Some great names are missing from rugby league's top players of the past 100 years - particularly second-rowers such as Manly's enduring champion Steve Menzies, Queensland's combustible Gorden Tallis and my favourite, that menacing package of talent and temper Les Boyd.

But if anyone let them down, it was the members of the Australian Rugby League voting college who neglected to vote. Of the 120 eligible to vote, only 68 did so.

So close were some of the selections that, had a few more voted, some players would have been out of the top 100 and others in.

Voters were only required to name 64 players because the college had already inducted 36 players into a hall of fame.

Profiles of 175 players, almost all Test representatives, were sent to the college last September and members were asked to select 23 from the period 1908-45 and the same number from 1946-2007.

If the college can be criticised for not taking its responsibility seriously with the selection of the top 100, there is no doubt they attended to their duties diligently in choosing the best team of all time. On December 10 in Sydney, 23 from the college met and were provided with profiles of the 100 - to be announced tomorrow.

The discussion began with fullback and proceeded to each position in turn.

No open vote was taken at the meeting, with the 23 members asked to place their secret ballot papers into boxes. The names of the top 13 players, together with four reserves and a coach, will be announced at a Men Of League ball in May.

The ARL built in safeguards to ensure voting blocs couldn't be formed, choosing 23 judges with diverse backgrounds, such as old an Kangaroo Ferris Ashton and a recently retired one Greg Alexander, and juxtaposing from different eras Australian coaches, Frank Stanton and Chris Anderson, administrators including Ken Arthurson and Geoff Carr and journalists Alan Clarkson and David Morrow.

Well, there was one bloc which has been in existence for 100 years - the Queenslanders.

There were seven of them and such is their chromosomal loyalty to the territory north of the Tweed, whenever the name of a NSW hero came up, they had a Maroon to better him.

When the name of halfback Andrew Johns - declared the best player of the last 30 years by a magazine - was raised, we half expected the bananabenders to counter with Laurie Spina.

They did nominate Allan Langer, and the issue of Johns's admitted drug-taking, but there was a strong opposing view on Johns's off-field behaviour from NSW admirers of the champion Newcastle half. If there was any weakness in the procedure, it was with a problem which has perplexed selectors for a century: a player's versatility.

When it comes to fullback, only two names can seriously be considered: Clive Churchill and Graeme Langlands, although the Queenslanders mentioned Frank Drake, the first fullback to score a try in an Anglo-Australia Test.

Langlands also played centre and wing, and some judges present argued his best position was centre. If the judges therefore split their votes on Langlands three ways, he won't make the top 13, a serious omission according to many, considering Bob Fulton - one of the code's first four Immortals - described "Changa" as the best player he had ever seen.

However, the ARL cleverly organised a parachute for the versatile champions, ensuring that while they may not make the starting team, they will land close to the square.

The judges, after naming 13 players on a blank team sheet, were also asked to list the top 10 of all time in preferential order.

Players who did not achieve 51 per cent of the votes for positions in the starting team but polled highly in the top 10, made the bench of four.

In other words, if Churchill received 51 per cent of the votes for fullback but the Reg Gasnier-Dally Messenger centre combination, or Reg Gasnier-Dave Brown pairing outnumbered Gasnier-Langlands, or wingers such as Brian Bevan and Ken Irvine kept Changa out of a position on the flanks, there was a big chance the St George champion would appear in the list of four reserves.

Ditto for Wally Lewis, should Fulton take the pivot spot and John Raper be most judges's choice as lock.

Or Arthur Beetson, if props such as Roy Bull and Glenn Lazarus beat him to the prop's positions, or Ron Coote and one of the fabled second-rowers from the pre-war period beat him as a back-rower.

The position of hooker is the one which has changed most over the past century, now that scrums are no longer contests and forwards can kick the ball without coaches threatening to "cut their legs off".

The best of them all, in my opinion, who wasn't chosen, was Melbourne captain Cameron Smith. It's always difficult comparing players of different eras. This can even happen when they are on the field at the same time.

One of the judges, Cyril Connell, who toured with the 1956-57 Kangaroos and was Wayne Bennett's long-term recruitment officer at the Broncos, told a story of seeing Warrington's great winger, Bevan, as they warmed up for a match against Other Nationalities.

Bevan, who played briefly for the Roosters, moved to England after World War II and set try-scoring records for the ages.

Shocked at the sight of the mummified, toothless, bald Bevan, seemingly taped from shoulder to ankle, Connell remarked to teammate, Bobby Banks, "Who's that Aussie? Surely, he's not playing."

Kangaroos coach, Churchill, overhearing the conversation, said, "That's Brian Bevan. Get a good look at him now because when the game starts, you won't see him."

Bevan scored in the opening minutes, racing over the try line untouched.

Roy Masters was a member of the panel that selected the greatest 100 players.