New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney has three options to pick at fullback for the mid-year Test against the Kangaroos on May 2, but here's the catch: only one of them has played there this year – and he does it on a part-time basis.
With the side due to be named on Sunday, Kearney is already without five-eighth Kieran Foran (knee) and hooker Issac Luke (shoulder).
But the fullback spot presents the latest headache for the underdogs, with incumbent fullback Kevin Locke yet to appear in the NRL this season and back-up Josh Hoffman starting the year at five-eighth.
Kearney could opt for rising Roosters talent Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who has spotted Anthony Minichiello on numerous occasions this year, but the gun winger made the honest admission that the role might be too "tough" for him at this stage of his career.
"That'd be pretty hard. Playing fullback is a big role on the international level," he said to NRL.com. "It'd be a tough one."
However, the 20-year-old might have no choice but to wear the No.1 with Kearney devoid of options, and fellow Kiwi Jared Waerea-Hargreaves believes his clubmmate is ready for the step up.
"I definitely think he can. He wants to play fullback [at the Roosters] and that's his position," Waerea-Hargreaves said.
"He's only playing on the wing because of our skipper who's at fullback. Mince is doing a great job, but once it's time to hang his boots up, Roger's there.
"He's there already. He loves being at the back there, and he's doing a great job there for us. I think he'd do a great job there for the Kiwis."
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