Rugby league fullbacks: Who is the complete package?

Until recently, the rugby league fullback was predominantly seen as the last line of defence, but the modern fullback is an attacking weapon.

Their credentials must include speed and agility, while at the same time being strong and aggressive.

It is an extremely difficult position to play, yet we have so many brilliant fullbacks in the game today.

Looking at the statistics of the number 1s so far this year I discovered who the best were defensively and who was the best attacking weapon. Obviously to be strong in both aspects would be ideal and some of the results will come as a shock.

Defence
The Bulldogs currently boast the best defence this year, with only 188 points scored against them. The Panthers come a close second with 190 points against, followed by the Roosters (205), the Broncos (208), the Rabbitohs (209) and Manly (212).

From this you could assume the best defensive number 1s would come from these teams. However the defence of the whole team does not rest solely on the fullback’s shoulders.

The fifth-best defensive fullback this year so far is Matthew Moylan from the Penrith Panthers, making a total of 62 tackles and only bouncing off 14 times. Coming in at number four is Michael Gordon from the Cronulla Sharks, saving the try line 43 times and only missing a tackle on nine occasions. Sam Perrett has managed to deal with a lot of bad publicity about his fullback ability to come in as the third-best defensive number 1, with 50 tackles and only 10 ineffective grabs.

Michael Morgan is in sensational form at the moment, and the second position is his with 62 try-saving moments and only eight missed tackles.

This brings us to the best defensive fullback in the NRL to date. Greg Inglis from the South Sydney Rabbitohs has aided his team defensively on 43 occasions and only missed four tackles.

James Tedesco and Anthony Milford take the gong for the worst defensive fullbacks. These young exciting players form a group of new-age attacking fullbacks, where defence is not their number one priority. Tedesco hasn’t played many games this season due to injury however he has only wrapped up the attacker 16 times and was palmed off on 10 other occasions, while Milford has made only 10 tackles in defence and has been unsuccessful four times.

Attack
The modern fullback is lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce into a gap, and could be mistaken for a playmaker rather than a defensive warrior.

The fifth best attacking fullback in the NRL this year is Morgan from the North Queensland Cowboys, with six tries, nine try assists and a further five line breaks.

Fourth place goes to Australian centre Inglis, only crossing the white chalk five times, however he has assisted on seven occasions and broke the line 11 times.

The veteran Anthony Minichiello, while rating 13th defensively, is the third-best attacking option at fullback. Minichiello boasts nine tries and nine line-breaking runs.

Anthony Milford is the second-worst defending fullback but also the second-best attacking fullback. Although he has only scored four times this year, it’s his lead up work of nine try assists and 12 line breaks that earns him this position.

The number one attacking fullback in the NRL is Jarryd Hayne, who has absolutely dominated all other fullbacks with the ball in hand. He has weaved his way over the try line 12 times so far, three more times than his closest rival in Minichello, while racking up 10 try assists and 11 line breaks.

A change of position for Josh Dugan was the best move for him as he has been isolated as the worst attacking fullback statistically. Josh has only split the defence once this year, and only assisted his teammates once. Moving Dugan to the centres was a stroke of genius, scoring three tries since the move.

While Jarryd Hayne is the best attacking number 1 and Greg Inglis is the best defensively, who is the complete package?

Considering Inglis is the number one in the defence stats and number four in the attacking stats, Greg Inglis is the best fullback. Michael Morgan is the next most complete number 1, rated second defensively and fifth in the attacking stats.

This year Billy Slater has rated 12th-best defensive and the sixth-best attacking option. Ben Barba, our 2012 Dally M medal winner, rates ninth defensively and 12th in the attacking stats.

The position of fullback has changed quite a lot over the years, making the NRL much more exciting to watch. The position has been developed and tweaked throughout time so now anyone attempting to pull on the number 1 jersey needs to be strong defensively and ruthless in attack.

Who do you think is the most complete package fullback in the NRL this year?