Latest news with #fullback
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Why Sea Eagles don't need to rush Turbo back
Teammates are confident Lehi Hopoate can thrive at fullback again on Thursday night if Tom Trbojevic is ruled out of Manly's trip to Newcastle to take on the desperate Knights. Trbojevic missed the terrific win over Brisbane after he aggravated a corked thigh in the loss to Parramatta last month. Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold said his superstar fullback would play if Manly's game was on Sunday, but the short turnaround could mean he is rested to ensure he's fully fit when he returns. Trbojevic didn't train with the team at Monday's session in Brookvale but was spotted in the gym, with the club's medical staff expected to give him up to the captain's run on Wednesday to determine whether he's fit enough to play. In better news, Jake Trbojevic trained freely on Monday after missing the past two matches while in concussion protocols, with the Sea Eagles backing Hopoate to star again at the back if he's asked to play there. The young gun has done a tremendous job when he's moved from left wing to fullback but he saved his best for Saturday night with 224m, five tackle busts, two try assists and a line break with his first carry when he charged through Payne Haas in the opening set. 'He really set the tone in his first carry of the game when he poked his nose through,' five-eighth Luke Brooks said. 'Wherever he plays, he always does the job for the team and he's playing outstanding footy. 'For such a young bloke to be able to do that every week means he's a special player. 'He's a great fullback, so whenever Tom's out, he just slots in there really well. I think he's getting better and better every week.' Meanwhile, Dragons back-rower Jaydn Su'A will miss Friday's trip to take on the Dolphins after the club confirmed he suffered a low-grade syndesmosis injury to his left ankle during the win over Newcastle. Su'A battled on bravely for 20 minutes and scored a try before he eventually came off, with the injury likely to rule him out of contention for an Origin recall.
News.com.au
4 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
‘He's a special player': Sea Eagles won't rush Tom Trbojevic decision as Lehi Hopoate again shows he's a future superstar
Teammates are confident Lehi Hopoate can thrive at fullback again on Thursday night if Tom Trbojevic is ruled out of Manly's trip to Newcastle to take on the desperate Knights. Trbojevic missed the terrific win over Brisbane after he aggravated a corked thigh in the loss to Parramatta last month. Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold said his superstar fullback would play if Manly's game was on Sunday, but the short turnaround could mean he is rested to ensure he's fully fit when he returns. Trbojevic didn't train with the team at Monday's session in Brookvale but was spotted in the gym, with the club's medical staff expected to give him up to the captain's run on Wednesday to determine whether he's fit enough to play. In better news, Jake Trbojevic trained freely on Monday after missing the past two matches while in concussion protocols, with the Sea Eagles backing Hopoate to star again at the back if he's asked to play there. The young gun has done a tremendous job when he's moved from left wing to fullback but he saved his best for Saturday night with 224m, five tackle busts, two try assists and a line break with his first carry when he charged through Payne Haas in the opening set. 'He really set the tone in his first carry of the game when he poked his nose through,' five-eighth Luke Brooks said. 'Wherever he plays, he always does the job for the team and he's playing outstanding footy. 'For such a young bloke to be able to do that every week means he's a special player. 'He's a great fullback, so whenever Tom's out, he just slots in there really well. I think he's getting better and better every week.' Round 13 Injury Update: Jaydn Su'A #BreatheFire — St George Illawarra Dragons (@NRL_Dragons) June 2, 2025 Meanwhile, Dragons back-rower Jaydn Su'A will miss Friday's trip to take on the Dolphins after the club confirmed he suffered a low-grade syndesmosis injury to his left ankle during the win over Newcastle. Su'A battled on bravely for 20 minutes and scored a try before he eventually came off, with the injury likely to rule him out of contention for an Origin recall.
