League farewells another immortal as Johnny Raper dies at 82
The rugby league community is mourning the loss of the great Johnny Raper following his death aged 82.
One of the gameās original Immortals, Raper endured a long battle with dementia after being named in rugby leagueās team of the century following a decorated career that included eight consecutive grand final victories with St George.
The legendary lock also captained Australia eight times during his 39-Test career, including the 1968 World Cup-winning side.
āA true champion. He will be sadly missed,ā St George great Steve Edge told AAP on Wednesday.
The Australian Rugby League Commission also paid tribute to the two-time NSWRL player of the year.
ARLC chairman Peter Vālandys ā a passionate Dragons fan ā hailed Raper as, obviously, one of the greatest players in the gameās history.
You might like
āToday we have lost one of our all-time greats. An Immortal, a Kangaroos captain and an eight-time premiership winning player. Johnny was the best of the best,ā Vālandys said.
āJohnny was a football genius. He had a gut instinct for rugby league like few we have seen.
āHe wasnāt the biggest player on the field, but he was the smartest. Johnnyās feats with the Dragons will remain part of rugby league legend forever.
āOn behalf of the game, I send my deepest condolences to Johnnyās family, friends and teammates.ā
Stay informed, daily
Former NSW State of Origin coach and series-winning player Laurie Daley said the entire rugby league world would be shocked and saddened by Raperās passing.
āVery sad when I heard the news,ā Daley said.
āChook was a massive figure in the game, certainly a massive figure at the Dragons.
āI had a bit to do with Chook when I was playing for NSW and Chook was chairman of selectors. Really enjoyed his company, he was good fun to be around.
āObviously the last few years havenāt been the best because heās been unwell.
āItās always a shock when you hear the news. In particular, I think it hits harder when theyāre a legend of the game, theyāre a massive figure.
āAnyone that knows rugby league or has been involved in rugby league knows the name Johnny Raper, so thereād be a lot of sad people today.ā
Born in Revesby, Raper debuted for Newtown in 1957, playing 37 games for the Bluebags before forging his magnificent career with the iconic Dragons team of the 1950s and 60s.
He pulled on the famous Red V 185 times and won his premierships between 1959 and 1966 and in 1981 was bestowed by the Australian Rugby League alongside Clive Churchill, Reg Gasnier and Bob Fulton as one of the first Immortals.
Want to see more stories from InDaily Qld in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily Qld as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily Qld". That's it.
