Tom Trbojevic, James Tedesco or Ryan Papenhuyzen: Whose career would you prefer?

When it comes to superstar fullbacks in the NRL, fans are spoilt for choice.

It’s arguably the positions with the most depth in the sport, with almost every team seeming to have a star running out in the number one on a weekly basis.

But when it comes to those at the absolute top of their class, there are few who can even hold a candle to Tom Trbojevic of the Manly Sea Eagles, James Tedesco of the Sydney Roosters and Ryan Papenhuyzen of the Melbourne Storm.

Trbojevic and Tedesco have taken it in turns setting the NRL on fire over the past couple of years, while Papenhuyzen was set to rival the pair for the New South Wales Blues’ number one jersey in 2021 before he had half his season wiped out with a concussion.

So good is Trbojevic though, that the selectors still picked him out of possession for the Origin side, while Tedesco’s grip on the number one sky blue jersey doesn’t seem quite as strong as it was 12 months ago.

So today, on Zero Tackle, we pose the question: If you could be one of the trio - James Tedesco, Tom Trbojevic or Ryan Papenhuyzen - whose career would you pick?

Ryan Papenhuyzen

Maybe the hardest of the trio to justify at this early stage of his career.

Papenhuyzen is yet to make this State of Origin debut, although was pushing hard for that to be his this year before the dreaded concussion struck.

Still, his return from injury saw him immediately recapture some of the form he had during the first ten weeks of the season, and his raw talent that was on display during 2020 should leave fans excited, particularly given he is still only 23.

He is the youngest of the trio, and while he might be third in line for a Blue jumper, that could well change in the coming years given the advantage he has in time left on the park.

He could conceivably play for another decade before hanging up the boots and become just like the man he took over from at the club, Billy Slater.

James Tedesco

Until Tom Trbojevic went bananas in 2021, James Tedesco had been the undisputed best fullback in the game for the best part of three years.

His romp to the Dally M Medal in 2020, and his role in back-to-back premierships for the Sydney Roosters in 2018 and 2019 saw him become not only the best fullback, but the best player in the game.

The way the star number one was able to stand up in 2021 to carry his injury-depleted team to the top six is also worthy of applause, with “Teddy” now captaining his club, state and potentially country when the World Cup rolls around at the end of the year.

At 28, he still has at least five years left to continue adding to his impressive statistics and talent on field.

Tom Trbojevic

Trbojevic, at 25, was finally able to shake his long-running hamstring injuries during the 2021 season to piece together a year of unbridled brilliance.

Up until then, Trbojevic’s biggest problem had been stringing consecutive games together, but he didn’t have those problems in 2021 once he returned from an original injury in Round 5.

He turned Manly into a force and was untouchable, winning every award that he could from the season.

Whether he can maintain that rage in years to come is anyone’s guess, but you’d be a brave person to bet against him doing so.

The key stats

The verdict

This is impossible to predict given it’s virtually asking “who is going to end up having the biggest career out of three stars?”

But it’s hard to go past Trbojevic, provided he can keep his injuries at bay. He is likely to turn into a one-club player, and it’s hard to see him not winning countless Origins and premierships before he hangs up the boots.