Brett Morris: Big, strong and while not as fast as his dad, would not be deterred by the headhunters when wingers were often required to run the ball infield from tap kicks. He could also fulfil the winger’s duty of buying beers for forwards.

‘He would have been dynamite in our day.’

Les Boyd on Jared Waerea-Hargreaves

Centres

Greg Inglis: His powerful right-hand fend could palm Sunday. He is a natural left centre in an era when Sydney clubs were abandoning the system of inside and outside centre.

Tom Trbojevic: Skilful and quick, he could exploit defences which tended to bunch. Either centre in this team could switch to fullback or wing.

Five-eighth

Johnathan Thurston: With defensive lines only five metres back, he could exploit any weakness with a run, pass or kick before the gap was closed. Properly packed scrums would offer him more variety in attack.

Halfback

Cooper Cronk: Two small halves was never the preferred option in the 1980s but his ability to read a game makes his inclusion mandatory. His critics say he never did it tough, playing only with top sides the Storm and Roosters, to which I say: never doubt the toughness of one who played a grand final with a busted shoulder.

Front row

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves: Tough and not intimidated, he would pack on the blind side of the scrum. Les Boyd says, “He would have been dynamite in our day.”

Jesse Bromwich: For a big frame, he has a neat step and ability to sneak an offload.

Hooker

Cameron Smith: It would take him five minutes to learn the art of scrummaging, such as striking for the ball, taking advantage of a loose arm, drawing the attention of the referee to opposition breaches. Plus he would exploit tired defences around the ruck.

Second row

Luke Lewis: He played at the top for a long time, the definition of an elite player in the early 80s. He could also fill a gap in the backs if needed.

Boyd Cordner: Tough and durable with good ball skills. OK, concussion cut short his career and he would have endured even more knocks back in the day.

However, in that era dizziness was more associated with alcohol consumption.

Lock

Jake Trbojevic: He can adapt to whatever is required in a game, be it taking the ball up when others go missing, leading the defensive line forward or linking with the backs. He has the ball-playing skills preferred by 1980s coaches for those who packed the base of the scrum.

Bench

With only two replacements allowed, one must be a forward and the other a back.

Paul Gallen: He has the toughness and durability of the old style props, plus he could fill in as hooker in the unlikely event Smith left the field with shredded shins.

Loading

Jack Wighton: A natural replacement for anywhere in the back line or back row. Versatility is a major factor with a two-man bench. The physicality of play wouldn’t trouble him.

So who would win if the two teams met?

Modern players, being bigger, faster and stronger have the better team. But the players of 40 years ago had the better time.

Stream the NRL Premiership 2022 live and free on 9Now.