Immortal Discussion - The Big 5

[The Axe]

one thing i dont like is that very good players these days are dubbed by the media as future immortals. Yes they're good, but are they really Immortal? As much as i hate Cam Smith, he's one of the best of all time and should be Immortalised (if we are able to ignore the salary cap rorts). Thurston is as good as Joey, so one day he will be there too. Inglis? He's a damn fine player at his peak, but i don't see him as one of the Immortals. He's a bit like SBW, Cronin, Sterlo. A superb player, but in the next tier down. Same with Slater. I think Cooper is too. He's been awesome for the last decade, but I don't see him in the Elite of the Elite. Maybe another premiership will change my mind though

Agree with this. Can someone explain the hype re Lockyer? Hall of fame inductee the other week. Really or just me?

[Headless Chook]

Mal Meninga became an Immortal despite being only the 5th best player on his club team - Stuart, Daley, Lazarus, Clyde. So who the **** knows what it takes to get a mention these days.

Cronk is a great player. And his contribution to a club is yet greater than the sum of his natural talent. That's perhaps his greatest legacy - he's not a genius player; but when you combine his precision and ability as an on field general with his professionalism, leadership and unrivalled off field contributions, you end up with one of the most influential players of all time.

The greater sum of Cooper Cronk is why the swap from Pearce was an ENORMOUS upgrade, even if some could only look at their contributions with ball in hand and come to the (still incorrect) conclusion that Cronk wasn't an improvement.

So clearly he's a great player and a rare individual of leadership and inspiration.

But is he an Immortal? Not quite imo. Freddy is a class above and doesn't even rate a mention.

Yet all four of those players will tell you Mal was the best player they played with or against!

Cronk is no where near immortal status, he's very good player and the ultimate professional but I don't think he deserves to be rated as one of the greatest of all time. Smith is an immortal in waiting and will be the next inducted and probably Slater and later on Thurston. Inglis is not even in the same postcode as those guys. He sets himself up as this great role model but the reports of his behaviour in Dubbo paint him in a different light....refusing to sign autographs or pose for photos with kids sort of slies in the face of the persona he would have us believe

[ism22]

Not sure about Smith now! He’s been a dud ever since Cronk left him and you can include Slater in there since they’ve won zilch since.

To be fair, the Storm were the form team all season, probably had less talent across the park than us, lost th minor premiership due to a sheer fluke (we bridged what, a 50pt gap?!?) and had we not been premiers they woulda been.

IMO the only difference this season is that Smith has been treated like a mortal. His first binning clearly had some meaning about it. The bloke still did alright though...

[007]

Of the 5 to choose from I would only have Thurston and then Smith. I'd like to say Cronk for obvious reasons but I can't see him being an immortal. Premierships shouldn't always count either; Frank Burge never won one. Inglis and Slater were very good players but immortals? Slater in particular was a grub and a sniper - I wonder how good he would have been without hanging on to the coattails of Smith and Cronk.
If we're talking outside backs as future immortals, then Mark Harris is the first name that comes to mind.

[ism22]

Of the 5 to choose from I would only have Thurston and then Smith. I'd like to say Cronk for obvious reasons but I can't see him being an immortal. Premierships shouldn't always count either; Frank Burge never won one. Inglis and Slater were very good players but immortals? Slater in particular was a grub and a sniper - I wonder how good he would have been without hanging on to the coattails of Smith and Cronk.
If we're talking outside backs as future immortals, then Mark Harris is the first name that comes to mind.

So all of the future immortals will have played for salary cap cheating clubs that won the comp a couple of years later with an almost identical roster? Just saying. Luck plays a big part IMO...

[zac]

To be fair, the Storm were the form team all season, probably had less talent across the park than us, lost th minor premiership due to a sheer fluke (we bridged what, a 50pt gap?!?) and had we not been premiers they woulda been.

IMO the only difference this season is that Smith has been treated like a mortal. His first binning clearly had some meaning about it. The bloke still did alright though...

Were the Storm the form team all season? They did well to make the GF, but I'd say we were the form season after the first 8 rounds.

[Kingbilly]

Of the 5 to choose from I would only have Thurston and then Smith. I'd like to say Cronk for obvious reasons but I can't see him being an immortal. Premierships shouldn't always count either; Frank Burge never won one. Inglis and Slater were very good players but immortals? Slater in particular was a grub and a sniper - I wonder how good he would have been without hanging on to the coattails of Smith and Cronk.
If we're talking outside backs as future immortals, then Mark Harris is the first name that comes to mind.

While Slater is a grub he is the difference between the Storm and other teams. He has been the backs coach for many years and is the best fullback I have ever seen.
I put him in front of Smth

[007]

So all of the future immortals will have played for salary cap cheating clubs that won the comp a couple of years later with an almost identical roster? Just saying. Luck plays a big part IMO...

You've lost me. Where did I say "future immortals will have played for salary cap cheating clubs"?

[007]

While Slater is a grub he is the difference between the Storm and other teams. He has been the backs coach for many years and is the best fullback I have ever seen.
I put him in front of Smth

Yeah I guess you're right. Player of the Origin series 2018? Whatever.

[Kingbilly]

Yeah I guess you're right. Player of the Origin series 2018? Whatever.

LOL.

but it will be a tussle between actual RL greatness and media hype greatness in many cases

[The Thracian]

Has Smith, Slater and Thurston ever won an Origin series without Cronk?

has Slater and Smith ever won a Premiership or minor Premiership without Cronk ?

i May be wrong but wasn’t Thurston moved to 5/8 for QLD because Cronk had to be in the team ?

Out of those 5 players, Thurston, Cronk then Daylight.

[Random Rooster]

The Immortals tag has been cheapened by the NRL this year. Beetson, Raper, Churchill, Gasnier, Fulton, Langlands, Lewis......these guys are a once in a lifetime players. Andrew Johns was no better halfback than Peter Sterling, Steve Mortimer, Allan Langer, Ricky Stuart, Greg Alexander or Cooper Cronk. As for Meninga I always thought his Qld centre partner Gene Miles was as good if not better. For those who remember Meninga as a player they would recalll he was a bludger out in the centres but a media pet. He certainly wasn’t any better centre than Laurie Daley.

[Johnny73]

Has Smith, Slater and Thurston ever won an Origin series without Cronk?

has Slater and Smith ever won a Premiership or minor Premiership without Cronk ?

i May be wrong but wasn’t Thurston moved to 5/8 for QLD because Cronk had to be in the team ?

Out of those 5 players, Thurston, Cronk then Daylight.

This year proved that the lynchpin for both the Storm and the Roosters is Cooper Cronk.

[ism22]

You've lost me. Where did I say "future immortals will have played for salary cap cheating clubs"?

All the candidates you named are in that position so I put two and two together, mofo.

This year proved that the lynchpin for both the Storm and the Roosters is Cooper Cronk.

What was more important... us having him or them not having him?

[roostersrule2]

Has Smith, Slater and Thurston ever won an Origin series without Cronk?

has Slater and Smith ever won a Premiership or minor Premiership without Cronk ?

i May be wrong but wasn’t Thurston moved to 5/8 for QLD because Cronk had to be in the team ?

Out of those 5 players, Thurston, Cronk then Daylight.

Cronk didn’t debut in Origin until 2010 and wasn’t a starter until 2012.

I love Cronk, he is a roosters legend after this year. However I can’t put him above JT, Slater or Smith.