While Greg Inglis aspires to stay as South Sydney’s fullback, he has dismissed any notions of replacing Billy Slater as Queensland’s leading player.
Last week, the Maroons star showcased an impressive performance for the Rabbitohs in their 40-22 victory against Penrith, and coach Michael Maguire has echoed sentiments from his former mentor at Melbourne, Craig Bellamy, asserting that fullback is indeed Inglis’s optimal position.
Having served as Bellamy’s assistant for four years at the Storm, Maguire also transformed the promising halfback Sam Tomkins into a world-class No.1 during his time with the Super League team, Wigan.
Inglis last played as a custodian for the Storm in 2007. Although he began this season in the centre for the first two matches which ended in losses, Maguire plans to keep his star player positioned at the back.
“He started as a fullback back in Melbourne, but once Billy Slater emerged, Greg was shifted to five-eighth, then to the centres,” Maguire explained in Perth on Thursday.
“My initial impression back then was that fullback was undoubtedly his place, a belief reaffirmed by his performance the other day. I’m confident we will see a lot of Greg at fullback.”
Inglis had a minimal role in the Rabbitohs’ two initial NRL games, both of which resulted in losses, and he expressed enjoyment in being more engaged against the Panthers.
“I’ll step up for fullback,” Inglis stated.
“If I return to the centres, I would likely have to actively seek the ball more.”
“I enjoy having the ball in my hands and being actively involved for the entire 80 minutes.”
This season, Slater’s performance has been outstanding for Melbourne, and Inglis acknowledges that he still has a long way to go to reach the level of the Dally M Medal winner.
“Billy Slater is among the best in the game; he has the athletic ability to surprise you and disappear in an instant,” Inglis remarked.
“You naturally want to benchmark yourself against players like that and aim to be among the best fullbacks globally.”
“I’m adapting to the transition. My last stint in that role was in 2007, so I felt a bit winded last week, but I felt good post-game.”
Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin has crafted a strategy aimed at keeping Inglis contained during the NRL clash between the two teams on Friday night in Perth.
On Thursday, the Broncos completed their preparations for the lengthy journey to Western Australia, with significant emphasis on neutralizing Inglis.
Griffin confessed he would prefer for Inglis to play in his standard position.
“I’d favor him being in the centres because he now receives a significant amount of early clean ball, and we saw the impact he had on Penrith last week,” Griffin noted.
“We’ll need to excel in our kick-chase and maintain solid edge defense when he enters the line.”
by Buford Balony
