Roma fullback, recruited to the broncos by former Queensland Test half Cyril Connell, made … Lockyer himself hasn't been immune to the criticism of Tallis. Queensland rugby league greats Wally Lewis and Darren Lockyer have identified a number of selection headaches facing incoming Cowboys coach Todd Payten. "There's a few experienced guys there, too. The protoype for the modern five-eighth following in the mould cast by Wally Lewis in the 1980s. Most teams favour the traditional set-up of a dominant No.7 and a second option at five-eighth and the fullback picking and choosing when to play their hand like Parramatta where Mitchell Moses is the on-field quarterback, Dylan Brown his understudy and Clint Gutherson popping up whenever it suits. Seibold has struggled to win over the trust of many a Broncos fan since he touched down at Red Hill, with the club suffering a poor season in 2019 that culminated in the horror 58-0 elimination final loss to Parramatta.
A teenager when he burst onto the scene with Illawarra in 1996, he represented NSW the following year and starred in St George Illawarra's charge to the 1999 grand final. To use a line packed 110% with rugby league cliches, the forwards lay the foundation and the halfback plays off the back of that. Many of the modern-day No.1s play more like Lockyer than the previous generation of star fullbacks like Gary Belcher, Garry Jack and Brett Mullins who were more renowned for their brilliance at running through gaps rather than setting up teammates. Players get selected or a coach gets selected, you're not always going to keep everyone happy.". Bowen played almost exclusively at fullback during his 14-year career with North Queensland but for much of that period he virtually doubled as a five-eighth in a potent combination with Johnathan Thurston that changed the way the position is now played. A few teams have the five-eighth running the show, like Melbourne where Cameron Munster is often the catalyst in attack off the back of Cameron Smith’s dummy-half chess play, with halfback Jahrome Hughes and fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen playing supplementary roles. They usually run the furthest of any player and are heavily involved in attack and defence as fullback is now the only position with a licence to roam to all parts of the field, with halves, centres and second-rowers now playing the left or right side of the ruck and props and locks largely restricted to the middle. To underline how many brilliant performers there have been in the No.6 jersey during the past three decades there was no room for players the calibre of Storm star Cameron Munster, 1990s stalwarts Matthew Johns and Greg Florimo, Dragons premiership winner Jamie Soward, or former internationals Scott Hill and Braith Anasta, ex-Raiders playmaker Terry Campese or current Broncos dynamo Anthony Milford. Fullbacks are the superstars of the modern game and some of the greatest players of the NRL era have worn the No.1 jersey, including Billy Slater, Darren Lockyer, Greg Inglis, Anthony Minichiello and Jarryd Hayne. I have so many great memories playing in the six jersey across all levels of the game.". Meanwhile, Walters has also had a dig, declaring the current position the club finds itself in distant to how he envisaged if he was made coach. It’s why they tend to get the biggest contracts, win the lion’s share of individual medals and are usually the best broadcast analysts in the game. They are more involved in the 13-player code than ever before. Aubert, who scored a record 221 points during France’s triumphant 1951 tour of Australia and New Zealand, reasoned it wasn’t his responsibility to stop tries. Lockyer made his professional first-grade debut with the Brisbane Broncos from the bench as an eighteen-year-old five-eighth in a 60–14 thrashing of the Parramatta Eels in Round 13 of the 1995 ARL season. Darren Lockyer One of rugby league's all-time greats, Lockyer spent the first decade of his career at fullback before coach Wayne Bennett controversially switched him to five-eighth in 2006. You only need to think of James Tedesco, Tom Trbojevic, Kalyn Ponga, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Clint Gutherson to realise how influential the top fullbacks are to the success of their teams. The Broncos won the title that year and Lockyer repeated his club success in the No.6 jersey in the representative arena, becoming captain of each team before retiring in 2011 after playing for Australia 63 times, Queensland on 38 occasions and Brisbane a club record 355 appearances. "Gordie's always been outspoken and I think he's entitled to his opinion," Lockyer responded. After making his NRL debut in 2003, he was the star of the team's golden run to the title two years later and following brief stints in rugby at Auckland, then back in league at St George Illawarra and Brisbane, the 31-Test Kiwi returned to the Tigers and in 2019 reached his 300th NRL appearance.
The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of the NRL, ARLC, NRL clubs or state associations.
His greatest fullback rival for much of his illustrious career was Hayne, who boasted size, speed and strength as well as playmaking instincts. Their skill level is off the charts. Minichiello was also a great organising fullback and he directed teammates in the defensive line, as did Slater. It's an often-used line but also a truism. When it comes to winning premierships, Walters has one of the best records of any player, being part of Canberra's 1989 triumph and then five more with the Broncos in their glory days from 1992-2000. The Johns brothers alternated as first receivers, with one usually on each side of the ruck, and Waite employed the same tactic at St George Illawarra in 1999 by playing Trent Barrett on the right and Anthony Mundine on the left. And Lockyer, who offers support to the squad in a leadership coaching capacity, admits there are some Broncos' heavyweights who are still filthy Seibold controversially got the nod over Walters for the coaching gig. Lockyer’s silky skills at the back were so good that Wayne Bennett famously switched him to the halves in 2006, which kick-started Brisbane’s push to premiership glory that year. Inglis, who won the Clive Churchill Medal playing five-eighth for Melbourne in the 2006 grand final, later switched to fullback at South Sydney and his size and strength were attributes in attack and defence that other teams tried to replicate. Firstly, it was Broncos legend Darren Lockyer who showed that a fullback didn’t necessarily just have to be a good last-line defender who can chime into the backs to create an overlap as another hole runner. 'The Raging Bull' hit out at his former teammate for not coming public as a board member over the issues inside the club following the loss last Thursday. And the Brisbane's form this year has done little to aid the under-fire coach's cause, with last Thursday's 59-0 loss to the Roosters - the in the Broncos' 32-year history - drawing some fierce backlash from a host of the club's greatest names. The role of the fullback continues to evolve into the most important on the field. Loudest of those critics has perhaps been former captain Gorden Tallis, who savaged the Broncos' recruitment in recent years but was particularly condemnatory towards Seibold's coaching. Sea Eagles lock Jake Trbojevic is one of the NRL's best playmakers. "So I'm sure the fact that Anthony is now the coach there and it's not Kevvy, I'm sure there's ex-players out there that disagree with that. He won titles with the Roosters in 2013 before being at the forefront of Cronulla's drought-breaking premiership three years later. That’s absurd," he told Big Sports Breakfast this week. The NRL.com newsroom initially narrowed the race to be the best five-eighth down to a shortlist of 10. The job of a fullback involves carrying the ball back from kicks, running from dummy half, playing second-receiver either side of the ruck and organising defences near their try line, while many having a kicking game as well. "And I can tell you that the pathway that they have taken, it's off a bush track to where my plans were to take the club.
Kieran Foran in action for New Zealand in 2015.
Marshall takes centre stage in 2005 decider.