Time To Meet The challenge

The “Team of the Century” announced this week should prove to be the perfect spur for Australia’s World Cup aspirants.

Not one modern day player was selected in the 17-man squad.

The most recent was Andrew Johns who retired last year so the challenge lays ahead for players of this era to further push their claims to be “the best ever.”

What better stage there is than that of a World Cup when players are pitted against the best in the world. A golden opportunity to stake a claim as having no peer and display talent that has seldom been emulated by those great players of another era.

Players of the calibre of Jonathon Thurston, Darren Lockyer and Billy Slater will be but three out to prove they can be discussed in such glowing terms as a Johns or a Churchill.

The “Team of the Century” was chosen from an elite 100 players nominated by a plethora of respected judges.

The team is: Clive Churchill; Brian Bevan, Mal Meninga, Reg Gasnier, Ken Irvine; Wally Lewis, Andrew Johns; Johnny Raper, Ron Coote, Norm Provan, Arthur Beetson, Noel Kelly, Duncan Hall. Reserves: Graeme Langlands, Bobby Fulton, Frank Burge, Dally Messenger.

Jack Gibson was named coach.

By Geoff Prenter