The issue with Laurie is his defence . Everyone talks about line breaks etc , but his defence as in positioning and ability to organise the line makes it impossible to keep him .
There’s a reason our kick diffusion is the worst in the nrl .
If we are going to run a ball playing 13 it really negates what Laurie is good at , especially if the sweeping and linking is done by the opposite side half. By the time Laurie / fullback gets the ball he’s only operating in the far channel , usually 3 on 2 but over like 5m of total width .
What he doesn’t do , is support around the ruck . So many times I’ve watched joffa especially get his arms free , to see no one there .
From what I’ve seen of Staines what he provides , is what we lack .
But like I said this is all dependant on playing a ball playing 13: