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They wear No.1 on their backs and, in the modern game, they can be the No.1 reason their teams win or lose.
Former premiership-winning Sydney Roosters fullback Anthony Minichiello certainly thinks so.
Tom Trbojevic, Stephen Crichton, James Tedesco and Ryan Papenhuyzen.Credit: Marija Ercegovac
“Fullback now in this modern game has probably become one of the most important positions there is on the field,” said Minichiello, who won premierships with the Tricolours in 2002 and 2013.
“In defence, they basically run the defensive line … the fullback needs to get the numbers right on each side of the field, and especially when it becomes goal-line defence when things happen really quickly, split-second decisions can give your side an extra number in defence or one down in defence.
“For a fullback in attack, you’ve obviously got to support up the middle, create little plays for your forward, act as a second five-eighth in the back line, all that type of stuff comes into it, so they have to be a complete player almost in defence and attack.”
We’ve spoken to the experts to find out how your club’s fullback rates, and who will wear the jersey for your team in 2024.
The unknowns
Storm: Nick Meaney, Ryan Papenhuyzen, Sualauvi Faalogo
Ryan Papenhuyzen, Sualauvi Faalogo and Nick Meaney.Credit: Getty, NRL Photos
Melbourne are a fullback factory under coach Craig Bellamy. It’s a good problem to have, but it also makes it difficult to retain players.
Nick Meaney stepped into the role with unexpected success while Ryan Papenhuyzen was sidelined for most of the past two seasons, but it’s hard to overlook Papenhuyzen if he returns fit from his latest setback.
For Melbourne legend Billy Slater, it’s a no-brainer who starts at the back.
“Ryan Papenhuyzen,” Slater said. “I look forward to season 2024 for ‘Paps’. He has endured more than his fair share of hurdles over the last three years. He is a tough competitor who I think will rise again.”
As for Meaney and Sualauvi Faalogo, who stole the show during his international debut for Samoa in the Pacific Championships, Slater said he can still see them playing in the Melbourne back line next season.
“Nick Meaney and Sua Faalogo can play an integral part of Melbourne’s campaign in a number of positions. They will all feature,” he said.
Bulldogs: Stephen Crichton, Blake Taaffe, Hayze Perham, Connor Tracey
Connor Tracey, Stephen Crichton, Blake Taaffe and Hayze Perham are all fighting for fullback in 2024.Credit: NRL Photos
There are plenty of unknowns when it comes to Canterbury’s fullback in 2024. Connor Tracey entered the race last week when he shifted to Belmore as part of a player swap, but he’s up against two other new signings – Stephen Crichton and Blake Taaffe.
Having Tracey at fullback would add experience to the Bulldogs’ back line, but Taaffe didn’t leave the Rabbitohs to sit behind another fullback, and incumbent Hayze Perham won’t give up his jersey to a newcomer.
Three-time premiership-winning centre Crichton has been tipped for a move to fullback, but if you ask Slater, he belongs somewhere else.
“Stephen has the class to succeed in many positions,” he said. “He is arguably the best centre in the game. That’s where I see his most value.”
AJ Brimson and Jayden Campbell are the Titans’ obvious choices for fullback.Credit: NRL Photos
Titans: AJ Brimson, Jayden Campbell
AJ Brimson and Jayden Campbell are the frontrunners to play fullback at the Titans next year, but 19-year-old Keano Kini is an outside chance.
It’s just one of the tough calls incoming coach Des Hasler will have to make in 2024, with all three options signed to the club until 2026.
“They are all high-class headaches to have,” Hasler told this masthead in October. “You’ve also got young Jojo Fifita. The versatility that all those players offer is a bonus. There are all those situations to work through over the next couple of months.”
According to Maroons coach Slater, Campbell is the best emerging fullback in the competition.
“I’ve got a high opinion of Jayden as a fullback. I believe he has all the ingredients to be a premier No.1 in our game,” he said.
