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Latrell Mitchell’s desire to move clubs, potentially to the Tigers to play fullback continues a growing trend of players shifting to the No.1 jersey to chase the financial rewards that come with the position.
James Tedesco, Tom Trbojevic and Kalyn Ponga by the time he signs his next contract will be among the highest paid players in the game, however Geyer believes money is not the only motivating factor.
“I think the current frenzy to play fullback is not just to do with the money, but I think fullback has become the most expressive position on the rugby league field,” Geyer told Triple M’s The Rush Hour with MG.
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“Everyone else is in corridors, whether you are a left or right centre, winger or back-rower,
“These days probably hooker, fullback and lock forward, if I’m a young guy that’s where I want to play.
“At the moment we just see guys confined to a ten-metre corridor and it pisses me off,
“It really does the way that rugby league players don’t even dare to venture over the other side because it’s like if they go over the other side, its barbed wire.”
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Geyer believes Mitchell and other players’ desire to shift positions comes from the frustration of being restricted to one role or area of the field.
He believes that coaches need to take responsibility for teaching conservative styles for edge positions and turning players into robots.
“As long as we have this new mantra that everybody has to stick to their side and everyone has to stay in their corridor, we’re going to create robots,” Geyer said.
“We’re not going to create expressive players because players are too scared.”
Geyer believes the tactics are also hurting the development of halfbacks, who were once the most expressive players on the field.
“We look at the halfback ranks, the modern-day halfback is scared to do anything besides kick the ball and pass the ball because that’s the job they are told to do,” Geyer said.
“The hooker is the one who has license out of dummy half, Cook, Taumalolo at lock forward,
“Who doesn’t want to play lock forward?
“You’re right in the guts, you can go on both sides, you can offload it,
“Even front-rowers these days are restricted by what they can do.”