ETA & TL;DR: Steward is the best available individual at FB, but I'd rather have TdG trying to play like Furbank than Steward trying to play like Furbank.
I've no particular problem with Steward.
He may not the fleetest of foot, but that's only getting exposed when the defensive system has already been breached, so the problem is almost always from whoever left him that mess to try to tidy up.
Obviously, I'd prefer it if he were better able to tidy that mess, but still.
My problem with him is that he's such a different player to our first choice FB that he basically needs a different game plan, both in attack and defence - though if what tigers fans are telling me about his improved distribution is true, that's something he's working on, in attack at least.
If Furbank is our first choice starter, and he rightly is, then the backups need to be able to slot naturally into that game plan. Daly and Carpenter just about can, Malins or TdG definitely can, but at a lower quality* (and Malins is playing like shit this year). I just don't see Steward, Hendy or Hodge being able to do that without losing what brings them up to selectable in the first place, and would be worse at the required gameplan than GF/ED/JC/TdG/MM.
Also worth noting that that's me, and that there's more than 1 way to skin a cat**. I like to pick the best players (full 23 + ~4 for flexibility), in their best positions, and build a gameplan for them. Then fit in the best like-for-like when someone is unavailable. Others like alternatives who shake things up, or have the next best individual as next in line.
* Though I still think that TdG could get there with investment of time in camp and a double handful of caps.
** Though if anyone knows them, I want them evaluated for psychopathic tendencies.
