The top performers in the NRL this season

 

Roar Rookie

By Adam Bishop, 20 Aug 2009 Adam Bishop is a Roar Rookie

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 Anthony Watmough, Brad Fittler, Brian Smith, daniel anderson, Jamie Soward, Jarryd Hayne, Nathan Brown, NRL, Parramatta Eels, Ricky Stuart, Rugby League, St George Illawarra

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Here are my top five rugby league performers for the season.

FIVE
Coming in at number 5 is the plucky Roosters back-line utility, Sam Perrett. Little publicity has been thrown the way of this New Zealand born youngster this year, thanks largely to the poor form of the Roosters team.

It is the player who is able to overcome the team’s inability to perform and still play well that should be held in high esteem. Perrett has not put a foot wrong in whatever position coach Brad Fittler has thrown him into this season. ou

FOUR
Making his comeback to prominence at number 4 is the cagey old fox, Brett Kimmorely. Noddy has proved age to be no barrier in 2009 with a stellar year with the Bulldogs. Resurrecting his first grade career AND his representative credentials, Brett has altered his attacking game to cater for his older legs with such success that he now in the top bunch of halfbacks in the game.

THREE
It will come as no surprise for anyone to learn that Jarryd Hayne is in the top five performers this year. Everyone has been aware of this bloke’s ability for a few years now, but many were wondering if he was going to have the temperament to be able to prove what a great player he can be. After a shaky start to the season, Hayne has bounced back in dramatic fashion with an impact that would make a meteorite blush.

TWO
Narrowly missing out on the mantle of 2009’s top player is the imposing and uncompromising brutality of Anthony Watmough. What a year it has been for this barnstorming forward. Playing with the energy and enthusiasm of three wild Rhinoceroses, Watmough has been the backbone of any success the Manly club has enjoyed this year. Without him, the Eagles would be about as effective as Bert Newton’s spray-on hair.

ONE
And the award for the 2009 player of the year goes to … Brad Morrin, just kidding! Sorry Brad, no, the honour goes to the Dragon’s little maestro, Jamie Soward. Watching this kid run around in the lower grades a few years ago, shattering all the point scoring records, it didn’t take a genius to recognise that Jamie was going to be an exciting player of the future. Unfortunately for the Roosters, Ricky Stuart’s awareness proved not only to be far below genius, but far below that of Forrest Gump!

Releasing him mid-season, St George Illawarra snapped up the young prospect and have never looked back. Dragon’s fans have Nathan Brown to thank for giving Soward the confidence he needed to make the next step, and now he is the best-performed player in the competition.

Possessing every armament in his gargantuan bag of tricks, Soward can pass left and right with pinpoint accuracy, and punt, chip and grubber on a five-cent piece.

Teams have tried to smash the little general out of the game this year, but he has shown a toughness and determination that only comes when a player comes of age. Make no mistake, Jamie Soward is the primary reason the Dragons are sailing high at the top of the competition at the moment.

He has guided the team with maturity beyond his years, a sentiment that should send chills down the spine of teams in the future because this guy will get even better!

The experience of mentor Wayne Bennet is a lethal combination, and one that will make the Saints hard to stop this year.