Phil Gould has revealed that former Paramatta Eels halfback Peter Sterling and ex-Rabbitohs and Rooster lock Ron Coote should be the next two NRL Immortals.
Introduced in 1981 by the Rugby League Week magazine, the Immortals were meant to devise the best of the best.
Originally only four players (Clive Churchill, John Raper, Reg Gasnier, Bob Fulton) were crowned but that list has expanded to include nine more players.
This list include greats from every era of the National Rugby League with Wally Lewis, Arthur Beetson, Graeme Langlands, Andrew Johns, Dally Messenger, Frank Burge, Dave Brown, Norm Provan and Mal Meninga joining the original four as Immortals.
Despite no real indication of when the next round of inductions will take place, Phil Gould has chosen two players he believes needs to be included as Immortals.
Surprisingly, Gould has looked into the past rather than selecting recently retired players such as Cameron Smith, Billy Slater or Darren Lockyer.
"I still think we get a bit carried away with the recently retired players, I think you should have to wait a little bit longer," he said on his Wide World of Sports' Six Tackles with Gus podcast.
"The likes of Lockyer and Smith and Thurston and Cronk will have their day eventually. I don't think now is the time."
Gould admitted his first choice would be former Eels halfback, Peter Sterling. While Rabbitohs and Rooster icon Ron Coote would be his second. He also referred to Sterling's ex-teammate Brett Kenny as a future Immortal in the future.
"Certainly Sterling and Coote are the two that look natural to me that should be recognised in that ilk," he said.
"And Kenny, it's hard to mention Sterling without Kenny. If I were a judge that's where I would be looking."
"Then you get to your Brad Fittler, Laurie Daley, Allan Langer type era, then you get to your Lockyer era, then of course your big players from Queensland, the Storm."
"I think Peter Sterling and Ron Coote would get a great thrill out of being recognised at this stage of their life."
Sterling played 228 games for the Eels from 1978-1992 and was a big piece of their dominance in the 1980s where they won three consecutive premierships.
The halfback would also represent New South Wales 13 times in State of Origin, played 18 tests for Australia across six years and was inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame.
Ron Coote on the other hand played over 100 games for rival clubs South Sydney Rabbitohs (1964-71) and Sydney Roosters (1972-78), where he won premierships for both clubs.
Considered one of the greatest players of the 20th century, he would go on to appear 23 times for Australia from 1967-1975.
