PETER Mortimer only played one season of first grade with Wagga Wagga side Turvey Park but it was enough to earn him selection in the Group 9 Team of the Century.

The Orange resident was announced as one winger in the illustrious team at the annual Group 9 presentation night in Wagga last Friday.

Mortimer attended the presentation and was picked in the side that features the likes of Junee’s Laurie Daley, Brett Mullins, Les Boyd and Peter’s brother, Steve.

The winger was chuffed about being selected but also acknowledged there are plenty of players who did more in Group 9 than he did that would not be out of place in the team.

“It was a good night,” Mortimer said of the presentation.

“The irony in it is that many of the blokes in it only played one year there but it was what they went on to do (that saw them selected).”

He is honoured to take his place in the team alongside the likes of props Ron Crowe from West Wyalong and Les Boyd, who played for Cootamundra.

Mortimer played in the 1976 Turvey Park premiership-winning side in his final year at school before embarking on a successful career in Sydney with Canterbury-Bankstown.

To be eligible for the Group 9 side, players had to have competed in junior and senior grades and Mortimer feels brother Chris would also have come into contention if the criteria was expanded to just people who had played in the region at any stage.

This also ruled players like Parramatta great Peter Sterling out of the running.