By Brad Walter and AAP
JUST one round into the NRL season and less than two weeks after saying Darren Lockyer would never revert from five-eighth to fullback, Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett is considering switching the Australia captain to his former position.
Bennett made the shock admission after a Broncos training session yesterday at which fullback Karmichael Hunt spent time in the first-receiver's role.
While insisting the switch would not happen, before tonight's match against Cronulla at Toyota Park, Bennett said he was prepared to remove Lockyer from the front line of defence to spare him the weekly pounding that was dulling his attacking brilliance.
"I've got to be flexible," Bennett said before the team's departure for Sydney. "I wouldn't be afraid to move him if that's what I've got to do."
With Cowboys five-eighth Johnathan Thurston outplaying a tired-looking Lockyer to spark his side to a 36-4 thrashing of Brisbane last weekend, Maroons selectors are already considering playing the Test skipper at fullback in this year's Origin series and any move at club level would make his return to the No.1 Queensland and Australia jerseys a formality.
Lockyer's defence was tested 24 times by the rampant Cowboys last weekend and he failed that test no fewer than 11 times. He was replaced midway through the second half with an arm injury and looked a spent force after the game.
It's a ploy other coaches have used, with Parramatta's Nathan Hindmarsh and Manly's Ben Kennedy both targeting Lockyer last season in a bid to drain his energy.
Former players, including Laurie Daley, have expressed concerns about his health and longevity if he continues to take such a battering.
They also believe he's far more effective for Brisbane when playing fullback, where he can use his vision and agility to attack.
"I'm continually in consultation with him about a number of issues and it's not something we are unaware of, not working on or trying to improve," Bennett said.
Bennett also called for the NRL to do more to limit the possibility of the game's marquee players switching to rugby union. His comments followed confirmation from Australian Rugby Union chief executive Gary Flowers that officials had held talks with Test centre Mark Gasnier - at the request of the St George Illawarra star and his manager, George Mimis.
Flowers told the Herald on Thursday that no offer had yet been made for Gasnier, but Dragons boss Peter Doust has approached NRL chief executive David Gallop for assistance after being warned the ARU could table a deal worth $800,000 a season.
"Mark Gasnier is probably in the top three to five players in the game at the moment and is being courted by rugby union," Doust said.
The expected departure of captain Trent Barrett and utility Shaun Timmins to England at the end of the season would free room under the salary cap, but the Dragons have several other players coming off contract, including Kangaroos back-rower Ben Creagh and boom prop Ashton Sims.
Elsewhere, the Dragons followed up Thursday's announcement that WIN TV had taken a 24 per cent stake in the joint venture after paying the Steelers' $6.5 million debt to St George Leagues Club by finalising a deal to continue playing six NRL matches and one pre-season trial in Wollongong for a further five years.
The privatisation deal has dealt an almost fatal blow to the hopes of Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes a Court succeeding with their $3 million bid for a 75 per cent share of South Sydney, but Rabbitohs chairman Nick Pappas yesterday warned their decision would dictate once and for all whether the Rabbitohs commit to a permanent presence in Sydney.
In team news, Brisbane centre Justin Hodges (side strain) has been ruled out of tonight's match against Cronulla, with Casey McGuire shifting from lock to replace him and Neville Costigan coming into the starting line-up. Tame Tupou has been added to the interchange bench.
North Queensland lost Kiwis international David Fauimu (groin) for tonight's clash with Manly, coach Graham Murray promoting hooker Clint Amos to make his NRL debut.
The NRL player agent accreditation committee has began an investigation into the involvement of managers in the Warriors salary cap scandal
NRL salary cap auditor Ian Schubert yesterday passed on documents from the case to the committee's operations manager Paul Osborne, who has begun interviewing agents.
It is believed up to four agents will come under scrutiny.