Inglis to regain fullback jersey when he's ready: Seibold
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South Sydney Rabbitohs coach Anthony Seibold says he will hand the No.1 jersey back to Greg Inglis when the skipper tells him he is ready for it.
Just three days out from Inglis' return to the NRL, the Rabbitohs coach all but admitted his captain would be back in the No.1 jersey at some point in the season but would wait until Inglis is confident his body can to handle the rigours of the role.
"Once Greg comes to me and says, 'listen, I want to move back to fullback', that would be a fair indication," Seibold said at a captain and coaches press conference at Perth Stadium on Wednesday.
"We're not looking too far ahead and Alex Johnston has had a good pre-season for us and we're really comfortable with him being there at the moment. Until at some stage Greg comes and has a chat and says he's ready to go back there we'll see how the conversation goes then."
There's a nervous excitement about Inglis, who admitted his return to Charity Shield had a massive impact on his outlook heading into the season opener.
"It’s satisfying," he said.
"After the Charity shield, even though I played 20 minutes, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I had the biggest smile on my face. I woke up the next morning and I was still smiling. I was just happy and thankful I got through it without any injuries."
Despite having to overcome some mental demons associated with his return from the horrific knee injury, Inglis insists he's not lacking any confidence as he prepares for Saturday's opening game of the double-header against the New Zealand Warriors.
He got through a quarter of a match against the St George Illawarra Dragons in the Mudgee Charity Shield a fortnight ago and insists he's in a positive frame of mind leading into his return.
"I had a lot of faith," Inglis said.
"There’s a lot of things that go on in the background that people don’t see. Going through the rehab and getting back to where I am now is a credit to our support staff behind the scenes. It gives me a lot of confidence heading into round one on Saturday. I’m looking forward to it.
"We just have to take it as it comes. I feel fine in myself but until a ball is actually kicked off and you’re out there for 80 minutes … it’s not going to be an easy task. It’s going to be very physical and demanding on your body. I just have to go out there and see how we go."
