I've said all year when questioning Duges value to us given the coin we pay, that the FB position has changed. It's essentially as important as the halves in terms of directing an attack. That's why guys like Coote, Moylan and Boyd are so important to their teams. And all the running fullbacks like Slater, GI, RTS and Teddy have been forced to learn how to pass.
The amount of tries I have seen the last 2 years with a FB chiming into the attack and putting their winger over is all too common. Guys like Boyd and Coote have turned into an artform. That sweep play that most teams use so effectively is just not available to us with Duges at FB (funnily enough, Widdop has actually played that role with success a few times this year). And for a team that struggles to score points already, that puts us behind the 8 ball.
For what its worth, I still thing Duges is a great player. The best defensive FB in the game. But essentially, we'd be the only team that has an attack that doesn't use their FB like the 15 other teams.
I don't have a problem with this but a gameplan that doesn't use your FB as distributor requires a good half, hooker and a good coach. 3 things we don't have.
If we keep Duges at FB, these 3 things must change.
