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Well we’re going to find out soon enough, with Brett Morris, Will Hopoate, Jack Wighton and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck all being earmarked as their side’s number one No. 1 in 2015, despite having risen to representative honours elsewhere in the backline.
What we do know is it won’t be as easy as it would’ve been a decade or two ago. Taking a talented bloke with a clean pair of heels and telling him to follow the ball like his life depended on it doesn’t cut it anymore.
How the four newest converts to the fullback position have fared this year
How the four newest converts to the fullback position have fared this year Source: News Corp Australia
The game’s defensive lines these days are so fine tuned, and sweeping attacking plays so critical as a result, that the difference between a try and an unsuccessful attacking raid, between a win and a loss, can hinge on the instincts of the man wearing the No. 1 jumper.
A big call, yes, but that’s how much the role of a custodian has developed, how important soft, skillful hands, and above all sound instincts for the position have become.
$1.5 million Inglis' Toulouse1:02
Watch Brett Stewart and Matt Moylan, the two fullbacks with the best hands in the NRL.
Their ability to catch and release the ball under pressure comes to the fore when those out the back plays inside the attacking 20m zone are so crucial to breaking down a water tight defence.
Matt Moylan’s natural ball playing ability gives him an edge in the race for the NSW fullback position. Source: Getty Images
When it comes to the much-hyped NSW fullback position vacated by Jarryd Hayne, the playmaking skills Stewart and Moylan bring to the table could well get them over the line.
There’s no doubt that a player who can catch and pass against a fast moving defence — and there is no faster defence or bigger pressure cooker than Origin — adds significantly more firepower to a team’s attack.
Brett Stewart: One of the best ball playing custodians in the game. Picture: Mark Evans Source: News Corp Australia
Morris, Josh Dugan and Michael Gordon are fullbacks I would deem running fullbacks rather than ballplayers. If I’m coaching against those guys I’m having my defence rushing up and cutting off their short ball option, forcing them to throw the toughest ball in the game — the cut out pass to hit your winger on the fly.
That ball takes years to perfect, but Moylan’s background in touch football is an obvious advantage that has helped him hone the skill, as well as the natural instinct he has for that kind of play.
Brett Morris’s running game has been a highlight of the opening two rounds of the NRL. Source: Getty Images
Brett Morris’s dynamite running almost negates his limited ball playing ability.
We saw him against the Eels just beating them with pure speed on occasions, but if he’s to take sufficient pressure off the Bulldogs halves, it’ll come down to whether he can develop those ball playing skills.
I see Tuivasa-Sheck at a similar stage of his development as Morris — a work in progress. For so long the Roosters have played without a ball-playing custodian, Anthony Minichiello being a great runner of the ball and one of the best support players in the business.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has footwork few fullbacks can match. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: News Corp Australia
Roger’s strength are his outstanding footwork, few can leave a defender for dead like he can, and we’ve seen glimpses of his ability to put runners into space, but he’s still got a way to go before he can be placed on the same level as the game’s best ball playing fullbacks.
Billy Slater’s game developed along similar lines many moons ago, though it’s hard to imagine now given he’s been so good at taking the right option in attack for the past five years. It took plenty of hard work for him to become a genuine play making option in the Melbourne attack, but the rewards are there for all to see.
Loz and Dog: Round three 5:11
Hopoate and Wighton are the interesting cases, given they have both shown talent at setting up their outside men.
A feature of young Hopoate’s time in the centres for Parramatta was his ability to get the ball to his winger with time and space, his quick hands often giving his outside man the all-important extra split second on the defender.
Hopoate takes on the Bulldogs defence at ANZ Stadium. Source: Getty Images
Wighton also made a decent fist of his time at five-eighth last year with Canberra, showing he has the basic instincts and spatial awareness to handle the playmaking responsibilities. Like Morris he also boasts a powerful running game, and I’ve no doubt if he stays fit that he’ll be the Raiders long term fullback.
I think with rugby league developing the way it is we will see more and more attempts at creating or moulding the ball playing fullback, as well as trying to unearth them from an early age.
Jack Wighton has plenty of potential in the No. 1 jumper. Source: Supplied
It’s a difficult task, and for it to be successful there has to be at least some natural inclination towards that play making role.
To move a largely untried player into such a crucial position is a fair roll of the dice, and only time will tell whether you can truly manufacture a fullback in the modern game.
