Rugby league faces an interesting problem regarding the whole Immortals thing. That is, despite the wonderful honour of being anointed as an Immortal going to the great Ron Coote this week, there is no way around it: Every time they add another Immortal, they dilute the original brilliant concept. In the beginning, when Rugby League Week was the bible of the game and dinosaurs roamed the earth, there were just four players accorded the honour by the magazine: Clive Churchill, Johnny Raper, Reg Gasnier and Bob Fulton.
Since then, another 10 players have been added, six of whom had completed their careers when the original concept was launched – which effectively overruled the original judgement, and changed its definition. None of this is to diminish the honour accorded Coote who, beyond being a great player, has been a wonderful ambassador for the game in his post-playing career. It is just to note that the longer it goes, and the more who are added – particularly from the time before the original judgement – the less exclusive the tag becomes.
Though there is no parallel between the ability and valour shown on the battlefield and that on a football ground, it is the rough equivalent of those who seek to give Victoria Crosses to demonstrably great soldiers many decades after the event – often based on new information. Ron Coote is rugby league’s 14th Immortal. Credit: NRL Photos In the end, it is too hard.
If you don’t go with the judgement of those on the ground .