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When Billy Slater went down injured early in the second half of Australia’s Rugby League World Cup quarter final, the armchair coaches went searching for many weird and wonderful solutions to replacing the “greatest fullback in the game”.
Ahead of this weekend’s semi-final against Fiji, we’ve so far heard the Brent Tate may play in the forwards. We’ve also heard Michael Jennings playing on the wing, and Josh Morris playing there as well.
None of these drastic changes needs to happen. Greg Inglis will play at fullback, there’s no doubt about that. Jarryd Hayne should also be in the team – he’s a proven match winner and has valuable utility ability.
Inglis and Hayne are terrifically talented players. Strong, powerful, fast and versatile, they can tear apart any team on their day.
With Inglis going to fullback he’ll be more involved than he is when he’s playing centre. It’s hard enough to contain him when he’s playing out wide, but at fullback he has a lot of room to move.
Hayne should be given a licence to roam. He plays that role often for New South Wales and his ability to create something from nothing is lethal.
If Hayne and Inglis were to strike up a combination, they could quite easily tear apart Fiji and either England or New Zealand.
Michael Jennings would be a positive selection to partner Hayne in the centres. The Roosters flyer is a terrific attacking weapon who, when given space, can turn his opposite inside out with his speed and power.
Josh Morris is another who can fill the position and would do a more than impressive job there.
Brent Tate could play on the wing or in the centres. He has plenty of experience in both positions, having played there for Brisbane, Queensland and Australia in the past.
Tim Sheens has some of the most versatile and talented backs the game has seen at his disposal.
Billy Slater’s injury could quite easily see both Hayne and Inglis have a more profound effect on Australia’s campaign than Slater himself. Both men contain more pure talent than Slater, and their ability to beat numerous defenders means they can split a game wide open.
People shouldn’t be looking at Slater’s injury as a let down – more as a chance to see two of the most talented players in the game make their mark on this year’s World Cup.
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