TOP 10 TEST AND WORLD CUP APPEARANCES

Mal Meninga ©Action Photographics

1. Mal Meninga 46
A frustrating series of broken arms provided the punctuation point to a career of monumental achievement by the big Queenslander. Meninga eventually made a stirring comeback and was determined to make up for lost time. He became the first player to tour four times with the Kangaroos and the first to lead two tours.

2. Graeme Langlands 45
An ability play at the top level for 13 seasons is the preserve of the truly great. Langlands made the first of three Kangaroo tours in 1963 and played the last of three World Cup (or World Series) campaigns in 1975. He performed equally well at fullback or centre and enjoyed his finest day in 1974 when the SCG crowd chanted his name as he was chaired from the field by team-mates after spearheading another Ashes triumph.

3. Darren Lockyer 41
Uniquely, Lockyer was officially recognised as the best player in the world in two positions. He was named the Golden Boot winner in 2003 when he was a fullback and in 2006 as five-eighth. It appears that only injury can prevent Lockyer joining Meninga at the top of the list by the end of the 2008 World Cup.

4. Brad Fittler 40
It was testament to Fittler’s temperament as much as his rare playing ability that he managed to cope with the pressures of top level football as a teenager and then mature into a season performer and a consummate leader. He was a Kangaroo before his 19th birthday and Australia’s captain by 23, yet he took it all in his stride to become one of the best players of his generation.

5. Johnny Raper 39
Raper set himself a dizzying standard in his youth yet his capacity to maintain and even surpass that standard led to his elevation to a place alongside the game’s all-time greats. One of only a handful of forwards to tour three times with the Kangaroos, Raper also figured in two World Cup campaigns. He was named as one of the game’s original Immortals in 1981.

6. Reg Gasnier 39
Although he may have lacked Raper’s durability, Gasnier’s career followed a remarkably similar path. Both rose to prominence at St George in 1959 and both went on to make three tours with the Kangaroos. In fact, the pair were team-mates in the majority of their 39 Test and World Cup appearances. While Raper was a peerless lock forward, Gasnier distinguished himself as a centre of devastating strike-power.

7. Clive Churchill 37
Although the majority of today’s league fans never saw Churchill play there remains much testimony to his greatness. Team-mates and former internationals, journalists and commentators were in accord that Churchill ranked high among the game’s most accomplished performers. Through his lightning anticipation and courageous defence, Churchill set new standards for fullback play and won almost universal admiration.

8. Keith Holman 35
Holman might have lacked the finesse of modern day halfbacks such as Andrew Johns and Allan Langer but for dogged determination he was surpassed by precious few. Although diminutive in stature, Holman was as rugged as they come, the perfect type to combat brutal British opponents of the period.

9. Bob Fulton 35
Fulton was regarded as one of the game’s most brilliant individualists and fuelled by a powerful competitiveness. Although considered a selfish player by some there was no denying his match-winning abilities for Manly, New South Wales and Australia. Apart from two highly successful Kangaroo campaigns, Fulton also figured in four World Cup series.

10. Wally Lewis 34
No player dominated the State of Origin stage more than Lewis, whose influence over the early years of the interstate concept was profound. He ruled the Maroons with a magician’s wand, invariably rising to the occasion with a decisive play, a pinpoint kick or a crucial try when it was needed most. At Test level Lewis was a long-term Australian captain, who presided over an unprecedented era of success.