Jye Gray hasn’t started at the position since Round 18, but with Latrell Mitchell’s return to the starting side, the diminutive fullback is welcomed back with him.

It makes sense given the dynamic of the team.

Matthew Dufty has played his role. He’s generated the sort of yardage we’ve come to expect from him throughout his NRL career while his ball-playing on the edges in good ball has filled the void left by Mitchell. However, it doesn’t often take defensive coaches too long to start planning for his skip to the outside of the three-man and a cutout pass across the face of the winger to his own. It’s been a hallmark of his attacking output, but has reached its ceiling against the best defensive teams in the NRL at this point of the season.

Gray’s shortcomings are in his passing game. He’s rapid with the ball in hand, but hasn’t been able to combine it with clean passess often enough just yet. As he gains experience and the game slows down around him, expect to see Gray start to ice more and more of the opportunities he creates for himself out wide. In the meantime, Mitchell is the primary ball-playing threat on that side of the field.

Where Gray can improve the side is in defence. It’s counter-intuitive given his stature and how attacking teams try run over the top of him on the line. However, he’s almost always in the frame. That hasn’t been the case at the fullback position for Souths over the last couple of months.

The 22-year-old will get his numbers for the stats pages. There is every chance he comfortably clears 200 metres on the ground against a second-string Sydney Roosters side. Tackles are there to be broken, and against a makeshift backline, Gray will find himself involved in the scoring at some point.

But his game, and the prospects of South Sydney’s premiership aspirations, should be measured in defence this week.

For better or worse, Coby Black has been a name mentioned as a future first grader for years. After a season spent in reserve grade getting up to speed with a higher level of football, he is taking another step up to the NRL this week.