The NRL have confirmed they will name another Immortal in August, and reports have already jumped to the conclusion that Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston are in the mix.

That comes with the NRL altering the rules, allowing players to be addmitted to the Hall of Fame just three years after their retirement.

There is little doubt that Smith and Thurston will be among the group of players added to the Hall of Fame at the ceremony, with a fair chance Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk will join them.

But the NRL simply can not admit any of those players as Immortals yet. The Immortals concept is supposed to recognise the greatest players in the history of the game, and while there is little doubt those players are going to be there one day, now would be too soon.

They were widely panned for adding Andrew Johns too early back in 2012, and can't afford to make the same mistake here, particularly given the number of other candidates who should be considered from previous generations, including one of Johns' great rivals.

Here are ten players the NRL should be considering for the next Immortal spot.

This story was originally published in July.

9. Ray Price

A hard-hitting forward who had was part of the Parramatta Eels' golden era, Price played in all four of the club's premierships during 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1986.

One of the few forwards to win the Dally M Medal, Price did just that in 1982, while he was also named the Rugby League Week Player of the Year in 1979 and 1985.

Named Dally M lock of the year on five occasions throughout his career, Price played 259 games for the Eels, to go with 15 State of Origins and 22 Test matches for Australia.

He is part of the NRL's team of the 1980s and was named number 52 in Rugby League Week's top 100 players in 1992.