Weโre living in an era of superstar fullbacks โ James Tedesco, Tom Trbojevic, Clint Gutherson, Latrell Mitchell, Ryan Papenhuyzen โ theyโre the players kids want to be, the highlight-reel merchants who make for compelling TV and divide opinion on a weekly basis.
Even Scott Drinkwater has been a revelation this year.
But for all the headline grabbers in the No.1 jersey, thereโs one custodian in the modern game who has proved just as important to his side โ but without all the fanfare.
Dylan Edwards is enjoying career-best form in 2022 โ but if youโve been watching the Panthersโ fullback more than occasionally, youโll know that this yearโs performances are the result of constant hard work and improvement.
It seems like an eternity ago that questions hung over Edwardsโ ability underneath the high ball, but it was 2019 when he made 10 errors in the space of two weeks and faced intense scrutiny.
But by the end of 2020, heโd restored the Panthers to the top of the kick defusal rankings and redeemed himself โ but he wasnโt done there.
In all the key metrics for the gameโs best fullbacks, Edwards has constantly improved. Tackle breaks, kick return metres, metres per game โ theyโve all gone up gradually, but theyโve all gone up.
Sure, he might not play as influential a role in the attack as Tedesco or Trbojevic, but in 2022 heโs finished No.1 in the league for average running metres and second in overall metres, heโs blown away the opposition in kick return metres (first by nearly a kilometre over Tedesco) and sits in the Top 10 tackle breakers in the NRL.
He was only trailing Ben Hunt by six points when Dally M voting went behind closed doors, and is still a strong candidate for Fullback of the Year, despite having to regularly share points with his captain Isaah Yeo and the rest of Penrithโs talented ensemble.
But despite the fact heโs been constantly overlooked for higher honours behind the gameโs biggest names, Panthers hooker Api Koroisau would take Edwards over his more-fancied counterparts every time.
โEveryone sees the flashy plays and James Tedesco is a freak doing incredible things,โ Koroisau told Zero Tackle.
โBut Dylan is just one of those guys who turns up each and every week, a guy who will never let you down. Heโs playing some incredible footy.
โHis work rate is just unbelievable. I wouldnโt want any other fullback on my team.โ
Koroisau and Edwards will be boosted by the return of star halves combo Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai this week, but the two-time premiership winner knows itโll take more than that alone to steer them to victory over the only team they havenโt beaten so far this year.
โItโs hard to pinpoint (the reason for the Eelsโ recent dominance),โ Koroisau said.
โThey just play really well every time they come up against us. Theyโve got a great forward pack โ and great backs too. I think their team as a whole, when they turn it on theyโre quite good.
When asked if there was a strategy in place to halt the Eelsโ relentless attacking momentum, Koroisau admitted that if there was, he didnโt know about it.
โTo be honest, I donโt listen too much to the gameplan,โ Koroisau joked.
โOne of their real dangers is the individuals in their team. They can all come up with big plays and create something from nothing. Theyโre one of those teams where if you donโt play for 80 minutes, theyโll nip you.โ
Thankfully, though Koroisau might not pay much attention to the game plan, he can always turn to the clubโs star halves for direction.
โItโs good (to have them back). Nathanโs such a great leader on the field. To have them both back, the way they lead us around and make sure everyone knows their roles, itโs like they havenโt even been gone.โ