Brett Morris: Does he possess the ball playing skills the Bulldogs need from their fullback? Picture: Mark Evans. Source: News Corp Australia
Originally published as Is Brett Morris the man to wear the Dogs No. 1?
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What we do know is it won’t be as easy as it would’ve been a decade or two ago. Taking a talented bloke with a clean pair of heels and telling him to follow the ball like his life depended on it doesn’t cut it anymore.
How the four newest converts to the fullback position have fared this year
How the four newest converts to the fullback position have fared this year Source: News Corp Australia
The game’s defensive lines these days are so fine tuned, and sweeping attacking plays so critical as a result, that the difference between a try and an unsuccessful attacking raid, between a win and a loss, can hinge on the instincts of the man wearing the No. 1 jumper.
A big call, yes, but that’s how much the role of a custodian has developed, how important soft, skillful hands, and above all sound instincts for the position have become.
$1.5 million Inglis' Toulouse1:02
Watch Brett Stewart and Matt Moylan, the two fullbacks with the best hands in the NRL.
Their ability to catch and release the ball under pressure comes to the fore when those out the back plays inside the attacking 20m zone are so crucial to breaking down a water tight defence.
Matt Moylan’s natural ball playing ability gives him an edge in the race for the NSW fullback position. Source: Getty Images
When it comes to the much-hyped NSW fullback position vacated by Jarryd Hayne, the playmaking skills Stewart and Moylan bring to the table could well get them over the line.
There’s no doubt that a player who can catch and pass against a fast moving defence — and there is no faster defence or bigger pressure cooker than Origin — adds significantly more firepower to a team’s attack.
Brett Stewart: One of the best ball playing custodians in the game. Picture: Mark Evans Source: News Corp Australia
Morris, Josh Dugan and Michael Gordon are fullbacks I would deem running fullbacks rather than ballplayers. If I’m coaching against those guys I’m having my defence rushing up and cutting off their short ball option, forcing them to throw the toughest ball in the game — the cut out pass to hit your winger on the fly.
That ball takes years to perfect, but Moylan’s background in touch football is an obvious advantage that has helped him hone the skill, as well as the natural instinct he has for that kind of play.
Brett Morris’s running game has been a highlight of the opening two rounds of the NRL. Source: Getty Images
Brett Morris’s dynamite running almost negates his limited ball playing ability.
We saw him against the Eels just beating them with pure speed on occasions, but if he’s to take sufficient pressure off the Bulldogs halves, it’ll come down to whether he can develop those ball playing skills.
I see Tuivasa-Sheck at a similar stage of his development as Morris — a work in progress. For so long the Roosters have played without a ball-playing custodian, Anthony Minichiello being a great runner of the ball and one of the best support players in the business.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has footwork few fullbacks can match. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: News Corp Australia
Roger’s strength are his outstanding footwork, few can leave a defender for dead like he can, and we’ve seen glimpses of his ability to put runners into space, but he’s still got a way to go before he can be placed on the same level as the game’s best ball playing fullbacks.
Billy Slater’s game developed along similar lines many moons ago, though it’s hard to imagine now given he’s been so good at taking the right option in attack for the past five years. It took plenty of hard work for him to become a genuine play making option in the Melbourne attack, but the rewards are there for all to see.
Loz and Dog: Round three 5:11
Hopoate and Wighton are the interesting cases, given they have both shown talent at setting up their outside men.
A feature of young Hopoate’s time in the centres for Parramatta was his ability to get the ball to his winger with time and space, his quick hands often giving his outside man the all-important extra split second on the defender.
Hopoate takes on the Bulldogs defence at ANZ Stadium. Source: Getty Images
Wighton also made a decent fist of his time at five-eighth last year with Canberra, showing he has the basic instincts and spatial awareness to handle the playmaking responsibilities. Like Morris he also boasts a powerful running game, and I’ve no doubt if he stays fit that he’ll be the Raiders long term fullback.
I think with rugby league developing the way it is we will see more and more attempts at creating or moulding the ball playing fullback, as well as trying to unearth them from an early age.
Jack Wighton has plenty of potential in the No. 1 jumper. Source: Supplied
It’s a difficult task, and for it to be successful there has to be at least some natural inclination towards that play making role.
To move a largely untried player into such a crucial position is a fair roll of the dice, and only time will tell whether you can truly manufacture a fullback in the modern game.
Brett Morris: Does he possess the ball playing skills the Bulldogs need from their fullback? Picture: Mark Evans. Source: News Corp Australia
Originally published as Is Brett Morris the man to wear the Dogs No. 1?
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