The Prenter Report #5

If Australian coach Ricky Stuart had his way, Greg Inglis would be playing fullback in the World Cup this year.

Stuart, an unabashed fan of Inglis, believes the Melbourne Storm champion, would be even more explosive from fullback than he is on the wing.

“Because of the way things are shaping for the World Cup, Inglis won’t be at fullback but that doesn’t alter my opinion of him,” said Stuart, Australia’s World Cup coach.

Inglis, playing in his international spot on the wing, stole the show at the Centenary Test last Friday night before a near capacity Sydney Cricket Ground crowd of over 34,000.

The “Inglis try” will rate with the most spectacular ever scored on a Rugby League field.

His back flip with pike would have won Olympic gold at the diving pool! Centre Mark Gasnier surely awarded Inglis a “10” for the acrobatic act of the century, an “act” that gave Gasnier a four pointer.

Those of us who salivated over the deeds of Reg Gasnier, Graeme Lang lands, Bobby Fulton and the late Steve Rogers too readily dimiss the skills of the modern day player.

We are guilty, sometimes, of living in the past.

Let me assure you, as much as I thrilled at the talents of Gasnier, Langlands, Fulton and Rogers, what Inglis did last Friday night was not in their repertoire.

Greg Inglis is special.

Talent to burn and a World Cup coach’s dream. He can mix it with the best of them on the wing, in the centre and at fullback.

If there is to be an award for the “Player of the Series” in the World Cup then Inglis is at unbackable odds.

This World Cup will be spectacular with Inglis spearheading the unexpected.

Stuart rates him as highly as he can any player.

A word from Stuart on the late Jack Gibson, the coach’s coach who died last Friday evening.

“Jack was my coach in my first State of Origin game,” said Stuart.

‘He had an aura about him like no other person I have met.”

On a personal note.

When, as a League writer for the Sun newspaper I approached Jack Gibson and asked why he was taking up coaching, he looked at me as he laced on a boot in a park opposite the old Sydney Sports Ground and said: “Geoffrey, I think I can do something for Easts and I think they can do something for me…”

That “something” turned out to be revolutionary in so many ways.

Jack Gibson was a tough taskmaster with players and journalists alike.
He would acknowledge achievement and he would admonish those that took life a step too far.

He once told a group of friends that I could be locked in a loo for 30 seconds and come out with a back page story.

Maybe, Jack, but it was you who created that story.

By Geoff Prenter