The Forgotten Fullback: why Cowboy Coote should be NSW #1

With Origin once again looming, there has been much discussion as to the makeup of the NSW side as they aim to snatch back the shield they wrestled away from a dominant QLD in 2014. One of the most contentious positions has been the fullback jumper, with three players thrown into the ring for the job.

Josh Dugan is the incumbent, a strong ball runner who is ever reliable under the high ball. James Tedesco is in scintillating form for the Tigers despite their faltering season and is involved in absolutely everything for the joint venture side. Matt Moylan missed the start of the season with injury, but his ball playing skills mean that Laurie Daley will be watching him closely in the weeks leading up to Game One. 

In the midst of all this, it seems as though potentially the best man for the job has been swept aside in North Queensland fullback Lachlan Coote. Earmarked as a rep player at a very early age before a string of injuries cruelled his career, Coote has experienced a rejuvenation at the Cowboys and played a huge part in their maiden premiership win last season. He has continued that form this season in a Cowboys side that sits in second place on the NRL ladder, and yet his name has seemingly not come up in any of the discussions surrounding the Blues custodian position. 

When NSW finally won the series in 2014 after almost a decade of Maroon dominance, they did it with Dally M winner Jarryd Hayne in the number one jersey. Hayne was in sublime form, and played an instrumental role in the series victory. The Blues struggled to replace the NFL bound Hayne in 2016 and eventually lost the series once again, lacking points against an ever strong QLD defensive line.

The sad fact is that NSW simply cannot match QLD in the halves. With the two best halves in the NRL in Thurston and Cronk wearing the 6 and 7, QLD are much more potent than their opposite combination regardless of who NSW may choose for Game One. That means that the Blues need more ball playing ability elsewhere in the side to counter the attacking potency of the Maroons and take pressure off their own halves. Jarryd Hayne did just that in his time at fullback for NSW, absorbing some of the attacking duties of the halves whilst having the freedom of attacking from the back, creating doubt in the minds of the QLD defence. Josh Dugan, for all his toughness and tenacity, can't provide the ball playing that NSW needs from their fullback. He is an old school fullback, a ball runner first and foremost and a brilliant kick returner who is a great last line defender, but his ball playing ability is sadly lacking.

James Tedesco has all the makings of a quality fullback and is in absolutely outstanding form, but while he has a good passing game he lacks a quality kicking game and is yet to consistently demonstrate vision as a ball player. Matt Moylan certainly has all the ball playing qualities the Blues need in a fullback, having been earmarked as a future five-eighth by the Panthers, but he has had no chance to demonstrate consistent form over the last couple of seasons down thanks to injury and his defence can be questionable in the last line. Enter Lachlan Coote.

A product of Windsor, Coote is a brilliant instinctive footballer in an age of athletes. From the beginning of the 2015 season until now he has amassed 20 try assists in 28 appearances, numbers that many halves can't lay claim to. His passing and kicking games are second to none in terms of NRL fullbacks and he possesses great vision with the footy.  He is an excellent last line defender and his kick return metres are on par with most of the competition. 

The Cowboys have become a genuine powerhouse because of the extra attacking threats in their side, and Coote is a massive link in that chain. NSW have shown they need the same thing at Origin level. Once upon a time the Cowboys were an inconsistent side because everything went through Thurston and, as great as he is, when he was heavily targeted they struggled to score. NSW lack the creativity and ability in the halves that QLD boast, and as such can be easy to shut down with ball in hand. Coote provides another point of attack for North Queensland, and can play that all important role for NSW as well. He's dynamic in attack, a genuine third half, and that is what helped win NSW the series in 2014 with Jarryd Hayne playing fullback. He provided the extra threat with the ball, with his brilliant passing game and very good kicking game. Coote may not be the freak that Hayne was at his best, but he certainly possesses similar qualities. 

If NSW want to win back the Origin shield and prove that 2014 was no fluke, then Lachlan Coote would seem the logical choice for fullback. Time will tell what direction Laurie Daley chooses to take, and whether he is successful in 2016. There is no reason he can't be, because there is no doubt that all four fullbacks of these are outstanding footballers who bring different things to the table and who are absolutely representative quality players. However, it seems absurd that player of Cootes' calibre is yet to be seriously mentioned for the role. As the current premiership winning fullback he has demonstrated everything NSW is looking for at the back, and it seems like missing a trick if the Blues don't at least explore him as an option as they look to select a side that can beat the might of QLD.