Cameron Smith and Billy Slater in the running as NRL changes rules for next Immortal

The NRL world is now debating who will be the next Immortal, with legendary Maroons players Billy Slater, Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston all eligible for selection next month. Joining the elite group of stars that have played rugby league is one of the highest individual honours an NRL player can receive after their career.

Last year, the Maroons' legendary trio had passed the allotted time needed after retirement to be eligible for an Immortal position. Previously a five-year timeline, players now only have to wait three years before they can be accepted into the Hall of Fame and be eligible to become an Immortal.

On Thursday the league said the 14th Immortal would be announced next month, as part of an extended Hall of Fame with a new player added every year. Members up for Immortal status have to be in the Hall of Fame, but reports suggest the rules have been changed and a player can be added to the Hall of Fame and then become an Immortal on the same night.

And the eligibility of the likes of Smith, Slater and Thurston has prompted a debate on whether one of the modern greats should be included before past legends. The latest player to retire and be anointed as an Immortal was Andrew Johns in 2012. While he was included before past legends, many fans consider Johns to be the best rugby league player of all time. Regardless, supporters always enter a fierce debate on who should be the next inducted into the elite group with a number of legends such as Brett Kenny, Glenn Lazarus and Ron Coote waiting their turn.

Many believe modern day greats such as Darren Lockyer and Brad Fittler should be among the names considered. But the inclusion of the three Maroons greats has added another layer.

Smith has a big case to enter the Immortal conversation as arguably rugby league's greatest ever No.9 and one of the best players to play the game. Smith played a record 400 NRL games, won two Dally M medals and is the highest point scorer in history with 2786.

Slater is considered by many as the best fullback to ever play the game. The Melbourne Storm No.1 was dominant at club level having scored 190 tries in 323 games. He also won two Wally Lewis medals in the State of Origin arena and finished with two premierships (with another two stripped due to the Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal).

Thurston won the Dally M award an equal-best four times and stands as the Kangaroos' highest-ever point scorer. The halfback was part of the Maroons' State of Origin dynasty - having played from 2005-2017 - and dominated the arena in an unprecedented fashion alongside Slater and Smith. However, their cases are not as straight forward as many believe. And fans have taken aim at the decision of potentially allowing Smith and co to leapfrog some former greats.

The NRL's current Immortals:

• Clive Churchill

• John Raper

• Reg Gasnier

• Bob Fulton

• Dave Brown

• Frank Burge

• Mal Meninga

• Dally Messenger

• Norm Provan

• Andrew Johns

• Arthur Beetson

• Wally Lewis

• Graeme Langlands

Mark Geyer calls for past legends to be recognised

Former Blues enforcer Mark Geyer opted to give his thoughts on the debate after it was announced a player would be inducted into the Immortal group next month. Geyer said Smith, Thurston and Lockyer will eventually be immortalised, but he wants to look past recent players and recognise some of the former legends next.

"For mine, for the next person it is out of Ron Coote who was a legendary player for South Sydney. An unmatched grand final record...it's out of him or Brett Kenny or Peter Sterling," Geyer said on Triple M's Mick and MG on Friday morning.

Last year, NRL commentator Andrew Voss weighed into the debate when news emerged Smith, Slater and Thurston would all be eligible in 2024. Voss was not a fan of skipping over some of the legends of the game and was firmly behind Coote becoming an Immortal.

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He also took a dig at the concept if modern day players jumped the queue, which could result in legends such as Coote once again left waiting. "It is time to draw a line in the sand and say the next Immortal, or Immortals, are only ones before 1990. Or 2000," he said on SEN Radio. "Once we have reached that, then we can go past 2000. We have to decide if there are any players pre-2000 that haven't been made Immortals already.

"It's a farce if they miss out this time and remain in contention next time. I think that is not treating people like Ron Coote with respect...Are there candidates there that should be considered right now. That's where we need to go...before we start speaking about Johnathan Thurston, Cameron Smith or Billy Slater."