KNIGHTS Old Boys chairman Steve Crowe is confident the three newcomers who will be inducted into the club's Hall of Fame on Saturday night will meet with unanimous approval, but he admits there were plenty of other worthy candidates.
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The Old Boys have been commissioned by the Knights to reboot the Hall of Fame, which was launched in 2012 but has effectively been in hiatus since 2014.
Three inductees will be unveiled at a dinner at NEX on Saturday night, joining legends Andrew Johns, Paul Harragon, Michael Hagan, Matt Gidley, Tony Butterfield, Mark Sargent, Danny Buderus and the late Allan McMahon in the Knights' most exclusive club.
"I'm confident there'll be nobody querying the credentials of the three guys who we're inducting," Crowe told the Herald. "There were a lot of wonderful players for us to choose from, but we [the Hall of Fame selectors] came to a consensus. There was no need to vote. And I expect that's how the fans will see it, too."
A host of former Kangaroos, premiership winners and State of Origin representatives would appear in contention to join the elite company.
Robbie O'Davis, who appeared in 224 games - including both grand final triumphs - won a Clive Churchill Medal and represented both Queensland and Australia, was surely prominent in any selection discussion.
So too Kurt Gidley, who made 252 appearances, skippered Newcastle for eight seasons and played Test matches and Origins.
Other greats with rightful claims include Ben Kennedy, Steve Simpson, Adam MacDougall, Timana Tahu, Matthew Johns, Akuila Uate, Mark Hughes, Bill Peden and Marc Glanville.
All but Uate, Newcastle's leading tryscorer, played in premiership teams. Hughes, MacDougall and Peden were members of both the 1997 and 2001 sides.
Kennedy was a revelation for Newcastle when he arrived in 2000 from Canberra, and there have been few more influential players in the club's history.
Yet he played only 86 games in the blue and red.
In comparison, Simpson (217), Peden (191), Glanville (188), Johns (176), Hughes (162), MacDougall (158), Uate (161) and Tahu (126) all enjoyed greater longevity.
All of the above will no doubt eventually work their way into the Hall of Fame, which will be updated on a biannual basis.
Premiership-winning coach Mal Reilly would also appear a worthy induction candidate.
