Rabbits rampant as Greg Inglis is now Maguire's No 1 man

It was in 2005 when Inglis was 18 and they were playing for Melbourne. Billy Slater was injured, so Craig Bellamy called up Inglis to debut.

"And after the game," King said, "we all sat there scratching our heads wondering where Billy was going to play when he came back."


It makes you wonder why it took this long for someone to switch the light on at Souths.


Bellamy said for years if he didn't have Slater, Inglis would have been wearing No 1 long ago. At one point he considered switching Slater to the wing permanently.


When Michael Maguire was appointed as the Rabbitohs' new head coach, one of the first calls he made from England was to Inglis to float a possible move.


Now, one of the game's most naturally gifted athletes has the chance to reach his potential - and we have the stats to prove it.


Not only will Inglis get more ball at fullback, but better ball, which in turn helps teammates like John Sutton play to their strengths.


Every Rabbitohs fan will tell you one of their biggest gripes before last Sunday was that their highest-paid player didn't see enough action and too often when Inglis did get involved, the defence was already in his face.


"I think the last time I played that position was 07," Inglis said. "Madge (Maguire) has come through during the week and asked if I wanted to go back there and I was more than happy to. In the end we had to find a way to get my hands on the ball more and that was my job today.


"I'll play anywhere which is best for the team. (But) being back there I found my rhythm."


Inglis effectively broke the Panthers' spirits in the second half. With his team up 22-12, he latched on to a clever pass from John Sutton and made a beeline for the tryline, trampling over the top of poor Panthers fullback Lachlan Coote in the process. It gave Souths a comfortable lead at 28-12 and it was only onwards and upwards from there.


The only question that deserved to be asked of Souths after the game was whether Maguire would leave Inglis at fullback when Merritt returns from a toe injury. The coach probably knew the right answer but toed a diplomatic stance yesterday.


"At the moment I'm pretty lucky," Maguire said. "I've got Nathan Merritt who is pretty close to coming back. He's unfortunately still having trouble with his toe. While Greggy's there and the opportunity is there for Merritt coming back, there's some good pressure on the team and on me to make some decisions." Inglis wasn't the only standout player for the Rabbitohs in a performance that franked their form against Melbourne and proved they are legitimate finals contenders this year. Backrower Dave Taylor came up with two tries including an enterprising effort in which he grubber kicked ahead for himself.


Sutton has long been an enigmatic player for the Bunnies but turned in a strong game while rookie halfback Adam Reynolds looks more polished with each match he plays.


In the rival camp, Penrith coach Ivan Cleary lamented his side's slow start in both halves but said his players never completely gave up hope.