Simply The Best: Which fullback better than all the rest?

Which fullback has been the No.1 from all the stars who've set the NRL alight from the back during the past three decades?

NRL.com has launched the search for the Simply The Best players from 1990 to now and is calling on the fans to have their say.

A poll is being launched each Friday for each of the nine positions on the field as well as the coach who has been better than all the rest during the past 30 years.

You can no longer vote via the poll at the bottom of this article. The 10 nominees were trimmed to the final two candidates on Wednesday with polls on the NRL Instagram and Facebook accounts deciding once and for all which player is Simply The Best out of Darren Lockyer and Billy Slater.

The NRL.com newsroom had earlier narrowed the race to be the best fullback down to a shortlist of 10.

It's a sign of the quality of the field that the list of notable omissions includes Raiders legend Gary Belcher - who was towards the end of his career when the Simply the Best era began in 1990, Kiwi legend Matthew Ridge, Brett Hodgson, Rhys Wesser, David Peachey, Luke Patten, Julian O’Neill, Robbie Ross, Matt Bowen and Robbie O’Davis.

Simply The Best fullback nominees

(in alphabetical order)

Darius Boyd

A teenage star on the wing when he made his Broncos debut in 2006, he established himself as a representative player before switching to the Dragons and playing a vital role in their 2010 premiership win, taking home the Clive Churchill Medal. He has racked up more than 300 NRL games heading into his final season this year.

Tim Brasher

Another player who burst onto the scene as a teenager, he switched from the centres to fullback for Balmain in the early 1990s and excelled for NSW and Australia in the No.1 jersey before finishing his 244-game career with stints at South Sydney and North Queensland.

Jarryd Hayne

One of the most naturally gifted players of the past 30 years, he showed explosive speed and power with Parramatta after making his NRL debut in 2006, twice winning the Dally M Medal of the year. His purple patch in leading the Eels to a remarkable grand final appearance in 2009 was one of the most memorable individual finals campaigns by any player in premiership history.

Greg Inglis

Another player blessed with supreme talent, he spent a lot of his career in Melbourne playing centre or five-eighth as the Storm had Billy Slater at fullback but when he switched to South Sydney in 2011, Inglis made the No.1 jersey his own. His performance in 2014 to help guide the Rabbitohs to their first premiership in 43 years will forever remain part of club folklore.

Darren Lockyer

Although he spent the latter stages of his career at five-eighth, Lockyer was superb in his first decade in the NRL at the back for Brisbane, Queensland and Australia, playing a starring role in the Broncos' 1998 and 2000 grand final victories.

Anthony Minichiello

The 2005 Golden Boot winner, he was a key member of the Sydney Roosters sides which had sustained success early in the 21st century and the NSW and Australian stalwart was still going strong at the back in the closing stages of his career, leading the club to grand final glory in 2013.

Billy Slater

Whether lining up for the Storm, Queensland or Australia, the livewire fullback from Innisfail was always in the action and had plenty of success along the way. The 2008 Golden Boot winner and Dally M player of the year three seasons later, he won two premierships with Melbourne in his 319-game career which ended in 2018.

Brett Stewart

The Prince of Brookvale, the speedy fullback enjoyed a phenomenal try-scoring strike rate at home for Manly and was no slouch on the road either, tallying 163 tries for the Sea Eagles in his 14-year career which included premiership victories in 2008 and 2011.

James Tedesco

The modern-day standard for fullbacks, Tedesco had an injury-interrupted start to his NRL career with the Wests Tigers but after making his State of Origin debut for NSW in 2016, he has quickly become the best of the current custodians, taking home the Dally M Medal last year to add to his premiership trophies with the Roosters during the past two seasons. He has also fended off several challengers to cement his spot as the Australian Test fullback.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

Another player who has wow factor whenever he has the ball, RTS won the Dally M Medal in 2018 and has been a constant source of speed, skill and power for the Warriors in New Zealand after initially rising to prominence on the wing at the Roosters.