BY CURTIS WOODWARD

@woodward_curtis

Rugby league Immortal Johnny Raper has passed away at the age of 82 after a long battle with dementia.

One of Australian sport’s most iconic larrikins, Raper will be remembered as one of the game’s greatest footballers.

“If I have to sum up why I was a special player I’d tell you I put more importance on being a good team man than on being an individual star,” Raper told Larry Writer in Writer’s book Never Before, Never Again.

“I was an intense competitor who would tackle all day and knew where to be in cover defence. I wasn’t too fast but could make a break and put a man into a gap.

“I had stamina and energy and hated to be beaten. I could play through pain and knew how to read the game.”

The lock played 39 games for the Kangaroos and was an integral member of the invincible St George outfit that won 11-straight premierships between 1956 and 1966. In that period, the mighty forward appeared in 116 games and scored 39 tries.

But as good he was on-field, punters will always talk about Raper’s escapades off-field too.

But the Revesby-born, Newtown junior was quick to shoot down some of those myths, when he told Writer several decades ago: “I’m not being bigheaded when I say there have been a few legends spread about J. Raper. I could play at my top after a big night out because I was very fit and had a good constitution. But if I’d done half the things people say I have, there is no way I’d be sitting here talking to you.”

ARLC chairman Peter V’landys labelled Raper a ‘football genius’ while paying tribute to the man known as ‘Chook’.

“Today we have lost one of our all time greats. An Immortal, a Kangaroos captain and an eight-time Premiership winning player. Johnny was the best of the best,’’ Mr V’landys told NRL.com.

Dragons current chair and legend Craig Young told The Sydney Morning Herald that he thought Raper was ‘bulletproof’.

“He was a character on and off the field — and one of the reasons why the club became the worldwide brand that it has.”

The epitome of Raper may well be best explained in defeat.

In 1967 and the club’s amazing run hanging by a thread, the Saints went into the preliminary final against Canterbury at the Sydney Cricket Ground battle-weary and running on fumes.

One of those secretly battling injury was Raper who severely injured his back in the final round win over Newtown at Kogarah. Prior to the grand final qualifier against Canterbury, Raper had been put in traction and spent a week in a private hospital.

Preparing for the match at the SCG, the club fitted Raper with a specially-designed corset to keep his back in place during the match. Incredibly, 24 hours prior to kick-off, Raper crashed his car but still made it onto the field.

St George went down 12-11 in front of 49, 491 fans.

It was the end of an era.

Johnny Raper: 8 premierships, 3 Kangaroo Tours, Australian Team of the Century, NSW Team of the Century, Kangaroos captain on 8 occasions, 39 games for Australia, 24 for NSW.

@woodward_curtis