A major Australian rugby league magazine Rugby League Week in 1981 selected an exclusive group of players dubbed "The Immortals". The group consisted of Clive Churchill, Bob Fulton, Reg Gasnier, and Johnny Raper. Although Rugby League Week has never held any official affiliation with any of the governing bodies of rugby league in Australia, the release was met with much public respect and admiration for the players listed. To coincide with this announcement, Hunter Valley vineyard Elliots Wines released, in conjunction with Rugby League Week, four bottles of 1977 vintage port as a boxed set. Each player was represented on the label of each of the bottles.
Returning eighteen years later, Rugby League Week announced in 1999 its intention to select a fifth member of The Immortals. However, the panel of experts chosen to pick the next Immortal was unable to decide on a sole player; it was then announced that the next additions to The Immortals would be both Graeme Langlands and Wally Lewis. It has been said that current Brisbane Broncos great Darren Lockyer will be named an immortal though it is customary to select players only after they have been at least five years retired. [1]
2004 saw yet another addition to the list of Immortals, with Arthur Beetson becoming the seventh member.[1]
Although the tag of Immortal continues to be a highly respected one for any player to obtain, it has been criticised for thus far only being awarded to post-war players.
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