Whether through injury or flagging confidence Greg Inglis has lost the x-factor that makes him such a special player according to Corey Parker but the Broncos skipper is wary of it returning at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
Riding high at the top of the table, the Broncos will be out to heap more misery on a Rabbitohs outfit that has lost four of its past five games and were clinically disposed of by a blistering North Queensland outfit last Friday night.
Inglis was forced from the field 14 minutes from full-time last Friday night after copping a head knock and was kept to just 97 metres, one offload and zero tackle busts, numbers that were well down on his season average.
Queensland teammates in 12 Origin matches, Parker knows what Inglis in full-flight looks like first-hand and said there was definitely a spark missing from the South Sydney’s game at present.
"From where I am looking he doesn’t seem to have that x-factor that we’ve all known Greg to do," Parker told Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast.
"Now, I also understand that’s only one game away for him and I know he likes to come to Brisbane and I know he likes playing in Brisbane so fingers crossed it’s not on Friday night when we play them.
"We’ll be coming up against a Bunnies side on Friday night that I’d dare say will be playing for a lot of pride. They’ve still got an array of talent in their side led by the Burgess brothers and it’s going to be on show again."
Inglis has said in the past that the right knee that is heavily strapped before every game will require constant management for the remainder of his career.
Parker, who played his 330th game in Friday night’s 53-0 demolition of the Knights said that if the knee is having an influence on his confidence levels then it is perhaps something that should be attended to sooner rather than later.
"Confidence is a big thing in rugby league and when you’re not winning and you’re getting beaten quite comprehensively, which they have had a couple of, it can deflate you individually," said Parker.
"He’s obviously got that ongoing knee injury, I don’t know the extent of it and whether it’s actually playing a part on him or it’s not but you’d like to think that if it is having an effect on his playing ability week in and week out that maybe he might have to look at doing something to help that.
"He’s gallant if he wants to keep taking the field and producing for his side but if he’s not getting self-satisfaction because of some lingering knee injuries he might just have to give it a rest.
"If that’s not the case then he’s obviously just got to find some confidence and go from there.
"One thing I do know is if he turns up and wants to perform, it doesn’t matter where it comes from, that confidence can explode and away you go.
"He likes to play in Brisbane so hopefully it’s not up here."