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.
Bunny Lord
Guest
Agreed.
Bunny Lord
Guest
The worst thing is, you probably have a point. It makes me sick to consider, but another year may go by in which God decides to tear our team to pieces, humiliate us, and send us packing. Please don't let this happen, G.O.D. What did we ever do to you?
WOZZA
Guest
Roosters lucky run....Your a goose son ....5 nil scorelines isn't about luck its about the best for and against in the comp. Defence wins finals and grand finals and the roosters have the best defence and offence .The storm won grand finals in years gone by , not in 2013 so don't go counting chickens just yet coz the fat lady hasn't even got outta bed ...
Dragons Forever
Guest
Souths have been up for 18 mths. Not quite up to Storm standards yet. Wouldn't write off the eagles yet IMO
donner
Guest
The top four at the moment will be the top four at the end of the season. Roosters will fold first as thier lucky run is just about to fall. The Storm and the Bunnies will be the Grandfinal teams. Souths with Inglis back will continue their great season, probably wont beat the Storm but they will definalty be in the Grandfinal. SBW cant lead the Roosters all the way, He has talent but it wont last, it didnt last the last time he tried NRL thats why he left, the same reason Benji has to leave the NRL for not being in form anymore. I know its hard to accept but the fact is The Storm and the Bunnies have been leading up to this Grandfinal playoff against each other for years. The Roosters and Manly are just thier for media hype.
Jared
Guest
At this time of year I am actually watching for one of the top teams who has a bit of a down period. The last 5-10 years have shown that the team that has a down time after origin, with a few losses, will often rally and come back strong- building momentum into September. -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
KombiPhil
Guest
Souths did not 'slip off the top of the ladder.' They are still on top. Seeing as though Souths were winning the Dragons match for most of it, and they only stuffed it up at the end, is no reason to write them off or panic just yet. It's only thier third loss all season - big deal. Souths' and the Dragons' relative places on the table after 19 rounds is more the 'true indication.' Souths did lose to the Storm in round 6, yes. But you don't win comps in April and the Storm have lost more games than Souths since.
Clark
Guest
The funniest thing will be when the members who bought half the already sold grand final tickets won't be able to see their team play because they aren't good enough. That loss against the Dragons is a true indication, more than a "loss they needed to have".
andy
Guest
All the hype around the Bunnies and Roosters is laughable. Both teams failed to beat a full strength Storm side in the regular season. If they can not beat the storm outside Melbourne what chance do they have in the finals when the experienced storm find form? how about we ask the 2009 eels or 2012 bulldogs..... exactly.