Dragons: Zac Lomax, Tyrell Sloan
Tyrell Sloan and Zac Lomax are two fullback options for the Dragons in 2024.Credit: NRL Photos
Tyrell Sloan looks set to start 2024 at fullback, but new coach Shane Flanagan has made it clear Zac Lomax is an option.
Sloan played the entire 2023 season at fullback, with 10 tries, eight try assists and 16 line breaks.
Beyond next year, the Dragons have their eyes on Joseph Manu. The Kiwi international is expected to re-sign with the Roosters, but should he want to test himself on the open market, Flanagan said he would be interested.
“From what I see when he plays fullback, his involvement is enormous. I think he could make a real fist of it,” Flanagan told this masthead last month.
“I’d love to have him, but I just don’t know if he’s going to move. In the end, it’s not us, it’s not the Roosters, it’s just what Joey wants to do. I know he loves the Roosters, I know Nick [Politis, Roosters chairman] loves him. Does he want to leave and have a crack at fullback? He obviously won’t get to play too much there.”
Young gun Chevy Stewart (left) is in contention for Canberra’s No.1 jersey alongside Jordan Rapana and Sebastian Kris.Credit: NRL Photos
Raiders: Sebastian Kris, Chevy Stewart, Jordan Rapana
The Raiders’ obvious pick at fullback is Sebastian Kris, but the 24-year-old will miss the start of the season after accepting a five-game ban for a dangerous tackle on Cronulla’s Sione Katoa last year.
Jordan Rapana finished the season in the No.1 jersey, but there is a talented rookie on the horizon, Chevy Stewart.
Stewart’s performance for Canberra in reserve grade kept young prospect Xavier Savage on the wing for most of the year, and he is signed with the club until 2026, with an option for 2027.
Savage is also a possibility. The 21-year-old had a breakout year with the Raiders in 2022, getting his first start at fullback in round 12 and finishing the season there, including in Canberra’s 28-20 finals victory over Melbourne. Savage has a contract until 2025, but he’ll have to outshine Stewart.
Kris is also signed to the club until 2027, but with the retirement of Jarrod Croker, there’s a spot in the centre to lock down, and it could have Kris’ name on it.
Should have the jersey locked down
Sea Eagles: Tom Trbojevic
Tom Trbojevic’s career has been plagued by injury, but his fitness is key to Manly’s success.Credit: Getty
Tom Trbojevic played only 11 games for Manly in an injury-plagued 2023, but according to Minichiello, Trbojevic is still their No.1.
“If he’s fit, then he is certainly the fullback. There’s no doubt about it,” Minichiello said.
“[In 2021] the form he was in just, he was unstoppable with every touch, so hopefully he’s been looking after his body and getting strong for next season. But if he can play a full season and get into his groove, he’s hard to stop.”
Reuben Garrick is a handy substitute at fullback in Trbojevic’s absence, but his preference is to play in the centres. Manly also have emerging talent Tolutau Koula as an option, with the 21-year-old lethal in his two games at fullback to finish the season. The only question for Manly is, can Trbojevic stay fit?
Eels: Clint Gutherson
Eels skipper Clint Gutherson is the team’s best option at fullback. Credit: Getty
Clint Gutherson is not just the Eels’ best option at fullback, he’s the heart and soul of the team.
Andrew Johns said it himself, Gutherson has “been the most consistent player pretty much since he’s been at Parramatta. He scores tries, but look at what he does on the other side of the ball. He saves so many of them.”
As reported this season, Parramatta are in the market for an X-factor player to add to their back line, which might mean shifting Gutherson from fullback.
Roosters: James Tedesco
James Tedesco’s form slipped in 2023.Credit: Getty
Make no mistake, James Tedesco’s position at fullback is safe, but the 30-year-old’s form took a tumble in 2023.
Tedesco is still the NSW and Australian fullback, but the Kangaroos’ dramatic loss in the final of the Pacific Championships, and the Blues’ series defeat, had pundits questioning his future in the No.1 jersey.
However, Minichiello says he is the most reliable player in the game.
“‘Teddy’ for me, has been one of the most consistent fullbacks over the last five or six years,” Minichiello said.
“He’s playing the maximum number of games each year [for Roosters], plus NSW, plus Australia, so that 100 per cent takes it toll. For him to stay at that level for that number of years is exceptional.
“Obviously, this year, there was a slight form drop from probably Teddy’s standards, and he sort of got ridiculed in the media for that, but I think towards the end of this year he came out of that and played some fantastic football and worked himself out of that. That’s what champion players do.”
Dolphins: Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow shone in the Dolphins inaugural season.Credit: Getty
There are few players as dynamic as Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, and the Dolphins fullback made his mark in the club’s inaugural season.
With 15 tries, four try assists, 11 line breaks and an average of 148 run metres per game, and an Origin and Kangaroos call-up, Tabuai-Fidow will be at fullback when the season starts.
The speedster does have some competition on his hands, though. Canterbury’s Jake Averillo joins the club next year, along with Bronco Herbie Farnworth, and Kodi Nikorima is a handy fullback option, too.
Warriors: Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad thrived at the Warriors in 2023.Credit: Getty
After rejoining the club he made his debut for in 2017, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad thrived under new coach Andrew Webster at the Warriors.
With seven tries, eight try assists, eight line breaks and an average of 188 run metres per game last season, Nicoll-Klokstad helped lift the Warriors to their best finish since 2011.
His gallant effort in the Kiwis’ Pacific Championships final win last month will guarantee him a start at fullback next year, and the only obvious threat is the return of former Dally M winner Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
Tuivasa-Sheck is set to start in the centres, but if the Warriors struggle to keep up the form they found in 2023, it could lead to a positional swap.
Sharks: Will Kennedy
Sharks fullback Will Kennedy.Credit: Getty
Will Kennedy is likely to be Cronulla’s starting fullback, but the return from injury of Kade Dykes may give coach Craig Fitzgibbon another option in the position. Dykes had two starts at fullback in 2022, but an ACL injury sidelined him last season. The 21-year-old is no longer third in line for fullback, after Connor Tracey moved to Canterbury.
Cronulla halfback Nicho Hynes has described Kennedy as one of the “most humble, nicest humans you’ll come across” and the ideal teammate.
“Will doesn’t want the limelight or any fuss made about him. But he’s someone you want in your team. At the end of his career, teammates will say he’s the first one you wanted in your team,” Hynes said.
The gold standard
Panthers: Dylan Edwards
The 27-year-old has just re-signed with the Panthers until the end of 2028.Credit: Getty
With three premierships under his belt, and a $3.4 million contract extension which will keep him at the club until the end of 2028, Dylan Edwards has the No.1 jersey locked down at Penrith for the next five years if he stays fit.
The 2022 Clive Churchill medallist is one of the most impressive fullbacks in the game, with 12 tries, six try assists, 12 line breaks and a whopping average of 207 run metres a game.
Teammate Nathan Cleary has previously said Edwards is “not just the most underrated fullback. He’s the most underrated player”.
Melbourne skipper Christian Welch described the Penrith fullback as a “phenomenal player”.
“People look at his run metres, but there’s so many other little things he does for that team,” Welch said.
“Look at the way he returns the ball and the momentum and quick play-the-balls he got. All of a sudden, you’re just reeling backwards. Dylan Edwards starts that and if you don’t do a good job on him, you’re chasing your tail for the rest of the game.”
Rabbitohs: Latrell Mitchell
As long as he’s fit, Latrell Mitchell will be at fullback for the Rabbitohs in 2024.Credit: Getty
It’s been a tough year for Latrell Mitchell. Between injury and public criticism, which included suggestions he shouldn’t play at fullback, and that Jack Wighton could replace him in the role, the 26-year-old played only 16 games for South Sydney in 2023.
