Dunbar

Yes, I think that you are right that Minichiello is better than the second group... I still don't have him quite up there with the 'elite' group but as good as Mullins I think.

You can divide your selection into pretty much two groups Billy Slater, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Darren Lockyer, James Tedesco, Greg Inglis and Jarryd Hayne (at his best) were all great full backs Brett Stewart, Ben Barba, Anthony Minichiello, Tim Brasher and Matt Bowen were good NRL first graders and SOO reps but not in the class of the first group. In fact, in the NRL era I would have Brett Hodgson and Karmichael Hunt in front of most of these. Brett Mullins is an interesting one - he fits in below the elite but above the rest. And that is where I would place Kris Radlinski as well.

Sorry but this thinking is years, no decades, out of date. The full back's most important job In the modern is to be the single most important attacking strike player. There is nothing wrong with you having the opinion that tackling and catching high balls is the most important job of a full back but I will probably defer to Craig Bellamy and how he uses Billy Slater or Wayne Bennett and his deployment of Darius Boyd or maybe Trent Robinson and his use of James Tedesco. Or in fact any modern coach and his desire to have a modern day full back at his disposal to execute his attacking plays.

I wonder what celebration Zak has planned.

How did Watkins go on his return from injury?

Morgan Smithies is going to be one hell of a player.

While this is absolutely true, the careers of Mitchell and Inglis are almost a mirror of each other up to this point. They both starred for the Australian Schoolboys, they both made their NRL debuts, State of origin debuts and Kangaroo debuts at prodigiously young ages and they were both Premiership winners by the time they were 21. It is almost freaky how similar they are in playing styles and career... all Mitchell has to do is have the longevity and consistent quality of Inglis. This is no simple task but he has the talent to do it.

According to this site he is now at 125kg which seems about right for his 194cm (6'4") height. http://www.fanleague.com.au/player/shaquai-mitchell I expect he will end up a little smaller than Tom and George Burgess when fully conditioned.

This is the only picture I could find of him. He definitely won't be 150kg when he is ready to play 1st grade. I'm not sure the Burgess brothers are that puny compared to him... just less wobbly.

Getting the timing of retirement right is one of the key decisions for any professional sportsperson and this is heightened for champions who are constantly under the microscope with every single aspect of their performance analysed and compared to younger players (as you (and I) have done with Inglis and Mitchell). From a fan's point of view we want to see the best players play but we become critical when their performances start to slide, even by small amounts. Of course, we look solely at the performance and ability and forget that this is their job and their primary source of income to support families and try and set themselves up for a very very very long retirement (from pro sports). I don't think it fair (but it is human nature) to compare players to younger one's. Mitchell is phenomenal but he is still prone to lapses in concentration and fades out of games too much for my liking. Inglis' performances should be considered for what they are rather than relative to others. After a full pre-season I wouldn't be surprised to see him back at the top of his game. Actually, the one player I worry has extended his playing career to the harm of his legacy is Cam Smith. There were times last year when he looked a little off the pace and for a player who has built his game on being the hub of all that the Storm do that is a worrying sign. Add some injuries that he didn't seem to pick up before and I fear he may be a lesser player this year. This may be compounded by not having both of Cronk and Slater around who he had an almost telepathic understanding with. I hope this isn't the case of course as I like to see champion players play to their very best.

You only had to look at the player voting list from last year to know that something had to change. This system is not perfect but I can't think of a better one to use.

I can see the Broncos going well this year. Anthony Seibold is a very good young coach and will be very motivated to succeed. The Broncos probably have the best young talent coming through in the NRL and I think Seibold could take them to the next level. 2019 may be a little early for them but the Broncos will win the NRL in the next 3 years in my opinion.

Of course one way of reading the article quoted by the OP is that the Super league is not that easy a competition after all and 'star import' status is no guarantee of success. If you don't come with your A game (or probably more likely your A attitude) you will flop. I see this as a positive statement for our league rather than negative... but then my glass is always half full. And as for Widdop. He is outstanding and by far the best NRL signing that a Super League club has made in a very long time.

I think the Roosters are a very good chance of going back to back. They have kept the majority of their 2018 squad with only Blake Ferguson a serious loss while adding a couple of quality players. More critically, their 2018 additions (Tedesco and Cronk) will hit the ground running this year while Mitchell, Keary and Radley will be one year better as they progress their careers. They look a very well balanced team with a top quality spine... full back, halves and hooker are all established stars. They have lost a few up front (Napa and Nuuausala) but they still have a good engine room while I can't think of another team in the NRL with as much strike power out wide. Angus Crichton and Joseph Manu on the right edge and Boyd Corder and Mitchell on the left just looks immense. Add to that a thoughtful and progressive coach. The NRL is such a competitive league but serious injury to a number of key players aside I think the Roosters are the best all round team.

I have seen some marvelous Australian players over the years but I have to say from a GB/English point of view, seeing the name Greg Inglis on the Kangaroo team sheet was probably the scariest of the lot.... you just knew he was going to do something unplayable.