BBC News
12-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Munoz - 'The go-to definition of a Premier League full-back'
There were only 21 days between Daniel Munoz's arrival at Crystal Palace and manager Roy Hodgson's departure. Yet even before the Colombian international had set foot inside the club's training ground, Hodgson knew the defender would change fan expectations when it came to the full-back ahead of Munoz's arrival Hodgson said: "It's a very different type of player, a very different type of full-back to the ones that we have. Here's a younger man who will help the club going forward, and who has a different style of play."Now with almost 18 months of English top flight experience, during which the 29-year-old has missed only one of the 52 Crystal Palace Premier League fixtures, and after watching Munoz in the flesh during Sunday's victory over Tottenham Hotspur, I struggle to name anyone else who plays the wing-back role was a constant attacking threat, assisting Eberechi Eze's opening goal, and a crossbar away from getting onto the score sheet himself. Going the other way, Munoz found himself more than a match for Mathys Tel, Wilson Odobert or Mikey Moore, who all tried in vain to get the better of most obvious asset is his fitness. After watching him go up and down all afternoon it's no surprise to discover only Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes has covered more than the 367 km he has this season. What sets him apart from everyone else in the Premier League is the volume of high intensity movement he carries out during matches. Opta's statisticians define this as both "high-speed running" (moving at 20-25km/h) and "sprinting" (25+km/h) and Munoz leads the forward, Fulham's Antonee Robinson and Wolves' Rayan Ait Nouri are the only full-backs who can match the 10 goal involvements Munoz has provided. He also excels in the more traditional duties expected of those in his position, sitting behind Spurs' Destiny Udogie and Manchester United's Noussair Mazraoui when it comes to the average number of tackles made by Premier League defenders per 90 is always the case, so called 'bigger clubs', will be more than aware of Munoz's progress, so understandably Crystal Palace acted to protect their asset last month, by extending his current contract through to a season which has seen Kyle Walker move on, and the powers of Andy Robertson appear to fade, Munoz seems primed to take over as the go-to definition of a current Premier League full-back.
News.com.au
09-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘That challenge gets me excited': Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow on being considered for Maroons fullback role
Dolphins speedster Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow says he's excited by the challenge of playing a new role for the Maroons after his named was mentioned as a potential bolter to fill in at fullback for the State of Origin opener later this month. Reece Walsh's knee injury is likely to keep him out of the game on May 28, with Knights superstar Kalyn Ponga the logical option to replace him. But there's a school of thought that the 'Hammer' deserves first crack at the fullback role after finding form at the right time for his club, while he's also excelled every time he's put on the Queensland jersey. Tabuai-Fidow has scored nine tries from seven Origin appearances at left centre, and he grabbed a hat-trick in last year's series opener when he shifted to fullback to replace Walsh, who had been knocked out a by a Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii high shot. 'The Origin arena is different to club footy, but I'm playing fullback week in, week out here at the Dolphins,' he told the NewsWire. 'The pressure that comes with it, I can live with that. 'Whatever Billy (Maroons coach Billy Slater) wants me to do, I'll do. I don't mind if it's fullback or centre. I'm just concentrating on playing good footy and getting some wins here. 'That challenge gets me excited. 'Last year when Reece went off for the HIA, I ended up back there and I didn't feel out of place at all. I just went out there and did my job. 'With me playing fullback here every week, I know the role and I'm pretty comfortable out there.' Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf has backed his flyer to handle the job if selected, with Tabuai-Fidow's defence an underrated part of his game after he produced a stunning last-gasp tackle to deny the Eels a try on Thursday that would have tied things up. 'He'd do a very good job, I've got no doubt about that at all,' Woolf said. 'He's a big-game player and he showed that again tonight when we needed him. 'If he was picked to play No.1, I have no doubt he'd do a terrific job for Queensland. If he's picked at centre, then he'd do the same job.' Tabuai-Fidow's speed makes him a constant threat on the edge, but his ability to turn half breaks into guaranteed tries is why Slater must consider the gifted athlete for fullback. It's a role he played for the Maroons under-18s back in 2019 when he had the No.1 on his back with Walsh kept on the bench. 'I'm sure he'd be able to handle it,' Dolphins five-eighth Kodi Nikorima said. 'He's an incredible talent and a wonderful player. I'm sure wherever he does play, he'll do a wonderful job for the Maroons.'
