Brett Stewart is currently the NRL’s best New South Wales fullback and must be chosen to face Billy Slater in Origin one in a fortnight.
Recently there has been much debate on who Ricky Stuart will give the all important number one jersey to, but of the three main contenders – Stewart, Canberra’s Josh Dugan and Sydney’s Anthony Minichiello – Stewart is way in front.
Although he has relatively little game time under his belt in the last three seasons and his last Origin game was in 2008, there is little doubt the star Manly fullback has recovered and is ready to take his place.
He proved this in last weekend’s battle with Dugan, in which Stuart would have been very impressed with what he saw.
Although Dugan managed more runs, offloads and line breaks than Stewart, there is one thing the stats do not show: composure.
This is something Dugan does not quite have yet, with only one Origin cap, and will be too easily exposed by the Queenslanders.
Stewart showed his experience cannot be absent in the Blues team. He was more effective protecting his territory behind his defensive line, he won all contests for the high ball, and got his side out of trouble on a number of occasions by making seven more tackles than his opposite number.
Add to that his burning speed and agility on the field, and you have exactly what you need to match Slater.
The main criteria for any Blues selection this year, after having lost the last seven series’, must be having the ability to at least match your opposing number.
Billy Slater, arguably the game’s best fullback since Clive Churchill, is unbelievably hard to match. He is freakish at what he does.
However Stewart is New South Wales’ only competitor on such a scale, and like Slater has done for Queensland, will provide his state with the attacking and defensive power it needs at the back, while also providing a third playmaking option.
The stats for the current season will show that Slater is still in a league of his own, with significantly more tries, tackle busts, line breaks and try assists.
However, Stewart’s 116 tries in 145 career games is quite a feat, especially given he spent the best part of two seasons on the sideline. Let’s not forget he also has three grand final appearances, two in which he was instrumental in victory.
In his five Origin appearances to date, he has managed two tries, an average of 117 metres, two line breaks and line break assists, a try assist, and 13 tackle breaks. He provides the best match to Slater in these statistics by average per game.
This season’s stats will also show Minichiello ahead of Stewart some key areas. He has made almost double the amount of metres, and has played six more Origin games than Stewart.
But after seven straight series’ losses, it is a long term fix Stuart must look at, and at 32 years of age, with only three Origin appearances in the last seven years, Minichiello must face the prospect he has played his final Origin game.
Brett Stewart’s performances this season and career feats show he will provide the back bone for New South Wales Origin in 2012, and more importantly, in the long term.
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