St George Bank and Dragons
Immortals link past with present

St George ?Immortals? John Raper, Reg Gasnier and Graeme Langlands, three of only seven players to be officially recognised as Immortals in the history of rugby league, have joined forces with the Dragons Major Sponsor St.George Bank to introduce an ?Immortals Choice? Award as part of the Dragons annual player awards program in 2005.

The word ?Immortal? is resonant of everlasting fame and is reflective of the trio?s achievements at the highest levels of rugby league. The Immortals recently approached the Dragons with the concept of introducing an ?Immortals Choice? award based on established criteria that reflect what the Immortals represent.

St.George Bank has generously agreed to support the production of a commemorative trophy to ensure that the legacy of these great players continues well into the future. The award will be officially presented by the three former players later this year as part of the St.George Bank Dragons Medal presentation dinner.

The major player award on offer at the Dragons in 2005 continues to be the St.George Bank Dragons Medal, which is awarded to the player voted as the ?Player of the Year? over the 2005 season. After each match a committee including key coaching staff allocate points to the best Dragons players on a 3,2,1 basis, and the player that polls the most points will be presented with the solid gold St.George Bank Dragons Medal at the black tie gala evening in October.

Previous winners of this prestigious award include Mathew Head (2004), Ben Hornby (2003), Shaun Timmins (2002), Jason Ryles (2001), Trent Barrett (2000) and Jamie Ainscough (1999).

The St.George Bank Immortals Choice award, being introduced in 2005, will be voted for by the three Immortals in consultation with the Dragons coaching staff. Dragons? players will be rated throughout the season on their performance in areas such as attitude, behaviour on and off-field, loyalty, dedication, fitness and performance. Results and recommendations will be discussed with the Immortals at various stages throughout the season to aid in their decision making process.

Linking these past greats with the present playing roster at the Dragons has been both welcomed and supported by Coach Nathan Brown, who believes the example that players like Raper, Gasnier and Langlands set is something all players should constantly strive for.

?We are very fortunate to have three of the greatest players in the game associated with the Dragons and especially lucky that they want to be actively involved,? said Brown. ?This Club has very strong traditional roots and the characteristics that these three Immortals encompass are something that all players should aim for.?

ST GEORGE BANK DRAGONS MEDAL PROGRESS POINTS AFTER ROUND SIX

Luke Bailey - 10 Ashton Sims, Jason Ryles & Trent Barrett - 4 Mathew Head, Corey Payne & Bryan Norrie - 3 Dean Young & Colin Best - 2 Ben Hornby - 1