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THE Sydney Roosters are set to unleash their own Greg Inglis clone next season when Blake Ferguson gets first crack at Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s vacant fullback spot.
As the gifted 25-year-old approaches the prime years of his career, Trent Robinson has revealed that Ferguson will now travel the same path as Inglis did at the same age when the Roosters return for pre-season training next week.
When Michael Maguire shifted Inglis from centre to fullback at Souths in 2012, it took Inglis’ involvement and impact to a whole new level.
Standing at 192cm and weighing 103kg, Ferguson is almost a mirror image to Inglis who is 195cm tall and weighs 105kg.
As Fox Sports Stats’ Aaron Wallace explained: “There probably isn’t another player in the comp who is as close to Inglis (as Ferguson) in terms of size, strength and speed.”
While Robinson still believes Ferguson’s best position is right centre, Tuivasa-Sheck’s departure to the Warriors has opened up an opportunity to explore Ferguson’s freakish potential.
Robinson was adamant he would not rush the development of teenage sensation Latrell Mitchell or NSW Cup team of the year fullback Omar Slaimenkhel, while Jackson Hastings would take James Maloney’s five-eighth spot.
“Blake would definitely be the frontrunner at the moment,” Robinson said in respect to the fullback debate.
“We made a decision on signing Latrell long-term but he has just turned 18.
“He will be trained at fullback but it could take the three months of off-season (to get him ready for NRL) or it could take one or two years.
“We are not going to rush his development.
“I think Blake is a right centre.
“But the predicament we are in with obviously Roger leaving and us believing in the guys we have in the club and not wanting to recruit from outside means we are left with a really young up and coming fullback and then Blake.
“He has played a lot of fullback, wing and centre so there is a challenge there.”
Robinson said the switch was going to require a pre-season transformation to get Ferguson ready for the extra workload.
“He is going to have to increase his aerobic fitness, that usually means for a fullback (losing) a couple of kilos,” Robinson said.
“He will have to do harder, longer running and obviously there are a few skill differences.
“He has been catching high balls for a long time so I am not concerned about that.
“He has been bringing balls back out of wing from Cronulla days. I am not worried about the back field stuff.
PAUL CRAWLEYThe Daily Telegraph
“But probably some tracking late in sets and some good balls skills that he needs to get in respect to attacking skills late in sets.”
The one guarantee is that the move will get Ferguson a lot more involved, as it did with Inglis.
“When you reflect on what the move to fullback did for GI’s career, he basically went from being a great centre to one of the most dominant players in the game,” Wallace added.
“Outside of the halves the fullbacks are the most important guys now.
“Look at a team like the Roosters and the impact Tuivasa-Sheck had last year.
“Obviously he made a whole heap of run metres (averaging 215m from 21 runs).
“But in try assists James Maloney had 24, Mitchell Pearce had 20 and then Tuivasa-Sheck had 16.
“And he made the most line breaks for the Roosters (21).”
As the gifted 25-year-old approaches the prime years of his career, Trent Robinson has revealed that Ferguson will now travel the same path as Inglis did at the same age when the Roosters return for pre-season training next week.
When Michael Maguire shifted Inglis from centre to fullback at Souths in 2012, it took Inglis’ involvement and impact to a whole new level.
Standing at 192cm and weighing 103kg, Ferguson is almost a mirror image to Inglis who is 195cm tall and weighs 105kg.
As Fox Sports Stats’ Aaron Wallace explained: “There probably isn’t another player in the comp who is as close to Inglis (as Ferguson) in terms of size, strength and speed.”
While Robinson still believes Ferguson’s best position is right centre, Tuivasa-Sheck’s departure to the Warriors has opened up an opportunity to explore Ferguson’s freakish potential.
Robinson was adamant he would not rush the development of teenage sensation Latrell Mitchell or NSW Cup team of the year fullback Omar Slaimenkhel, while Jackson Hastings would take James Maloney’s five-eighth spot.
“Blake would definitely be the frontrunner at the moment,” Robinson said in respect to the fullback debate.
“We made a decision on signing Latrell long-term but he has just turned 18.
“He will be trained at fullback but it could take the three months of off-season (to get him ready for NRL) or it could take one or two years.
“We are not going to rush his development.
“I think Blake is a right centre.
“But the predicament we are in with obviously Roger leaving and us believing in the guys we have in the club and not wanting to recruit from outside means we are left with a really young up and coming fullback and then Blake.
“He has played a lot of fullback, wing and centre so there is a challenge there.”
Robinson said the switch was going to require a pre-season transformation to get Ferguson ready for the extra workload.
“He is going to have to increase his aerobic fitness, that usually means for a fullback (losing) a couple of kilos,” Robinson said.
“He will have to do harder, longer running and obviously there are a few skill differences.
“He has been catching high balls for a long time so I am not concerned about that.
“He has been bringing balls back out of wing from Cronulla days. I am not worried about the back field stuff.
PAUL CRAWLEYThe Daily Telegraph
“But probably some tracking late in sets and some good balls skills that he needs to get in respect to attacking skills late in sets.”
The one guarantee is that the move will get Ferguson a lot more involved, as it did with Inglis.
“When you reflect on what the move to fullback did for GI’s career, he basically went from being a great centre to one of the most dominant players in the game,” Wallace added.
“Outside of the halves the fullbacks are the most important guys now.
“Look at a team like the Roosters and the impact Tuivasa-Sheck had last year.
“Obviously he made a whole heap of run metres (averaging 215m from 21 runs).
“But in try assists James Maloney had 24, Mitchell Pearce had 20 and then Tuivasa-Sheck had 16.
“And he made the most line breaks for the Roosters (21).”
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