'He's already got a statue': Walters backs Alfie to be next Immortal

Broncos coach Kevin Walters has called for his former club, Origin and Test halves partner Allan Langer to become the next Immortal.

The game’s 14th Immortal, and the first since 2018, will be announced at a special ceremony on August 21, at which 11 male players, six female players, two coaches, two referees and four contributors will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Langer led the Broncos to four premierships, including the 1997 Super League title, played 34 Origins for Queensland – winning the man-of-the-match on four occasions and captained Australia during his 25-Test career.

A statue of the diminutive Langer, who weighed 67kg and stood at just 165cm tall during his illustrious playing career, stands at the entrance of Suncorp Stadium, where many of his greatest feats occurred.

The former halfback great featured on a short list of candidates in 2012 when Andrew Jones was chosen as the eighth Immortal and in 2018 when Mal Meninga, Norm Provan, Dally Messenger, Dave Brown and Frank Burge were inducted.

Walters said Langer deserved to be the next Immortal.

"It is pretty clear in my head that Allan Langer is very much underrated as far as elite players go and Immortal players," Walters said.

"There is nothing he didn't do on the field; for the Broncos, captaining the club to four premierships, captaining Queensland to series wins, or for Australia.

"They have got a statue of him. All they have got to do now is make him Immortal.”

A specially convened meeting of the Hall of Fame committee on Wednesday agreed on the process around the 2024 induction, which will include 11 male players, 6 female players, two coaches, two referees and four contributors.

The game’s 14th Immortal will also be inducted, with candidates needing to be a member of the Hall of Fame to be eligible for the highest recognition of a player’s career.

To be considered for admission into the Hall of Fame, a player must be retired for three years, meaning Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Johnathan Thurston are now eligible for the first time.

In theory, they could also be considered as an Immortal if they are first inducted into the Hall of Fame.

However, Walters said it was too early for the trio, who were members of the Maroons side which won 11 Origin series in 12 years under his and Meninga’s coaching.

He also said Langer should be chosen ahead of Lockyer, who captained the Broncos, Maroons and Kangaroos and is the most capped Australian player (59 Tests) ahead of Smith (56).

"Locky would be another one, but I have got Alf in front of Locky at this stage,” Walters said at Brisbane's captains run ahead of Saturday night's match against the Dragons.

“I am not saying Locky can't be an Immortal in the future but right now Alfie is the one. Cameron, JT and Billy have only just recently retired. Some of them could still be playing. We've got to go back to the future."

Smith retired after leading Melbourne to the 2020 premiership – his third with the club he played a record 430 matches for – and was a member of the Queensland team which dominated Origin from 2006 to 2013, while also playing 56 Tests for Australia.

Widely regarded as the game’s greatest hooker, Smith captained the Storm in 327 NRL matches from 2006, skippered the Maroons in 21 Origins and led the Kangaroos in 33 Tests.

Slater played alongside Smith for much of his club, Origin and Test career until retiring at the end of the 2018 season and is considered one of the greatest fullbacks to play the game.

Thurston also retired at the end of the 2018 season, bowing out with premierships at the Bulldogs in 2004 and Cowboys in 2015, while playing 37 Origins for Queensland and 38 Tests for Australia at halfback or five-eighth.

Asked what stood about Langer during his playing career, Walters said his football brain and the way he played above his weight.

“It was his unpredictability on the field. Sometimes Alfie didn't know what Alfie was doing but it just seemed to work,” Walters said.

"And just the size of him. I think he was 67kg in his first State of Origin game and most of that was all ticker. For the size of him I think he achieved enormous things, and there was his mental strength and his capacity to want to win.”

"Alfie brings people together and he brings the game together.

"If you ask a lot of people their thoughts, the fans, I am sure Alfie would be right up there."

NRL.com

 

[pennywisealfie]

The Immortals concept is a joke. If they want any kind of credibility, they have to put Locky in. They put Joey in pretty quick. Lockyer was better and yet he has been retired for almost 13 years now.

I'd love to see Alf get his accolades, he's my favourite player of all time. But Lockyer is the best player I've ever seen. Ideally, they both go on. Scam Smith can wait his turn.

 

[Old Mate]

I know they’re going to run Cam, Slater and JT before Lockyer, travesty.

 

[mstreet]

The Immortals concept is a joke. If they want any kind of credibility, they have to put Locky in. They put Joey in pretty quick. Lockyer was better and yet he has been retired for almost 13 years now.

I'd love to see Alf get his accolades, he's my favourite player of all time. But Lockyer is the best player I've ever seen. Ideally, they both go on. Scam Smith can wait his turn.

Sidebar on the Alfie discussion. If Locky had stayed fullback all his career, I wonder on the Slater vs Locky debate. Slater was more physical imposing in defence, but both attacking God's. Locky always seemed to know the right call when the game was on the line.

 

[Big Pete]

I wish they'd fix the Hall of Fame first before they worry about the Immortals.

What they've done to the Hall of Fame is a travesty. They completely forgot about it after 2007, then 11 years later they simply added the 65 players from the 2008 100 Greatest Players list with an additional five players.

