|
WHEN EDWARD Christopher Merewether walked onto the front porch
of his mustard-coloured mansion near Newcastle one morn in 1885,
checked out the surf and decided to claim 1000 acres of primo,
coast-lined real estate in his name, there’s every chance
he may have mused: “What for the denizens of my new suburb?
What of their future? Hmmm?”
Eddie didn’t have a clue. He couldn’t have predicted
that over a century later three teenagers would form a band called
Silverchair and sell more than six million albums. Or that Mark
Richards, a young waxhead, would win four consecutive world surfing
titles. Or that in 1991 tennis player Rachel McQuillan would become
the No. 28 ranked female in the world. And there’s no way
that Eddie could have conceived on that shiny new day that his
shiny new municipality would become home to the best rugby league
player of all time – an inimitable force in the 13-man code
who’d collect premierships, every available accolade and
captain his state and country.
Clive Churchill – who was born in Merewether in ’27
and became a South Sydney great – is widely recognised as
that player. But there’s every chance Andrew Johns –
born in Cessnock in ’74 and mobbed like a rock star whenever
he leaves his renovated Merewether home – will surpass him.
Some say Joey’s already there.
Is Johns the greatest player? Not just as good as the Immortals
– voted the seven best in the game’s history –
but better? Like we haven’t heard that one before. It’s
tossed up after every one of his virtuoso performances. When it
comes to the Newcastle captain, the question’s asked with
the regularity of All-Bran. After Johns was named Man Of The Match
following Newcastle’s 29-22 victory over minor premier Parramatta
in the 2001 grand final, four-time Premiership halfback Peter
Sterling declared: “He’s the best halfback we have
ever seen.”
After the Blues’ 32-22 victory over Queensland in Origin
II last year, in which Johns put in the most dominant performance
from a NSW player in recent memory, threetime premiership centre
Bob Fulton reckoned: “There isn’t any doubt when it
comes time for another Immortal to be inducted, it will be Andrew
Johns.”
|