But if he’s injury-free in 2024, he will be at the back for the Bunnies.
Teammate Cody Walker said he had never seen a player like Mitchell, except for predecessor Greg Inglis.
“I’ve played with a couple of fullbacks in my career, and there’s none probably better than Latrell and Greg [Inglis]. Their ball skills, their such quick, powerful human beings, it’s unheard of how Latrell can throw a cut-out (pass), left-to-right and right-to-left with ease,” Walker said.
“He can turn a game on its head when he’s on. Not many players in the game can do that, and he’s a pleasure to play alongside.”
The only way Reece Walsh would lose his No.1 jersey would be injury or bad behaviour.Credit: Getty
Broncos: Reece Walsh
Brisbane have no doubt who their fullback will be in 2024 – Reece Walsh. The 21-year-old flourished in 2023, with 26 try assists, 21 line breaks, nine tries and an average of 152 run metres per game, capped by a successful State of Origin campaign and a grand final appearance.
His explosive style makes him vulnerable to errors, but he has an enormous amount of talent. Rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns believes he is one of a kind.
“We talk about a once-in-a-generation player, we might be looking at a once-in-a-lifetime player,” Johns told this masthead this year. “He’s got it all. Teams have tried to get at him, and he takes it – and with swagger, too.”
The challenge for the Broncos is to lock him down past 2025.
Tigers: Jahream Bula
The Tigers had the find of the year when they put rookie Jahream Bula at fullback in round eight. Since then, the young star has been a beacon of hope for the battling club, and the 21-year-old has become a central part of coach Benji Marshall’s rebuild after signing a multimillion-dollar deal to stay at the club until 2026, with an option for 2027.
Not many players can force an error from Nathan Cleary, but Bula did just that with a try-saving tackle in his second week at fullback when the Tigers baffled the then two-time premiers with a 12-8 victory in Bathurst. He impressed Cleary in doing so.
Jahream Bula has been a revelation for the Wests Tigers.Credit: Louise Kennerley
“Jahream is a gun. I really enjoy watching him play,” Cleary said. “[The Tigers] have struggled throughout the year, but he’s often been their bright light, and it’s impressive for a young guy, especially playing in a tough position. I rate him highly.”
Knights: Kalyn Ponga
Kalyn Ponga’s stint at five-eighth in 2023 was Newcastle in damage control. After his fourth concussion in 10 months, coach and club wanted to keep the 25-year-old out of the firing line.
But Ponga is a fullback, and he proved he’s the game-changer Newcastle need when he led them on a nine-game winning streak and walked away as the 2023 Dally M medallist.
Ponga led the Knights to a nine-game winning streak at the end of 2023.Credit: Getty
His form in 2023 even invited praise from Storm coach Craig Bellamy, who said: “He’s [Ponga] always been a rare talent and played well, he’s had the injury problems and HIAs [head injury assessments], but he’s one hell of a talent.”
With a contract that takes him to the end of 2027, Ponga is the future of Newcastle.
Cowboys: Scott Drinkwater
North Queensland’s Scott Drinkwater.Credit: Getty
North Queensland didn’t live up to expectations in 2023, but fullback Scott Drinkwater still delivered after his breakout year in 2022.
The 26-year-old has been an integral part of their attack for the past two years, to the point Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow had to take his services elsewhere.
The move raised questions given Tabuai-Fidow’s stunning rise, and the Cowboys’ failure to make the finals, but coach Todd Payten stood by his decision after the team’s loss to the Dolphins in round six.
“Look, we made a decision around ‘Hammer’ based on some of the words and his actions at the back end of last year,” Payten said.
“I’m not disappointed or bitter about him playing well. He’s a nice kid. He left here a better person and a better footballer. The Dolphins are reaping the rewards of some of our hard work and his application and talent on the pitch.”
Drinkwater has a contract until 2027 and will be a major factor in North Queensland’s ability to challenge the top teams.
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