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The dusty archives of the defunct Rugby League Week magazine have revealed the long-forgotten stunning fact that the first four Immortals of 1981 were ranked, and at the top of the list was John Raper.

NRL.com received a tip-off about the Immortals being initially placed in orderĀ and contacted Ian Heads, the former editor of RLW and league historian, to determine whether there was any substance to it.

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