Men of League Foundation Members have dominated the ultimate list of the finest seventeen men to have graced a Rugby League paddock.
Men of League President Ron Coote AM, national board member Noel Kelly and Men of League Brisbane Committeeman, Mal Meninga, head up the Foundation’s representation that sees each of the 11 living players in the greatest ever team and coach Jack Gibson, being members of the Men of League Foundation.
Rugby League's Team of the Century:
1/. Clive Chruchill
2/. Ken Irvine
3/. Mal Meninga
4/. Reg Gasnier
5/. Brian Bevan
6/. Wally Lewis
7/. Andrew Johns
8/. Duncan Hall
9/. Noel Kelly
10/. Arthur Beetson
11/. Ron Coote
12/. Norm Provan
13/. John Raper
Reserves: Graeme Langlands, Dally Messenger, Bob Fulton, Frank Burge.
Coach: Jack Gibson
This is how Jane Aubrey from Nine’s http://wwos.com.au reported on the announcement:
A twenty-eight man judging panel selected the team via a secret ballot from the 100 players named as the game’s best last month.
South Sydney Rabbitohs great Clive Churchill was the first player selected, named at fullback in rugby league's Team of the Century.
Churchill was given the name of "the little master" by fellow great Dally Messenger and was part of the Rabbitohs five-time premiership winning team in six years from 1950-55.
He played 34 Tests for Australia - 24 as captain.
Churchill finished ahead of Keith Barnes, Les Johns and Ken Thornett in voting.
On the wings, Ken Irvine and Brian Bevan - both players standouts in terms of try-scoring ability.
The pair were favoured over Cecil Blinkhorn, Kerry Boustead, Brian Carlson, Dan Frawley, Eric Grothe, Harold Horder, Johnny King, Eddie Lumsden, Dally Messenger, Albert Rosenfeld and Benny Wearing.
Bevan is the only member of the Team of the Century not to have played for Australia - he played seven games for Eastern Suburbs before leaving to play for Warrington and Blackpool.
Bevan scored a world record 796 career tries.
Irvine, lightening fast scored 212 premiership tries throughout his career with North Sydney and Manly from 1958 - 1973.
He was played for Australia on the Kangaroo tours of 1959–60, 1963–64, 1967–68 and in his time in the green and gold jumper scored 33 tries in 31 appearances.
Mal Meninga and Reg Gasnier beat nominees Jack Beaton, Dave Brown, Michael Cronin, Les Cubitt, Andrew Ettingshausen, Viv Farnsworth, Bob Fulton, Herb Gilbert, Tom Gorman, Graeme Langlands, Dally Messenger, Gene Miles, Steve Rogers, Harry Wells for the centre positions.
Over a 16 year career, Meninga was a juggernaught in the modern game.
The Canberra great is the only player to have toured four times with the Kangaroos and the only player to make two tours as captain.
He won two premierships with the Raiders and was a tower of strength for Queensland in State of Origin.
Gasnier, known as "Puff the Magic Dragon" is Australia's youngest ever captain against Great Britain at just 23 years of age and won eight premierships with St.George.
Tragically, his career was cut short due to a broken leg on the 1967-68 Kangaroo Tour at age 28.
At pivot, "The King" Wally Lewis.
Lewis began his State of Origin career at lock in 1980 before he went on to make 30 appearances at five-eighth.
He also dominated the Brisbane club scene in the ’80s, with Valleys and then Wynnum-Manly before being the Brisbane Broncos’ first captain then finishing his career on the Gold Coast.
Lewis captained Australia 23 times in his 33 appreances.
Newcastle's Andrew Johns was selected at halfback.
Johns' career came to an end only last year following a neck injury.
His kicking and passing game changed the modern league landscape and he holds the record for the most points scored in premiership history with 2176.
Johns won a record three Dally M player of the year awards and was the Clive Churchill medallist in Newcastle's 2001 premiership win over Parramatta.
Other nominees at halfback included Joe Busch, Keith Holman, Allan Langer, Chris McKivat, Steve Mortimer, Barry Muir, Tom Raudonikis, and Peter Sterling.
Immortal, John Raper was named at lock forward ahead of Frank Burge, Billy Cann, Bradley Clyde, Ron Coote, Andy Norval, Wayne Pearce, Ray Price and Wally Prigg.
Raper, like Gasnier won eight premierships with St.George and his defence was the hallmark of his game.
Raper played 33 Tests for Australia made three Kangaroo tours and was the victorious Australian captain at the 1968 World Cup.
Genuine hardman Ron Coote who played for both Souths and Easts was named alongside Norm Provan in the second row.
Coote was seen as the heir-apparent to Raper but could not prize the Dragon out of the Australian No. 13 jersey and so made his debut in the second row.
Provan has been immortalised on the current NRL premiership trophy, cast in bronze embracing Arthur Summons.
Provan was captain-coach of the St.George premiership winning teams of 1962-65.
The engine room of the Team of the Century is driven by Queenslanders Arthur Beetson and Duncan Hall.
The final nominations for props included: Harry Bath, Roy Bull, Frank Burge, Ted Courtney, Brian Davies, Peter Gallagher, Noel Kelly, Glenn Lazarus, Mick Madsen, John O’Neill, Steve Roach, John Sattler, Ray Stehr, Herb Steinohrt and Shane Webcke.
Hall played his entire career in the Queensland club competition representing Christian Brothers Rockhampton 1945–47; Brisbane Valleys 1948–49; Home Hill 1950; Newtown, Toowoomba 1951–52 and Brisbane Wests where he finally won a premiership in 1954.
Beetson, the newest member of the Immortals has long been regarded as the best ball-playing forward of the late 1970's.
Hardman Noel Kelly was named at hooker, finalising the starting line-up.
Kelly played 25 Tests for Australia and was captain coach of the Western Suburbs club in 1966.
Kelly holds the dubious record as the player with the most send offs in a career.