The NRL is in the midst of a golden era of fullbacks, with majority of rugby league teams boasting a “phenomenal” No.1.
That is according to veteran rugby league reporter Phil Rothfield who believes it would be “impossible” for pundits and fans to rank their top 10 fullbacks.
Rothfield listed 13 players who he believed were all elite in their respective positions, including Joey Manu and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck who aren’t regular fullbacks.
The only place to watch every game of every round LIVE with no ad-breaks during play is Fox League, available on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >
THINK. IS THIS A BET YOU REALLY WANT TO PLACE? Set a deposit limit.
“I’ll run through them, Joey Manu, Kalyn Ponga, James Tedesco, Dylan Edwards, Ryan Papenhuyzen, Reece Walsh, Tom Trbojevic, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Clint Gutherson, Scott Drinkwater, Jahream Bula, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and then there’s a guy called Latrell Mitchell,” Rothfield said on the Big Sports Breakfast.
“Throw on top of that we had two boys who made their debuts on the weekend. Jye Gray at Souths, very busy, electrifying player.
“And Chevy Stewart at Souths, did you see that try-saving tackle he made. I’ve been covering the game nearly 50 years, I have never ever seen so many superstars.
“So many great players, all at the one time playing in that No.1 jersey, it is phenomenal for rugby league to turn TV on and every week to see such class and so many champions.
“Joey Manu versus Ponga the other night, Manu what did he do, 300 running metres and Ponga nearly pulled the game out of the fire.
“Rank your top 10, it is impossible. Who have you got on top? I’ve nearly got Ponga and Walsh, if you ask 10 people to name their top three, they’d all be different.”
“We’ve got a great lists of No.1s and they are so important to every footy team so the thing that I like about watching them, is when they get the ball in their hands something is about to happen,” league legend Laurie Daley added.
“That’s what I love. You talk about Walsh and Ponga being the best, and you can make a case for it, but Tom (Trbojevic) is playing brilliant football at the moment.”
May hits 96kph down suburban street | 00:32
MORE NRL NEWS
‘F**K HE’S ON ANOTHER PLANET’: Des and Ricky in war of words over refereeing
‘THE SOFT WAY’: Benji slams Tigers after ‘worst performance of the season’
‘ASTOUNDING’: Klemmer escapes sin bin after twice placed on report for high shots
‘NOBODY’S TOLD ME OTHERWISE’: Demetriou stoic despite Souths’ latest loss
With so many stars performing so far in 2024, the race for positions in the NSW and Queensland Origin teams is heating up.
James Tedesco, the Blues’ captain and incumbent No.1, has Panthers gun Edwards hot on his heels while Trbojevic and Mitchell could feature in the centres.
But the Maroons’ fullback decision is an even harder one to make for coach Billy Slater, having to pick between the reigning Dally M Medallit and one of the NRL’s most exciting talents.
For Rothfield, both Ponga and Walsh need to be selected in the 17 to face their interstate rivals, but it remains to be seen how they fit.
“How is Ponga going to get into the Queensland Origin side? The Dally M champion, arguably the best player in the competition outside of Nathan Cleary,” Rothfield said.
“How does he get in the side? Because they will stick with Reece Walsh because they won the series last year. I think Ponga could be a 14 but they play Ben Hunt as a back-up hooker.
“They cannot go around without Ponga in the side somewhere.”
Discussion about this post