They play one of the most important positions on the field both in attack and defence and there is no shortage of great custodians in the game today. The NRL.com staff entered their votes to come up with the best five fullbacks in the NRL.
5 Matt Moylan
2016 stats: 4 tries, 21 try assists, 5 line breaks, 53 tackle breaks, 114 metres per game
The 2016 season saw the complete arrival of prodigious talent Matt Moylan, who captained Penrith to a sixth-placed finish, played all three games for NSW in State of Origin and also made his international debut for Australia in a 54-12 rout of Scotland. His 21 try assists in the NRL Telstra Premiership was easily the most for a fullback, and was also third highest across the whole competition with only Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk setting up more four-pointers. Moylan's speed, footwork and ability to ball-play makes him the complete package.
4 Billy Slater
2016 stats: Was injured in Round 1
There is no question that Billy Slater is one of the greatest fullbacks the game has ever seen, but he has only managed eight games in the last two seasons (just one in 2016) due to injury. There are hopes he'll be right to go for the Storm in 2017 from Round 1, with Cameron Munster set to shift to five-eighth. Slater is the best organisational fullback in rugby league and will be looking to make amends for a couple of lost seasons. At full flight, there isn't a better fullback in the world. We hope he returns to his best in 2017.
3 Greg Inglis
2016 stats: 5 tries, 7 try assists, 11 line breaks, 71 tackle breaks, 144 metres per game
One of the modern greats of rugby league, Greg Inglis had a frustrating season in 2016 at club level. It was a different story in the representative scene, where he dominated for Queensland and Australia. Despite an underwhelming campaign for the Rabbitohs, he still ran for a massive 2,882 metres to rank second among fullbacks behind Darius Boyd. Inglis's famed fend and physical presence allowed him to rack up 71 tackle breaks and he'll be hoping for a much better season next year.
2 James Tedesco
2016 stats: 14 tries, 12 try assists, 15 line breaks, 106 tackle breaks, 135 metres per game
The most electric ball-runner on this list, Tedesco is a force of nature when he gets into open space. Incredibly fast, Tedesco's violent running style and evasiveness led to a whopping 106 tackle breaks and 14 tries last season, while he also had the ball-playing ability to create a dozen try assists. He is at the heart of everything the Wests Tigers do, and also earned his State of Origin debut in 2016. He'll be hoping to fight off challenges from Matt Moylan and Jarryd Hayne to make the NSW No.1 jersey his own for years to come.
1 Darius Boyd
2016 stats: 9 tries, 15 try assists, 9 line breaks, 62 tackle breaks, 124 metres per game
Darius Boyd had never started at fullback for Queensland until 2016, but the prolific Maroons and Broncos custodian made the role his own and then starred for the Kangaroos in a dominant Four Nations tournament. One of the best ball-playing fullbacks in the NRL, Boyd rarely makes a mistake when he sweeps into the backline. Absolutely rock solid at the back, Boyd's game has evolved and he has really become a general organising his defence. He's been a great player for a long time, but now Boyd is the undisputed best fullback in the game.
