RUGBY league’s king Wally Lewis says Johnathan Thurston is on track to be crowned an Immortal as the champion playmaker continues his remarkable run as Origin’s ironman.

The milestone has gone largely undetected, but Thurston will celebrate a special moment this Wednesday night when he equals Lewis with 31 Origin appearances.

For the first time in Origin’s 35-year history, The Courier-Mail has obtained statistics which truly illustrate Lewis’ greatness during his reign as The Emperor of Lang Park.

Lewis is widely regarded as Origin’s greatest player, having won a record eight man-of-the-match awards before his coronation as the code’s sixth Immortal in 1999.

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Of the current Maroons team, Greg Inglis and Cameron Smith have been flagged as future Immortals, but Lewis believes Thurston is submitting a compelling case to trump them all.

When Thurston runs onto Sydney’s ANZ Stadium, it will be his 31st consecutive Origin match, a streak of invincibility that Lewis says warrants the code’s ultimate honour.

“Johnathan has to be considered for Immortal status,” Lewis said.

“Anybody that can play 31 consecutive Origin games deserves to be given the highest accolade.

“You can’t control Origin games the way he does and not be considered to be named a rugby league Immortal.

“To never miss an Origin game in 10 years is simply unbelievable. It would have been great to play with someone like ‘JT’, I have been one of his biggest fans ... quite simply, he would have been great in any era.”

Of course, eras are impossible to compare. But if statistics are the most accurate barometer when trying to bridge decades, they underscore why Lewis took a stranglehold on State of Origin.

Data compiled by Fox Sports Lab provides a compelling insight into Lewis’ brilliance. It seems unfathomable, but he blows Thurston off the park when the two are compared in statistical categories not recorded during Lewis’ magical reign in Maroon between 1980-91.

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In 31 Origin games, Lewis made 94 tackle busts — nearly twice as many as Thurston (53).

The King ran for more metres (2139 to 1381), amassed more line breaks (21 to 11) and produced more line-break assists (42 to 25) ... despite having less room to move under the five-metre rule.

Thurston has more try assists (25 to 17), while Lewis managed 93 offloads to 21.

In general-play kicking, Lewis tallied a staggering 10,483 metres, compared to Thurston’s mark of 6092.

Those figures explain why the Cowboys superstar looked genuinely humbled when told he is set to equal Lewis’ number of Origin games.

“I didn’t know I had played as many as Wally. It blows me away, wow, I’m speechless,” Thurston said.

“Growing up, Wally was The King, so just to have my name mentioned alongside him is pretty special.

“I am still enjoying Origin as much as I ever have. I’ve got no plans of giving up this Maroons jersey ... I still treasure every one so hopefully there’s more to come.”