To rush through that many inductions at once robbed the fans and the whole immortals concept makes the Hall of Fame feel like a consolation prize.

They only added a further five players in 2019 before they completely abandoned the concept again and they're already talking about the Immortals.

It's a shame because it's easy PR for the competition and a way to promote the game. Imagine instead of recycling the same Wests Tigers in danger story we actually had a chance to speculate who should go in and look at the game from another perspective? Is Justin Hodges a first ballot Hall of Famer or does he have to wait his turn? etc. etc.

The Immortals if it has to exist, should be completely independent of the Hall of Fame, and should be every decade the four best players who retired within the past ten years. The next class shouldn't even be considered until 2031.

And yeah, Alf would have been picked in 2011. Fittler, Johns, Langer, Webcke.

 

[BroncsFan]

Sidebar on the Alfie discussion. If Locky had stayed fullback all his career, I wonder on the Slater vs Locky debate. Slater was more physical imposing in defence, but both attacking God's. Locky always seemed to know the right call when the game was on the line.

Slater was quick and a runner, but his ballplaying was trash early on and became serviceable by the end... basically like DEdwards, Teddy, etc.

Slater eventually became elite defensively as well and I'd say he changed the game defensively for fullbacks, but how much of that is on Bellamy and his coaching... in the same way of how Cronk was manufactured... and even Jahrome Hughes now.

Lockyer was the first real ball player from fullback and completely changed how the position is viewed and played nowadays. He was a third playmaker on the field and was often long kicking from fullback.

Lockyer is who the NSW'men feared when origin came around back in the 90' and early 00's, but he didn't always have the troops around him like current Qld teams do. He then played a big part of the Qld dynasty from '06-'11.

He was also in the starting side for origin and one of the first picked basically since he started playing it in 1997 all the way through to his retirement in 2011... Billy was chopped and changed early on with Khunt until he went to AFL.

To me I think Lockyer and Cam Smith are definitely immortals... Slater is probably there, but I'm 50/50 on JT and Cronk definitely isn't an immortal he just gets talked up like one because he is prominent in the media.

JT probably does get in eventually, but he's got basically 1 premiership given he was 17 jersey for the dogs in 2004... Lockyer has 4 and was a leading player in all 4 he won.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

What makes the Immortals concept a joke is being a media darling gives you a tonne more clout to be inducted than your actual skills as a player. That is why Smith and JT will be in far sooner than blokes like Locky and Alf who deserve it more.

 

[Harry Sack]

I wish they'd fix the Hall of Fame first before they worried about the Immortals.

What they've done to the Hall of Fame is a travesty. They completely forgot about it after 2007, then 11 years later they simply added the 65 players from the 2008 100 Greatest Players list with an additional five players.

To rush through that many inductions at once robbed the fans and the whole immortals concept makes the Hall of Fame feel like a consolation prize.

They only added a further five players in 2019 before they completely abandoned the concept again and they're already talking about the Immortals.

It's a shame because it's easy PR for the competition and a way to promote the game. Imagine instead of recycling the same Wests Tigers in danger story we actually had a chance to speculate who should go in and look at the game from another perspective? Is Justin Hodges a first ballot Hall of Famer or does he have to wait his turn? etc. etc.

The Immortals if it has to exist, should be completely independent of the Hall of Fame, and should be every decade the four best players who retired within the past ten years. The next class shouldn't even be considered until 2031.

And yeah, Alf would have been picked in 2011. Fittler, Johns, Langer, Webcke.

Exactly. I've had this conversation too many times over the years across forums tbh. The Immortals concept, for mine, is a joke. Hall of fame should be the first port of call and, IMO, you should have been retired for a minimum of 15yrs to be considered for immortal status. Are we still talking about you a decade or so after you retired? If so, you will be considered for immortal status....not before and certainly not because you're jammed down our throat because of media commitments.

 

[pennywisealfie]

I wish they'd fix the Hall of Fame first before they worry about the Immortals.

What they've done to the Hall of Fame is a travesty. They completely forgot about it after 2007, then 11 years later they simply added the 65 players from the 2008 100 Greatest Players list with an additional five players.

To rush through that many inductions at once robbed the fans and the whole immortals concept makes the Hall of Fame feel like a consolation prize.

They only added a further five players in 2019 before they completely abandoned the concept again and they're already talking about the Immortals.

It's a shame because it's easy PR for the competition and a way to promote the game. Imagine instead of recycling the same Wests Tigers in danger story we actually had a chance to speculate who should go in and look at the game from another perspective? Is Justin Hodges a first ballot Hall of Famer or does he have to wait his turn? etc. etc.

The Immortals if it has to exist, should be completely independent of the Hall of Fame, and should be every decade the four best players who retired within the past ten years. The next class shouldn't even be considered until 2031.

And yeah, Alf would have been picked in 2011. Fittler, Johns, Langer, Webcke.

I agree with this so much. 116 years of Rugby League and only 11 or so are celebrated. That's insane. The HOF needs to be restarted like the NFL one and the legendary players deserve their moment.