Greg Inglis is a man among men. He has been a class above the other number ones in the competition and has worked wonders for the South Sydney Rabbitohs this year.
However the Queensland superstar’s efforts have taken a toll on his body, with Inglis suffering an injury to his posterior cruciate ligaments in the State of Origin decider.
His absence could prove costly for the club and his imposing presence and vast experience will be sorely missed in this crunch period.
A number of key teams have struggled with the absence of marquee players and have flourished with their return as the representative spell draws to a close.
The Melbourne Storm are back to full strength with Slater and Smith, and the Roosters have become even more clinical with the homecoming of Pearce and Maloney, seeing them thump the Sharks 40-0 last week.
Even the Dragons, a team that has struggled all season, has rallied together a new sense of hope with Josh Dugan running the show from the back after his Origin campaign. His last-minute attacking flurry was enough to rob Souths of a Round 19 win, and it leaves doubt in the minds of fans and players as to what the red and green can achieve with out there go-to man at the back.
John Sutton denies South Sydney are over-reliant on Inglis after they slipped from the top of the ladder with the Dragons taking a puff out of their sails.
But the question still stands; does every team need their marquee player?
Don’t get me wrong, Souths are a great outfit, and as far as prized possessions go they have more than a few. The team has some future stars including young guns Dylan Walker and Dally M chance, Adam Reynolds.
They also boast the lineage of the mighty Burgess brothers, but in order to be in contention for the premiership and get the best of the Roosters in their Round 26 clash they need Inglis back in the mix. His frightening kick returns and his reliability at the back has proved instrumental for the Rabbitohs and has been a key part of their success to date.
Souths have not won a premiership since the year Australia announced the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam and Joe Frazier beat Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden to reclaim the heavyweight title. Yes everyone, the year was 1971.
New coach Michael Maguire has given Souths a renewed sense of discipline to go with their expansive game plan, something they have lacked in past years.
They have been consistent this season and only have three losses to their name, which is a small victory for a club that is all too familiar with the wooden spoon.
This may be the Bunnies’ best chance to end their four-decade drought, and they just about have everyone in south-central Sydney shuffling to the edge of their seats. Followers of the club are optimistic, with close to 7000 tickets already snatched up by Souths supporters alone for this year’s premiership decider.
The Bunnies are in strong chance for the 2013 title race, and if Inglis can get back to form come September, this team could just stretch the smile on the great Clive Churchill’s face.
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