The last of the Australian rugby league’s original ‘Immortals’, Johnny Raper, has died at 82yo after a long battle with dementia. Raper started out playing for the Newtown Jets in 1958 before making his name with the Dragons where he helped the team claim 8 straight grand finals between 1959 and 1966. Raper also played 39 Tests for Australia and captained the team to win the 1968 World Cup. He represented NSW 31 times and was named in the league’s Team of the Century in 2008. Widely considered the game’s greatest-ever forward, he’s said to have revolutionised and perfected the position with his trademark low tackle behind the defensive line. Just nod along… Legendary coach Jack Gibson said he was “small and not all that quick, but he had football instinct. There was an intensity about him. Nobody trained like he did.”