March 26, 2013, 10:30 p.m.
IN rugby league, so often what is old is new.
And as Knights coach Wayne Bennett ponders the quandary of where to play skipper Kurt Gidley, perhaps a trend widely abandoned years ago can be recycled and used to Newcastle's advantage.
Three games into the 2013 season, Bennett has been forced to return to the drawing board and produce a new blueprint for Gidley.
The 30-year-old might be the first player named on Newcastle's team sheet when he returns from a minor calf injury, but in what position remains to be seen.
Tyrone Roberts appears to have nailed down the halfback job after his breakout performance in the win against North Queensland on Monday night.
Jarrod Mullen, Newcastle's primary playmaker since the retirement of Andrew Johns, will be his partner.
Darius Boyd is a mainstay at fullback, and Danny Buderus is one of rugby league's all-time greats at hooker.
So where does that leave Gidley?
As Buderus said yesterday: "Kurt's got to be in the team. He's our captain and the value that Kurt brings to us is energy, communication and a lot of direction. He'll be in there somewhere."
In years gone by, there would have been simple solution for Bennett - switch Gidley to lock.
Plenty of champion five-eighths in the 1980s and 1990s ended up playing their share of games as the last man packing in the scrum.
Immortal Wally Lewis played his first Origin game as lock.
Brad Fittler was often named as lock for NSW and Australia to accommodate Laurie Daley at five-eighth.
Even Brett Kenny and Terry Lamb had stints at lock on occasion.
Often when an established pivot was switched to lock he would tell the media: "There's not a lot of difference between the two positions, so it's no big deal."
But over the past decade, the role of lock has evolved into something completely different.
In the modern game, most locks have become what coaches call a "middle forward", essentially an extra prop who can cart the ball up and defend tight around the rucks.
Players like Greg Eastwood, Trent Merrin, Corey Parker, Frank-Paul Nuuausala and Nate Myles were props who have become locks.
Paul Gallen wears No. 13 on his back most weeks, yet was quite capable of playing a full match for NSW in the front row.
It is essentially the same position.
Alternatively, coaches opt for locks who are defensive workhorses rather than battering rams, such as Dallas Johnson, Jeremy Smith, Shaun Fensom and Ashley Harrison.
The days of a ball-playing lock may seem like ancient history, but Gidley is such a unique player he could conceivably prompt Bennett to wind back the clock.
Rather than being a bash-and-barge merchant, he could be used in a hybrid role, roving behind the ruck in support play, acting as an extra link in attack, leading Newcastle's kick-chase and slotting in as dummy-half at times to relieve Buderus.
It would take a multi-skilled player to adapt, but Gidley has the all-round skill set.
As an old-school lock, he could give the Knights a new dimension and become the key figure in Newcastle's quest for the play-offs and beyond.
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