League Immortal John Raper is tonight expected to be named in the Newtown Team of the Century - but as a second-rower, not lock.

Raper, who was the lock in both the Australian and NSW teams of the century named earlier this year, began his career as a second-rower with Newtown from 1956 to 1958 before switching positions when he went to St George.

Noel Mulligan, Ted Courtney, Neil Pringle, Charles Cahill and Gary Sullivan - the latter at one time Australia's most wanted man after a string of armed hold-ups - are among the nominations for lock, while Herb Narvo is likely to be Raper's second-row partner.

The centre spots are among the most keenly contested, with Dick Poole, Viv and Bill Farnsworth, and Len Smith, all in the top 100 players of all time announced this year, vying with Frank Hyde.

Brian Clay is tipped to be five-eighth, with Tom Raudonikis, Keith Froome, Albert Johnston and Bobby Whitton vying for the halfback position. John Ferguson, Lionel Williamson and Charlie Russell, who guided Newtown to premierships as captain in 1910 and coach in 1933, are some of the wing nominations, while Phil Sigsworth and John Floyd are in contention to be fullback.

The legendary Frank "Bumper" Farrell is expected to be one prop, with Paddy McCue, Steve Bowden, Paul Quinn and Bill Noonan among the candidates to be the other. The hooking nominations include Barry Jensen, Frank Johnston, Arthur Folwell and Harry Hamill - one of the club's founders in 1908. Coaching nominations include Warren Ryan, Jack Gibson, Paul Broughton, Harry Bath and Bill Kelly.

¡ Wendell Sailor has heard all the stories. About how Adam MacDougall talks to his legs. But there's one he likes even better than that. "Joey [former Knights half Andrew Johns] used to tell [this] story before Origin and before Brisbane played Newcastle c He'd talk to his legs, and he'd be saying, 'We've got Dell today, we've got to lift,"' Sailor says.

After Sailor's first, aborted, comeback against his old team, Brisbane, his second coming will be against his old nemesis, MacDougall. "One talks to his legs," Sailor laughs. "The other talks in the third person."

This comeback, Sailor says, will be far easier than the first. "Now, all the fanfare's over c Hopefully, I can just slip under the radar."