A former representative forward for the Kangaroos and NSW Blues and 1991 premiership winner with the Penrith Panthers, Mark Geyer has predicted which ex-player should become the next Immortal.
The NRL confirmed last week that a 14th Immortal will be inducted for the first time since 2018 and join a prestigious list that presently includes 13 former rugby league legends of the game.
Clive Churchill, Bob Fulton, Reg Gasnier and Johnny Raper were the first four Immortals inducted. They would be followed by Graeme Langlands, Wally Lewis, Arthur Beetson, Andrew Johns, Dave Brown, Frank Burge, Mal Meninga, Dally Messenger and Norm Provan.
As the countdown begins to the next Immortal being selected, several former players, coaches and pundits have had their say on who will be the next inductee.
After a 180-game career in the NRL for the Panthers, Balmain Tigers and Western Reds, Mark Geyer believes Ron Coote should become the next Immortal.
Coote is one of the leading candidates alongside Peter Sterling, Brett Kenny, and Ken Irvine.
However, a change in eligibility rules means several modern-era players, such as Darren Lockyer, Cameron Smith, and Johnathan Thurston, could be chosen instead.
“Blokes like (Darren) Lockyer, Cameron Smith, Alfie Langer, and Johnathan Thurston… I think they will all eventually be Immortalised, but for me, the next person sounds like Ron Coote,” Geyer said on Triple M’s Mick and MG in the Morning.
“He was a legendary player for South Sydney and the Roosters back in 1960s and 70s. An unmatched grand final record. He went on to found the Men of League…
“I think someone like Ron Coote can not be forgotten. I think that his contribution to our game can never be forgotten and I think that it’s long overdue that he should be an Immortal. He deserves it.
“It’s either him, Brett Kenny or Peter Sterling.
“I think Brett Kenny’s unmatched record of scoring in consecutive grand finals (81, 82, 82) – he scored two tries in each grand final. He was the golden boot player with a fantastic record as has Peter Sterling.
“I wouldn’t be fussed if I saw either of them three players Immortalised.”
Inducted into the ARL Hall of Fame in 2005, Coote was named in the second-row in the Team of the Century after a storied career for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Eastern Suburbs, NSW Blues and Kangaroos.
The son of former Eastern Suburbs forward Jack Coote, Ron played in nine Grand Finals, winning four premierships with the Rabbitohs before winning back-to-back premierships with Easts.
Named in the South Sydney Deam Team and as one of the Eastern Suburbs Greatest Ever Players, his career saw him manage 257 first-grade matches, 15 games for the Blues and 23 matches for Australia between 1964 and 1978.