Kurri Kurri Rugby League named its Team of the Century 10 years ago today.
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The star-studded squad was named at the club's 100-year celebrations at Kurri Kurri Bowling Club on July 17, 2010, which was attended by a sell-out crowd of 380 people.
The 17-man squad included Mark Hughes at fullback; Eddie Lumsden and Noel White on the wings; Dennis Boocker and Viv Madge in the centres; Rees Duncan jnr at five-eighth; Billy Roberts at halfback; Garry Sullivan at lock; George Hunter and Peter Brady in the second row; Bill Hamilton and John Sattler (captain) in the front row and Jeff Masterman at hooker, with a bench comprising Jack Lumsden, Jeff Roach, Mick Shields and Phil Williams. Rees Duncan snr was named Coach of the Century.
Take a look back at the event in our flashback gallery, and read our story from the night below.
Here's how we reported it back on July 21, 2010:
Legends 'proud and privileged' to be named in Kurri Rugby League Team of the Century
BY KRYSTAL SELLARS
A capacity crowd of 380 people packed the Kurri Bowling Club auditorium on Saturday night to celebrate Kurri Rugby League Club's 100th year.
The highlight of the evening was the announcement of the Team of the Century, presented by Rugby League Immortal and ex-Kurri player John Raper and three-time premiership-winning player-coach Steve Linnane.
Criteria for making the team stated that the player must have been a Kurri junior and played first grade with the club.
A shortlist of 41 players, including the club's 10 internationals, was reduced to 17 and was not an easy task for the selectors.
Club legend John Sattler,who was named in the front row and captain of the side, said it was "really special".
"I feel so privileged to be here with this wonderful group of people," he said.
Sattler played 38 games for Kurri before joining South Sydney, and played 18 games for Australia.
Newcastle Knights dual premiership winner Mark Hughes was named at fullback, after representing Kurri in the Bulldogs' 1995 grand final win.
"All I ever wanted to do back then was play first grade for Kurri," Hughes said.
Internationals Eddie Lumsden and Noel White were named on the wings. Lumsden won nine grand finals with St. George from 1957 to 1966 and represented Australia 42 times, scoring 32 tries. White, who at 87 is the oldest living Kangaroo, is one of only seven players to represent NSW, Queensland and Australia in a 12-month period.
The centres comprised Dennis Boocker and Viv Madge. Boocker played in Kurri's 1945 premiership-winning team and represented Wales five times from 1948 to 1950. Madge played 153 games for Kurri, was captain-coach for five seasons and coach for one, and represented Newcastle, Country and NSW.
The Duncan family was well-represented with Rees Duncan jnr named five-eighth and Rees Duncan snr Coach of the Century.
Duncan snr coached the club to the 1940 premiership and to the semi-finals in 1941, when Kurri became the first Newcastle competition team to beat a Sydney club on the Sydney Cricket Ground when it beat Balmain 22-5 in the State Cup.
Duncan jnr was first picked for Australia at age 20 and went on to play 21 games for his country.
The halfback spot went to Billy Roberts, who played 123 games for Kurri from 1946 to 1953, and 1957 to 1958.
"Out of all of these people, me at halfback? I can't believe it," Roberts said.
Australian representative Garry Sullivan was named at lock. Sullivan played for Kurri from 1966 to 1969 before moving onto Newtown, where he played 128 games, and was selected for the 1970 and 1972 World Cups.
George Hunter and Peter Brady were selected in the second row. Hunter played for Kurri from 1946 to 1948 and went on to play 150 games for Manly, including two grand final appearances.
Brady played first grade for the Bulldogs in 1975, had stints at Castleford, North Sydney, Cessnock and Maitland, and finished his career back at Kurri in the 1993 grand final-winning side.
Bill Hamilton was named as Sattler's front row partner. Hamilton played 187 games at Manly including the 1972 and 1973 premierships.
Another Australian representative, Jeff Masterman, was named at hooker. Masterman played 97 games for Kurri and moved onto Easts in 1981, where he received the Dally M Rookie of the Year and Dally M Hooker of the Year and played two tests for Australia.
The bench consisted of Jack Lumsden (brother of Eddie), Jeff Roach, Mick Shields and Phil Williams.
Jack Lumsden played on the wing for Kurri from 1948 to 1950 and then moved to Manly, and played for Australia in 1952.
Roach, a centre/second-rower, played 256 games for the Bulldogs from 1971 to 1981, scoring more than 100 tries and earning Newcastle and Country honours.
Shields was Kurri's first international, playing two games for Australia in 1935.
Williams is a multi-record holder at the Bulldogs, with 270 first grade games the highest of any Kurri player. He was the first player to reach 1000 points for the club and ended his career with a club-record 2436 points.
Organiser Jeff Polglase said the event was "a very successful night".
Each player in the Team of the Century was presented with a special jersey, and a replica set was auctioned later in the night, raising $14,000.
