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Message: [QUOTE="andrewhaigh, post: 2270874, member: 2134"] [url="http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26743000-5018866,00.html"]http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,865 ... 66,00.html[/url] Israel Folau has made a shock 11th-hour bid for Brisbane Broncos's problematic fullback jumper - and the Broncos have Wayne Bennett to thank should he prove their solution. Folau, initially reluctant to switch to the No.1 jumper vacated by AFL-bound star Karmichael Hunt, has now declared he would love to be Brisbane's new fullback. The dramatic change of heart was prompted by the tryscoring whiz's shock cameo at fullback for the NRL All-Stars last weekend, which came at Bennett's request. And after getting his first taste of the custodian role, the 20-year-old superstar would now welcome a permanent switch but fears he may have left his bid too late. "I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I didn't think I'd like playing fullback but after having a go, I'd say it was definitely really enjoyable for me," he said. "I've thought about it more since last week and I'd definitely like to do it if Ivan (Henjak) thought it was good for the team. "The best part about being fullback was getting to run around the field, which is what I like doing. You see the ball more and that's what I enjoy most. It was very enjoyable." Bennett tossed Folau into the fullback role midway through the showpiece clash against the Indigenous All-Stars at Skilled Park last Saturday night. And the youngest Australia Test player in history took to his new role like a duck to water. "I was supposed to play wing but Wayne just tapped me on the back at halftime and asked if I'd play fullback," he said. "I said yes. It was a surprise. I was a bit more nervous because I've never played fullback at that level before, I didn't have any experience and when I got out there it was great." Broncos coach Henjak has given serious weight to Folau and busted centre Justin Hodges as viable fullback options. Henjak initially cooled on the idea of moving his strike weapon after fellow star Hodges suffered a long-term achilles injury but that planning may again change. The form of young gun Corey Norman, who will play fullback in Saturday night's trial against Canberra at Ballymore, will be a key factor in determining Folau's fate. The merits of Steve Michaels, Gerard Beale, Alex Glenn, Antonio Winterstein and utility option Ben Hunt are also being keenly studied. Wherever he lines up, Folau has promised bigger and better things in 2010 after a hot and cold maiden season in Brisbane in which he also suffered a broken ankle. Asked if he needs to get his hands dirty more after his 2009 switch from wing to centre, Folau said: "I've got to try to add that to my game and take a few more runs for the forwards. "I need to mix it up a bit when I'm running up to the line. "Playing at fullback, having that roaming role, really helped me." [/QUOTE]

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