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Opinion

Five reasons why Tedesco will eclipse Slater and Lockyer

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16th June, 2020
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Roar Pro
16th June, 2020
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Monday night against the Bulldogs we were lucky to witness one of the finest performances by an individual in recent rugby league memory.

James Tedesco was absolutely phenomenal. It seemed each time he touched the ball, the Bulldogs were in disarray.

James Tedesco scored three tries, had a hand in a few more and busted just about every tackle that was attempted on him. He is in rare form. Each year there are mentions for Tommy Trbojevic as a challenger for the New South Wales fullback jersey, and each year I have to shake my head. While Trbojevic is also a rare talent, he simply isn’t as good as Tedesco.

I am sure there are still a few people who watch rugby league that will stand in Trbojevic’s corner so I am going to outline the five things that make the Tiger-come-Rooster the best rugby league player in the world today.

He never avoids the contact
Watch rugby league at any level and you will see moments when players take actions to avoid a heavy collision. It is human nature to take actions in self preservation when the brain can predict likelihood of injury. It is a rare player who does not have this inbuilt intuition.

While most of us mere humans will avoid pain where we can, Tedesco appears to be immune to fear. Even in the NRL, where every player is extremely tough, this trait is far from common.

James Tedesco

(Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

His positional play is first class
I spent about ten minutes of last night’s game just watching Tedesco in defence. The way he elegantly moves in behind his line of defensive players and always shows up where he is needed to save a try or prevent a dangerous attack is pretty to watch.

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He’s not the only fullback in rugby league that possesses this skill set but none are better than him at placing his body in the right place, in the right position, at a pivotal moment.

Tedesco is unselfish
Monday night was James Tedesco’s second career treble. The last one came a few years ago when playing for the Wests Tigers. Tedesco has never been the most prolific try-scorer, but when he does score a try, it is rarely ordinary. He creates something when nothing is on.

The reason Tedesco doesn’t score more tries is that he is always thinking. There was a moment against the Bulldogs when Tedesco could have gone for the corner and scored a fourth try.

Instead Tedesco threw a speculator pass back inside, which found the ground. It looked scrappy but if somebody following the fullback had Tedesco’s own tenacity and vision, he would have registered yet another try assist.

He is the ultimate team man
The best rugby league players make those around them better, and Tedesco certainly does that. You only have to look at the turnaround in New South Wales’ fortunes since Tedesco became a mainstay. Coach Brad Fittler is well aware of the phenomenon that has worn the number one jersey in recent years, and there is no way he will ever select anybody else in that jersey while Tedesco is fit.

Winning in State of Origin requires a team effort, despite the legend of players like Andrew Johns and the Wally Lewis, there is no individual great enough to win it on their own. James Tedesco’s Origin performances have often been worthy of individual accolades yet for some reason he is often overlooked.

The fact this doesn’t seem to bother Tedesco exemplifies that he is the perfect Origin player.

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James Tedesco

(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

He is humble but confident
Listen to Tedesco speak and you would not predict his standing in the game. He won the Dally M Medal in 2019, he’s won two grand finals running, he’s had winning moments for the Blues and he is now widely regarded as the best player on earth.

As an avid fan of US sports, I have no doubt given time that he would make it in American football in the running back position – he is that explosive. But rugby league cannot afford to lose James Tedesco. He knows he is great, but you will never hear him say it.

There isn’t much more you can say about the man. I’ve written about him a few times throughout his journey and each time I write about him the praise becomes more appropriate.

We’ve had the privilege of watching many great fullbacks in rugby league in the past 30 or 40 years. Prior to Tedesco, Billy Slater was the best, prior to that maybe Darren Lockyer. What the current Roosters number one has shown us since making his debut for the Wests Tigers is eclipsing even those greats of the sport.

Some will call this premature but my bold prediction is that James Tedesco will eventually be named a rugby league Immortal and potentially prevent that same accolade being bestowed on Slater and Lockyer.

He is that good.

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