Asked this week if he was looking forward to the challenge of confronting the player now ranked the best in the world, Inglis said: "The way Sonny has come back after five years out of the game just shows how much of a talented, skilful person he is. "You always want to play against the best players in the world.
"Any player you ask will say the same thing and in the end it becomes a challenge because you want to see where you are at."
Depending on which way you look at it, both players had legitimate claims for the International Player of the Year award.
During the first half of the season Inglis was on his own planet playing for South Sydney before he suffered a knee injury in State of Origin three and it has only been in the last couple of weeks that he has shown the type of form he had before the injury.
Meanwhile Williams' season went from strength to strength and the form he was in by the end of it deservedly won him the award.
But with both players now at full fitness, it is going to be interesting to see who comes out on top.
At his rampaging best Inglis is an unstoppable force and perhaps the only player who can rival him is the man who will be standing opposite.
But Slater's fitness was still touch and go yesterday, with the star fullback named in Sheens' 19-man squad but a final decision on his fitness won't be made until an hour before the match.
Slater had a heavy workout on Thursday in match-intensity type conditions and was due to train with the team last night at the captain's run at Old Trafford.
Sheens said he was quietly confident Slater would play but the coach added there was no way he would take any risks if Slater showed the slightest sign that he was less than 100 per cent.
"If he wakes up Saturday morning and he is not okay he is out," Sheens said. "We are not mucking around with this.
"It will ultimately be my call."
