement sets a precedent though that's for sure, are we likely to see Lockyer inducted before the likes of Meninga and co?

they should have waited and inducted some of the older guys

 

[Fire]

This ^

Loving the show.

Anyways, congrats Joey, best player I've ever seen.

p.s. You fervent anti-drug campaigners, don't go falling out of your ivory towers and hurting yourself now...

 

[bartman]

Yeah, too soon for mine.

Bit of a bizarre magazine-driven concept that should be passed over to the league to turn into something with a clear purpose, solid criteria and regular additions.

 

[Ulysseus]

off the field he's an embarrassment, I think having the gig at Channel 9 is the reason he's been able to put his name back into good stead within the rugby league community given the drug/alcohol abuse came to the forefront in the very latter stages of his career

If you lived in Newcastle or around the area you got to see it week in, week out.
Honest to f**k it was no secret.

Anyone remember the shirt "The Magnificent Seven"?

And yeah.......................... Iguana Joes..........

 

[Knightmare]

More NSWRL Pandering Bullshit. My surprised face isn't all that exciting.

:lol:

I do think it should have gone to Provan, the bloke truly deserves such status. Joey was always a case of when, not if, as much as some people on here wish it weren't so. Locky will be the next, but I agree the Hall of Fame should have higher prestige than a concept created by RLW 30 years ago...

 

[Matt23]

If you lived in Newcastle or around the area you got to see it week in, week out.
Honest to f**k it was no secret.

100% correct.

 

[dogslife]

No complaints from me. Joey is the best player I've ever seen play

 

[Aaron_sfas]

God knows what players in the past got into. Hell, the game was around during the 60's and 70's. Johns may be an idiot off the field... but he was a genius on it.

Also, when did the length of time since a players retirement become a judging criteria?

 

[Hass]

To all those complaining that Johns hasn't been retired long enough:

The original Immortals were chosen in 1981. They included Bobby Fulton, who had retired as a player a whole two years earlier.

Andrew Johns is a most worthy inclusion into the Immortals club - he belongs there.

 

[Patorick]

Provan, Meninga, Coote, these guys all did far more for rugby league than a pill-popping, petulant little merkin from the arse end if the earth.

The Immortals clearly means nothing anymore.

Without Cliffy?

Damn skippy.

 

[Usain Bolt]

Locky will be the next immortal followed by Cam Smith

I'd prefer a Hall of Fame rather than the whole Immortals thing

 

[VictoryFC]

Congrats Joey. Judge him by what he did on the field.