NRL legend Darren Lockyer claims the Wests Tigers should give co-captain Moses Mbye the No.9 jersey this season, giving him the opportunity to be the long-term replacement for champion former skipper Robbie Farah, who retired last year.
Sharing the leadership duties with Benji Marshall, Mbye, who may not be fit to start the season after injuring his knee in Sunday's trial match against the Warriors, appears guaranteed a place in the starting side when fit.
Speaking to Wide World of Sports, Lockyer said the team would be best served by Mbye at hooker, leaving boom recruit Adam Doueihi as the likely fullback.
Should Maguire side with the Queensland legend and fill his spine with Doueihi, Mbye, Benji Marshall and Luke Brooks it would leave $750,000-a-season star Josh Reynolds out in the cold for the second straight season.
"There's a bit of talk about who will fill that position. I don't think it's 100 per cent decided yet. Moses has been named captain so you'd have to have him in the starting team," Lockyer told Wide World of Sports.
That call would give the 26-year-old the chance to nail down a key position for the first time in his career and would answer one of the biggest questions hanging over then joint venture club after the Tigers failed in their attempt to engineer an unprecedented off-season player swap aimed at filling Farah's old jersey with Storm young gun Harry Grant.
The NRL blocked that move after ruling that Melbourne did not have enough room in their cap to accommodate Tigers centre Paul Momirovski but with Mbye racing the clock to be fit for Round 1 it could come down to a battle between Reynolds and Billy Walters, the son of Queensland coach Kevin, to start the season at hooker.
Both Walters and Reynolds started their careers at five-eighth but have both made positive contributions during the preseason from dummy-half.
Reynolds scored a try in the win against the Warriors, off the back of a dominant performance from the Tigers.
However, he will have to continue to press his claims from reserve grade or the bench if Lockyer's preferred spine is used by Maguire.
The Queensland legend has liked what he has seen from Doueihi at fullback and favours Momirovski and star recruit Joey Leilua to play in the centres, leaving Mbye without a spot in the backline and making the No.9 jersey the only one he can realistically wear in the starting 13.
Lockyer said Walters is "a promising player" but needs to be given a proper opportunity to prove his worth in the top grade.
"He can play in the halves and hooker and I've seen some things that prove that he belongs in first grade. It's just where they give him an opportunity this year. If we're talking about Mbye at hooker, there's also Josh Reynolds at hooker, so it's also about how many opportunities he gets," Lockyer said.
Mbye has played most of his NRL career in the halves but played at fullback and centre for most of last season.
The only other real option for the ex-Bulldog is to be moved into the centres, forcing Momirovski to the wing or out of the 17.
The centre position is already a hotly pursued spot at the Tigers, Robert Jennings and highly touted youngster Tommy Talau jostling for the other spot.
Talau is the son of ex-Bulldogs star Willie and Lockyer said if he is anything like his father he will be one to watch in 2020 and beyond.
"If he's built the same has his father his going to be a handful."
from WWOS http://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/nrl-news-wests-tigers-darren-lockyer-tips-josh-reynolds-to-miss-spot/48f70856-c757-4172-ab6f-2a954b1360aa
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