French will be given first crack at fullback this year while Gutho is still recovering. I will be shocked if Hayne is chosen ahead of him due to being on the downward slope of his career as well as the off field dramas that would no doubt be distracting him. It makes no sense to unnecessarily put someone in such a critical position when they have far more serious things to worry about away from the footy field.
But what if French fails to lock down the fullback role? He was given first choice last year but lost it to Gutherson who clearly outperformed him in the position until he also eventually got injured. It will be a very bad look for French if he again loses the No.1 jumper to Gutho mid season and gets shafted back onto the wing. If Gutho reclaims his spot at the back I don't think he'll give it up. He'll become our first choice fullback which would mean that French would have to settle for being a winger. If this happens I believe it will only be a matter of time before French leaves for another club that promises him the fullback jumper. He doesn't want to be a career winger. How do you guys see things panning out? Is French under pressure?
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No argument here, but French wants to be a fullback and will go elsewhere if that's what it takes. If he wants be a winger then sure he'll have a long career here.
French is too small and not a strong front on, one on one, defender against large players. French is good at running down players from behind on the wing, but not strong in cutting down players front on where he has to put his body on the line. Centre is the hardest defensive position on the field and French would be a Sandow at Centre and totally unsuited to Centre.
Gutherson and Hayne are both better alround fullbacks. Gutherson is our best fullback due to his insane fitness levels and ability to be in the game and constantly backing up others.
French is our best try scoring player and French scores more tries on the wing then fullback (fact, not opinion). Our attack will be weaker if French moves to fullback.
If Hayne does the extra training required before round 1 he will be fullback for round 1.
French never locked down the fullback position, therefore he is not under pressure as it was never his for any decent amount of time.
On the wing French will score 1 to 2 tries a game. At fullback he would score 1 try every 3 to 4 games. French's straight line speed and hole running is very good. On the wing he will have an overlap on many occasions due to the modern day compressed defensive line. Due to being super fast over 20 metres, small in build and light on his feet French is more suited to being on the wing where he doesn't need to be a power runner. We need to improve our attack, not weaken it.
You don't need to convince me that French should be selected as a winger. I would be fine with that. But French himself wants to be fullback. The concern I have is that he won't keep the position ahead of Gutherson and will go to another club rather then be content on the wing.
That's possible. Money does talk the talk though. There is probably only one club that would consider French at fullback and that is Gold Coast. As we were willing to let Semi go we won't keep French if he is unhappy. Being a top 4 team may encourage him to stay.
French is guaranteed a spot in the top team and is still very young for a fullback. He has a lot to learn also.
It shouldn't be a case of pressure, he should just be trying to learn his trade under a great like hayne.
BA already knows Hayne will be the man if Parramatta want a comp, and French has built his frame nicely and will play wing.
Round 1, French may be given the first shot, but BA knows who will best benifit the team in the long run
Well said. For French's morale, it may be a good thing to give French the fullback spot for the first few games until Gutherson returns. For us to be a genuine GF team we need Hayne to be in the game a lot more then he could offer from wing.
I think it's a fair question.
We haven't even gotten close to seeing what Bev can do as a fullback. In my opinion, his natural playmaking skills are better than both Hayne and Gutherson's. He's faster than Hayne and Gutherson. And for me, those are the two core skillsets I want my fullback to have.
At the same time, if either Hayne or Gutherson manage to excel at fullback, it could be a while before Bevan gets to ply his trade there. So I think he will feel a bit of pressure if he does get to the start the season at fullback.
But as others have said, Bev is an exceptional winger as well and he can win games from that position. I don't think he's the type of kid who has the ego to demand he plays a particular position, so I think most of all, as a club, it's just really nice to have this dilemma of three (and arguably four) really top class fullback options.
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