Opinion Rate the Fullbacks

[Bring back John Fifita]

Arguably the position with the highest quality across the board. Rating in order 1-16 from each club... what’s your list?

I’m going like this..

1 - Tedesco
2 - Tuivasa-Scheck
3 - Trbojevic
4 - Papenhuyzen
5 - Ponga
6 - Edwards
7 - Nicoll-Klokstad
8 - Dufty
9 - Hopoate
10 - Gutherson
11 - Brimson
12 - Mitchell
13 - Doueihi
14 - Boyd
15 - Kennedy
16 - Drinkwater

For me there’s a few things about this

- The top 4 are absolute standouts and I believe there’s a split hair between them. Tedesco is still number 1. Papenhuyzen is my favourite to watch though.

- Ponga is a step behind the top 4, then not much between 6-10 (Could be rearranged in any order on any given day). I think Hopoate is the most under-rated of these, in an underperforming club.

- Brimson then Mitchell then Doueihi. I believe Mitchell is one of the best centres in the comp but still finding his feet at 1.

- While I have a soft spot for Boyd, admittedly he’s in his autumn years. 3-4 years ago I’d have him top 5. 10 years ago he was #1.

- Kennedy n Drinkwater are the two I’ve seen little of Possibly better than this, so many might disagree - but that’s the point of the thread - opinions..

Note - many clubs have used multiple fullbacks (eg Mbye for tigers etc) and prime fullbacks like Trbojevic have largely been absent. But I’ve picked what I think are the “primaries” for each club - but possibly arguable for some teams

So debate at will...

 

[Vee]

Gutherson should be higher. What he lacks in talent, he makes up for in effort. Ahead of those below.

Edwards too high. A good, safe, developing fullback but not ahead of CNK, Hoppa (less athletic but very smart) and Dufty.

 

[mozza91]

1 - Ponga
2-16 - Irrelevant lesbians.

 

[SLRBRONCOS]

1 - Ponga
2-16 - Irrelevant lesbians.

Have you seen Ponga’s tattoos? He is alpha barista lesbian

 

[mozza91]

Have you seen Ponga’s tattoos? He is alpha barista lesbian

He can do no wrong. The Nike tick is a goat level tattoo.

 

[T.S Quint]

1. Paul Carige

 

[mongoose]

1. Tedesco
2. Turbo
3. Ponga/Papenhauzen
4. RTS

Dufty, Edwards and Hoppoate are too high on your list. Gutherson is easily better than all of them...

 

[Bazal]

Lol @ Gutho at 10....

I'd honestly have him at 2 right now. Which is skewed by RTS turning to plod, Ponga having a mid-teenage years crisis, Turbo being unable to put more than about eight games a year on and that bloke from my clubism....so 4/5 is reasonable, but ten? Oh dear

 

[SDM]

I guess it depends on if you are judging who is capable of the best performance vs who will actually play 90% of the games.

Turbo is the best player on the list imo, but I wouldn't want my club to sign him, his hamstrings have destroyed another season for Manly.

 

[soc123_au]

I'd swap Gutho & Edwards around. Very similar players, but Gutho has been consistent for longer.

 

[Meth]

1 - Tedesco
2 - Tuivasa-Scheck- probably would be Turbo, if not for his injury. RTS's form has not been good this year
3 - Trbojevic
4 - Papenhuyzen
5 - Ponga
6 - Nicoll-Klokstad
7 -Gutherson
8- Dufty
9 - Mitchell
10- Edwards
11- Brimson
12 - Hopoate
13 - Doueihi
14 - Boyd
15 - Kennedy
16 - Drinkwater

 

[SDM]

Papenhuyzen hasn't even played 50 games yet, and he gets to do it at a good club, he hasn't shown enough to be 4

 

[Meth]

Papenhuyzen hasn't even played 50 games yet, and he gets to do it at a good club, he hasn't shown enough to be 4

fair enough. These sorts of things are a mix of form and past performances. I'd say there's daylight between 1 and 2 and then probably daylight between 3 and 4

 

[SDM]

fair enough. These sorts of things are a mix of form and past performances. I'd say there's daylight between 1 and 2 and then probably daylight between 3 and 4

I know what you mean, I just think at this point the only difference between Brimson and Papenhuyzen is the clubs they play for.

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

Lol @ Gutho at 10....

I'd honestly have him at 2 right now. Which is skewed by RTS turning to plod, Ponga having a mid-teenage years crisis, Turbo being unable to put more than about eight games a year on and that bloke from my clubism....so 4/5 is reasonable, but ten? Oh dear

Understood. I reckon there’s almost nothing between 6-10 on that list , almost a dead heat across them all, as in my comments on original post. And I’ve discounted injuries. But all good opinions.

I reckon it’s close to the best crop of fullbacks across the board in NRL (and it’s predecessors) history, only stronger when Slater & Inglis were still playing two years ago.

If only we had halves as strong across the board, coz I think it’s completely the reverse of this at the moment, the lowest quality as a collective I can recall.

 

[Jason Maher]

There is a two-tier split of fullbacks: Matthew Dufty, and everyone else. You could rate the fullbacks in terms of how much of a Dufty a player is worth. Obviously Dufty himself rates 1.0, and everyone else will somewhere between 0 and 1.

Dufty Score Fullback Ratings

1. Matthew Dufty 1.0
2. James Tedesco 0.8
3. Tom Trbojevic 0.78
4. Clint Gutherson 0.77
5. Kalyn Ponga 0.76
6. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 0.73
7. Ryan Papenhuyzen 0.72
8. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 0.7
9. A.J. Brimson 0.67
10. Latrell Mitchell 0.65
11. Dylan Edwards 0.63
12. Will Hopoate 0.6
13. Will Kennedy 0.55
14. Adam Doueihi 0.5
15. Just who the f**k is the Cowboys fullback anyway?
16. Darius Boyd -1.0

 

[dogslife]

Where's Braith Anasta?

Your list is irrelevant.

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

Where's Braith Anasta?

Your list is irrelevant.

Noted.

 

[THE CHAMP]

Still trying to figure out if Boyd’s ranking is a insult or compliment

 

[shear_joy9]

People have been watching too many Nable promos to have Ponga so high. Can look great in attack when he feels like playing, which is once a month, but is at Darius Boyd level in defence. He’s the ultimate “I’ll just pretend to go for the intercept or act like I intend to make a tackle” when the last line of defence