Andrew Johns has declared there is only one “X-factor” player who could replace Clint Gutherson as Parramatta’s fullback.
And that man is currently running around in the rival code, rugby union.
“If they are talking about X-factor fullbacks I can only think of one, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck,” Johns told Wide World of Sports’ Freddy and the Eighth.
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The question was posed following a bombshell story this week regarding the Eels captain.
Gutherson has told the club he is prepared to sacrifice his No.1 jumper if a fullback can be found that will provide the team X-factor to aid its premiership tilt.
The fact the club is considering the idea has been hammered by some, including legendary fullback Billy Slater.
And while Johns is largely against the idea of moving Gutherson, he would do so for one player.
“If you’re going to move Gutho to centre, the only (fullback) I would put in front of him would be Roger,” Johns continued.
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“A lot of talk about Jayden Campbell. I think Jayden could potentially be an X-factor player, but at the moment he’s not.”
Titans livewire Campbell, 23, has been floated as the key target for Parramatta if such a move was to happen.
But while Tuivasa-Sheck is six years older and has been out of rugby league for the past year and a half, there’s no doubt he would add a new dimension to any NRL team.
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The fleet-footed Kiwi superstar burst onto the scene in the Roosters’ 2013 premiership season, and was named Dally M winger of the year.
In 2018, after jumping ship to the Warriors, he won the league’s highest individual honour, the Dally M Medal.
After playing 195 NRL games with those two clubs he signed a deal with New Zealand Rugby and defected in 2021.
And while he is constantly the subject of NRL signing speculation, reports this week claim he is on the verge of signing with Japanese rugby.
As far as the Eels are concerned, Brad Fittler can’t understand the want to sign a new fullback, especially given Gutherson’s contract which is not far shy of $1 million a year.
“I don’t get why they don’t just go and chase a centre,” Fittler told Freddy and the Eighth.
“I think Gutho, with the way they play, I don’t know how Gutho is going to be of more value at centre than he is at fullback.
“The best parts of Gutho are his fitness and his input into the game. And you’re going to take that away?”
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