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NRL news: Darren Lockyer's huge call on Queensland fullback role as bolter could force Billy Slater's hand
Queensland legend and selector Darren Lockyer has suggested Billy Slater has options at fullback with Kalyn Ponga no certainty for the No.1 jersey with a NRL youngster potentially coming into the Origin frame. Maroons coach Slater is only a few weeks away from selecting the Queensland side and Ponga is expected to be the fullback come Origin time. Reece Walsh's injury, compounding his up-and-down form, means Slater will select a new fullback for Game 1. Many already believed Ponga was going to be selected in the Maroons No.1 jersey anyway, but Walsh's injury sealed the deal. Queensland legend and selector Darren Lockyer (pictured) has suggested Kalyn Ponga is no certainty at fullback with Billy Slater left with a number of curveball options. (Images: Getty Images) However, Lockyer feels you never know with Slater and the Maroons might have a trick up his sleeve. After watching Robert Toia star for the Roosters during Magic Round, Lockyer suggested there is always the chance the youngster could play at centre. ADVERTISEMENT "I think there's probably positions in Billy's mind that are still up in the air, and the next couple of weeks might determine who gets the nod on a couple of positions," Lockyer said on the Channel 9 show QLDER. "We mentioned the new generation coming through. "This is hypothetical, but if you move Hammer (Tabuai-Fidow) who have you got coming in to centre? They've got Rob Toia... so there's all these sort of conversations. There might be some names sitting beside other names (and) the next couple of weeks will determine who's going to get it." Toia has only played nine games for the Roosters, but the club holds the 20-year-old in high-regards. If Slater was to find a position for the youngster in the centres alongside Valentine Holmes, this could allow Tabuai-Fidow to push back to fullback. While this was raised as a possibility, it's unlikely Slater and Lockyer leave Ponga out of the starting side. The fullback is arguably one of the most damaging players in the game on his day and has already proven to be a match-winner at Origin level. ADVERTISEMENT Ponga was sensational in 2022 Origin series, but struggled with concussion the following year and lost his position to Walsh. While Ponga's exclusion from the squad is unlikely, Lockyer did admit there would be one player that is a near certainty after making himself available. Darren Lockyer spoke highly of Roosters centre Robert Toia (pictured). Billy Slater confirms Daly Cherry-Evans availability Last month, Maroons coach Slater revealed that Daly Cherry-Evans has made himself available to play Origin, despite his club controversy in 2025. 'I have spoken to Daly,' he told News Corp. 'I would be very surprised if he wasn't available. He has had a fair bit on his plate lately but we have a good relationship, Daly and myself. It started as teammates, now he is the captain and I'm the coach. We are open and honest with each other. 'The one thing I love about 'Chez' is that he knows that every time he pulls on a Queensland jersey, he would have earnt that jersey. That's the one thing I love about him, that's how he goes into every Origin game and that's his mentality. Over the next few weeks he will be looking to play the footy he can play to put his name up there again.' ADVERTISEMENT While there was speculation over whether Cherry-Evans should be selected, with the likes of Tom Dearden putting his name up to partner Cameron Munster, it appears the Manly halfback will get another shot to avenge last year's loss. Speaking on the show, selector Lockyer suggested Slater will be mindful of making too many changes and Cherry-Evans will most likely be one of the first names picked if all goes to plan. "When you lose the previous series I think you all feel a little bit of pressure, but it's not like we were embarrassed," Lockyer said. "Billy would be out there looking at other options, in terms of what his depth's like. There are definitely players there who are incumbents who are safe in their position. "He's also probably thinking not just this game and this series, but what's coming through next. That will bring up names that, you probably don't think they're ready, but he's got to start thinking about the next generation too." Maroons legend Wally Lewis agreed with Lockyer and had Cherry-Evans down as a near certainty to play in 2025.
