Andrew Johns is rugby league 8th immortal

[Owey]

By Russell Jackson, AAPUpdated September 27, 2012, 10:02 pm


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.

"I just want to thank everyone who's been involved in my life to get me where I am in rugby league. I owe everything in my life to rugby league. Ever since I was a kid. I'd hate to imagine where I'd be without the game that's given me everything. And even now it gives me everything," Johns said.

"If I'm being totally honest I felt I wasn't worthy alongside those guys. Those guys were my idols growing up."

Johns, a freakishly talented halfback, played 249 games for the Knights between 1993 and 2007 as well as 24 Tests for Australia and 23 games for NSW.

Legends such as Dally Messenger and Frank Burge, are ineligible because they played before World War II, one of the Immortals' original stipulations.
The first judges (Frank Hyde, Harry Bath and Tom Goodman) agreed in 1981 they could only judge on players they had seen in action.

 

[nasals]

Rugby League Week's " I was a better player than you" award .... he's gonna get 100% mangled tonight !!!

 

[OTTO]

I really expected Provan. Wont argue though, Johns did things on the field I thought were impossible. Congrats to him.

 

[Big_Dawg]

Terrible decision wasn't his time

 

[Breeding pups]

its a shame he had to do drugs.

 

[Big_Dawg]

its a shame he had to do drugs.

He didn't have to

 

[Trendsetter]

He didn't have to

Take a trip to Newcastle, you'd realise why they have to do drugs. That hole of a joint is enough to depress Ghandi.

 

[Freakzilla]

The GOAT.

 

[FaceBreaker]

He deserved it - second greatest player of all time behind the great one.

 

[The DoggFather]

Cocaine's a helluva drug!

 

[the Coyote]

Well deserved ....... was one of the best players in the last 20 years .... almost
as good as Freddy... who I would rate the best player that I have seen in
my life time...

Glad that scum bag from Queensland didn't win it, though it was not part of the
voting criteria , poaching kiwi's and nsw players to win origin has cheapened the
contest...

 

[captain dropbut]

provan should of got it johns deserved it but a few years down the track not now

 

[CroydonDog]

I find any "hall of fame" a bit "meh"....

..... as for Johns using drugs? BFD.... there would be few of us here that have never at least done a few lines, smoked some j's, gone clubbing on the pingers etc..... glass houses....

 

[purpleskittles]

It's not that he used drugs, it's that people in the game knew and hid it... where as lesser knowns get crucified for that and much less and have their careers tossed out. Had he received the treatment other players did/do then he wouldn't have even been a mention.

 

[The DoggFather]

I find any "hall of fame" a bit "meh"....

..... as for Johns using drugs? BFD.... there would be few of us here that have never at least done a few lines, smoked some j's, gone clubbing on the pingers etc..... glass houses....

The few that do take drugs on here are not role models or Immortals of League

 

[CroydonDog]

The few that do take drugs on here are not role models or Immortals of League

I guess it comes down to whether you think someone who has used drugs is somehow a lesser a person - I don't.

The players as "role models" thing is another debate entirely

 

[The DoggFather]

I guess it comes down to whether you think someone who has used drugs is somehow a lesser a person - I don't.

The players as "role models" thing is another debate entirely

Mate, each to their own I always say, I know people who can handle their drugs and I know people who can't. Its your life, do what you wish.

 

[Flanagun]

It's not that he used drugs, it's that people in the game knew and hid it... where as lesser knowns get crucified for that and much less and have their careers tossed out. Had he received the treatment other players did/do then he wouldn't have even been a mention.

You make out like players getting ``tossed out" of the game for recreational drug use is a common thing....I'll go the other way and suggest clubs finding evidence of players using recreational drugs and keeping those results``in house" unless the media gets wind of things is common practice.

Sure, the profile of a player might influence the lengths people will go to in order to cover up their indiscretion...but is that the fault of the idol or the idiotic society which creates the culture of idol worship?

I vote the latter

 

[MP4 - Eedz]

Johns deserved the award,

Whether you liked him or not, you had to admit he was the greatest halfback of all time, and argueably the greatest player of all time.

You have to leave behind that kind of legacy and change the way the game is played in some way to be inducted IMO (very stingy with inductee's) ... tbh even Lockyer, Thurston, Smith, Slater etc should miss out

 

[Freakzilla]

Johns deserved the award,

Whether you liked him or not, you had to admit he was the greatest halfback of all time, and argueably the greatest player of all time.

You have to leave behind that kind of legacy and change the way the game is played in some way to be inducted IMO (very stingy with inductee's) ... tbh even Lockyer, Thurston, Smith, Slater etc should miss out

The only person from that list that is close to being an immortal is Cameron Smith.