John Raper has been named the Lock for the Rugby League Team of the Century.

The final nominations for lock included: Frank Burge, Billy Cann, Bradley Clyde, Ron Coote, Andy Norval, Wayne Pearce, Ray Price, Wally Prigg and John Raper.

Notes on the Lock of the Century

John RAPER

Clubs: Newtown 1957–58; St George 1959–69; Wests Newcastle 1970–72; Kurri Kurri 1973–74
Club landmarks: Won premierships with St George 1959–66
Appearances for NSW: 31 (1959–70)
Tests: 33 (1959–68) — four as captain
World Cup matches: Six (1960–68) — four as captain
Representative landmarks: Kangaroo tours 1959–60, 1963–64, 1967–68; World Cup 1960, 1968 (captain)

After starting his career at Newtown, Raper played in eight premierships with St George, 33 Tests, made three Kangaroo tours and was the victorious Australian captain at the 1968 World Cup.

Raper wrote the book on tackling and was famous for his scything low dives and his sheer physical strength. Often forgotten is the beautiful instinct he had for doing the right thing with the ball in his hands every time. His endurance was remarkable in days when footballers played 80 minutes.