Rugby League Immortals Trivia Quiz

Answer:

>> Clive Churchill
was one of the first four Immortals named in 1981. He played fullback for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, and was known for changing the way the position was played. Rather than just playing defense, he would make his way into the attacking line to create raids. As a player, he led South Sydney to five premierships in 1950, 1951, 1953, 1954, and 1955. As a coach, he led them to four more in 1967, 1968, 1970, and 1971. In addition, he was the captain of Australia in 24 straight Tests from 1950-1955; in 1953 he led Australia's third Test win over Great Britain. The Clive Churchill Medal, named in his honor, is awarded to the best player in the NRL Grand Final each year.
>>Bob Fulton
Another member of the original four Immortals, Robert Fulton played center for both the Manly-Warrigah Sea Eagles and Eastern Suburbs (they became the Sydney Roosters in 2000). As a player, his team won three premierships, and he is credited with winning one of them (1973) by himself after scoring twice. He also played for Australia in 35 Test matches, served as a captain seven times, and assisted the team in winning three World Cups. Fulton, however, was more than a player; he coached Manly to two premierships. His win rate while coaching the Australian national team was 82%.
>> Reg Gasnier
The next original Immortal of the NRL was Reg Gasnier, who played center for the St. George Dragons. He led his club to six premierships from 1960-1965 while making 127 tries in 125 premiership matches. In spite of his high number of tries, Gasnier was never considered to be a selfish player by his teammates. He was nicknamed Puff the Magic Dragon due to his speed and style that left potential defenders defenseless. In 1962 at the age of twenty-three he was Australia's youngest Test captain against Great Britain.
>> Johnny Raper
John Raper was the fourth of the original Immortals, and is said to have been the first one selected to be on the original list. While playing lock forward for the St. George Dragons, he led the team to eight straight premierships from 1959-1966. In addition he was the captain of the Australia team that won the 1968 Rugby League World Cup. In both 1961 and 1965 Raper was named the NSWRL Player of the Year. He was unanimously selected as the lock in the 2008 Australian Team of the Century.

In 1999 two more players were added to the list of rugby league Immortals - Graeme Frank Langlands and Wally Lewis.
>> Graeme Langlands
Graeme Frank Langlands played his entire NRL career for the St. George Dragons from 1963-1976. While mostly playing fullback, he helped lead the team to win four straight premierships between 1963-66. When he retired, he was the team's highest scorer with 1,554 points. In addition he played 45 Tests for Australia, and was the team captain 14 times.
>> Wally Lewis
Known as The King and the Emperor of Lang Park, Wally Lewis played in 31 State of Orgin games for Queensland from 1980 to 1991 (30 as captain), and won eight Man of the Match awards. In addition he was captain of the Kangaroos (the national rugby league team) in 34 Test matches from 1984-1989. He played with Fortitude Valley (1979) and Wynnum-Manly (1984, 1986), winning three Brisbane rugby league premierships. He also won the Golden Boot award in 1984 and the Harry Sunderland Medal in 1988.
>> Arthur Beetson
was added to the Immortal list in 2003. Considered to be one of the best prop forward in Rugby League history, Beetson also was a great trailblazer for Indigenous Australians in the NRL. He was the first Indigenous Australian to be the captain of a national team - in any sport - in 1973, and also captained Queensland in the first State of Origin match in 1980. In 1974 and 1975 he also served as captain for the Eastern Suburbs Roosters in their back to back premierships.
>>Andrew Johns
Included on the Immortal list in 2012, Andrew Johns played 249 games for the Newcastle Knights from 1993-2007, scoring 2176 points. During this time, the team won two premierships and Johns was chosen as the Man of the Match in 2001. He represented New South Wales in 23 State of Origin matches and Australia in 26 Test matches, winning three Dally M Medals and two Golden Boot awards as the best player in the world.

Five players were added to the list of Immortals in 2018.
>> Dave Brown,
who was nicknamed the Bradman of League, dominated the sport in the 1930s, much like Don Bradman did in cricket at the same time. Brown played for Eastern Suburbs, leading them to premierships in 1935, 1936, 1937, and 1940. In 1935 he scored a total of 385 points in all the games in which he played. He captained Australia in 6 Tests, and still holds the records of scoring 285 points during the 1933-1934 Kangaroo Tour.
>> Frank Burge
Next was Frank Burge, who is considered to be one of the greatest forwards in the NRL and one of the best coaches as well. He played with Glebe from 1911-1926 and the St. George Dragons as a captain-coach in 1927, as a head coach from 1928-1930, and briefly again in 1937. Burge still holds the record today for the most tries in a premiership game; he had eight in a Glebe game against University that took place in 1920. In 23 Tour matches for the Kangaroos in 1921-22 he scored 33 tries. By the end of his career he had 218 tries in 213 senior matches. In spite of his outstanding record, he never won a premiership.
>> Mal Meninga
Known for his outstanding athleticism and leadership abilities, Mal Meninga also made the Immortal list in 2018. He played for the Souths Magpies from 1979-1985, St. Helns in England from 1984-1985, and the Canberra Raiders from 1986-1994; during his time with the Canberra Raiders he captained them to three premiership titles (1989, 1990, 1994). He was the only player to tour four times with the Kangaroos, and served as captain twice, in 1990 and 1994.
>> Dally Messenger,
who is considered to be the founder of the Australian Rugby League, was also added to the list in 2018; in 1907 he switched from rugby union to the new rugby league code. This move not only attracted more fans, but also inspired other players to do the same, and Messenger is credited with ensuring the survival of the sport in Australia. Known as the Master because of his running style and ability to kick goals, he was the dominant player of his time. He was the captain of the First Kangaroos in 1908-1909 during their tour of England, and led the Eastern Suburbs to three premierships from 1911-1913. The Dally M medal is awarded annually to the best player in the league.

>> Norm Provan
was chosen to be on the list of Rugby League Immortals in 2018. He played for the St. George Dragons from 1951-1965, and served as a player-coach from 1962-1965. His record of being the youngest person to ever coach a side to a premiership victory in a Grand Final in 1962 will probably stands for a very long time (he was 30 years old). During his tenure he led the team to 10 consecutive grand finals from 1956-1965 before his retirement in 1965. He was also a member of the Kangaroos from 1954-1960, winning 14 Tests along with a World Cup. After retirement he served as a coach for St. George (1968), Parramatta (1975), and Cronulla-Sutherland (1978-1979).
>>Ron Coote
In 2024 Ron Coote became the fourteenth Rugby League Immortal, not just because of his outstanding career, but also because of his establishment of the Family of League; Coote founded the organization in order to give support to families of past and current players. During his career he played 148 first-grade premiership games for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and 109 for Eastern Suburbs, winning a total of six NSWRL premierships. He also played 23 Tests for Australia (the Kangaroos), and won three Rugby League World Cups (1968, 1970, and 1975).

The incorrect choices are all considered to be among the greatest players from New Zealand.