I think that too many people get hung up over the number on a blokes back. Especially when talking about wing and centre or five eight and lock. TBPH, there isn't that much difference between some of these positions nowadays. In fact, I'll go so far as to say that you can group players on the field into a bunch who can all play a similar role. 8, 10, 11, 12 all basically carry the same job description nowadays. 6, 7, 9, 1 can all be rotated freely with each other during a game as well. As can 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 as well as 3, 4, 6, 11.
The days of specialist positions are over. Playmaking positions have blurred. Watch a Tigers game and see how often, Marshall, Farah and Morris actually play there own position. Watch the Roosters play and see how often Anasta alternates between ball playing 5/8 or a ball running Lock. Watch the Storm and look at how many times Cronk, Smith, Slater play half / hooker / five eight. Watch how many teams will have a Winger drop back to Fullback to allow a Fullback to chime into the backline. Also watch how many teams will have a back rower chime into the centres to cover an injury. To say that Wing and Sutton have the wrong number on their back is ridiculous, because the number they wear means absolutely nothing in the scheme of things. The modern game is a different animal to the game of 10 years ago. Look at blokes like Rueben Wicki. He was a centre when he first started, then a backrower and finished up a Prop. If I were a first grade coach, I'd pick the best team I possibly could out of the troops I had and then let them sort out the where and the how on the training paddock and the field. Wing is the perfect example. You could stick him in just about any position on the field and he would make a go of it, because he is a natural. He is also the classiest player that we have. Sandow, Sutton, Wing and Luke all need to be on the field for us to be succesful so you just stick them all out there and let them sort out where they play and what they do.
