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NRL's top 50 player countdown: Part 4 (20-11)

23rd September, 2015
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23rd September, 2015
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We continue our NRL top 50 player countdown series on The Roar today with Part 4 and the announcement of players 20-11 on the list.

Today’s instalment in the series is dominated by some of the most exciting youngsters in the game, a Fijian powerhouse who brings the crowd to his feet every time he touches the ball and also some of the most experienced players in the game who are still plying their trade.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

20. Jack Bird (Cronulla Sutherland Sharks)
Wow, what a debut season for Jack Bird. Having never played a game in the NRL, he arrived from the St George Illawarra Dragons in the off-season and what a marvel he has proven to be. Certainly he has singlehandedly won games for the Sharks playing in his less preferred position of the halves.

The game in Round 4 against the Sydney Roosters comes to mind, where he scored two tries and brought his team back from the brink of a loss. Bird will only get better in future seasons, particularly if he is able to play in either the centres or the back row, which it looks like he will. Regardless, his ability to run the ball and set up plays has been pivotal for the Sharks this year.

Bird’s stats speak for themselves, taking on the line nine times a game, making 72 tackle breaks and 26 offloads throughout the season, scoring eight tries and assisting a further six. He made his a debut in the City versus Country game after only a handful of first grade games, which shows just what a talent he has been this year.

19. Semi Radradra (Parramatta Eels)
Close your eyes and listen Eels fans. You can almost hear that ‘Semi, Semi, Semi’ chant coming out of the grandstand. I don’t support the Eels but it is almost spine tingling. The guy is a freak on the field and has improved out of sight over the past 12 months. He is near impossible to shut down and his defence has come along in leaps and bounds recently.

Scoring 24 tries and leading the competition for try scoring in a struggling team has been fantastic, however he has also averaged 160 metres per game and ended the season with 28 line-breaks and 16 offloads.

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18. Jesse Bromwich (Melbourne Storm)
Bromwich has quickly become one of the best props in the NRL over the past couple of seasons. His contributions on both ends of the park for the Melbourne Storm have once again been incredible and he has really stood up as a leader in Billy Slater’s absence. To put it bluntly, the Storm wouldn’t have made the top four without Bromwich playing as well as he has.

The New Zealand international has also played massive minutes throughout the season averaging 64 per game. For a front rower with his work rate that is a phenomenal number. Averaging 146 metres per games across 15.8 runs also means he is making every run count. With those numbers he has also made 27 tackle busts and 25 offloads.

17. James Graham (Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs)
Despite whatever reservations that might be held from the media and wider public about Graham being aggressive to referees and looking for a fight, there is no questioning his massive influence on the Bulldogs. He runs the ball hard, tackles just as hard and never stops working.

Graham has made an average of 115 metres per game and has also had a hand in plenty of tries, including three assists. His defence has once again been top notch, making an average of 30 tackles in 54 minutes per game with an efficiency of close to 95 per cent.

16. Benji Marshall (St George Illawarra Dragons)
While Marshall will never get back to his 2005 self, one could almost argue that his new 2015 self is just as good. He has developed a brand of football that is patient and consistent, with flashes of his former self mixed in for good measure. His kicking game has become something of an experienced half who wants to control a team, which you never thought you would say about Marshall.

At the end of the regular season he was in second position behind Johnathan Thurston for both try assists and line-break assists with 22 and 28 respectively. They are phenomenal numbers and in a side that has struggled for points he has certainly done his bit for the most part.

15. Martin Taupau (Wests Tigers)
You do not want to end up in Taupau’s way is what we have basically learnt in 2015 – you will lose. He regularly attracts four defenders when he runs the ball and can just as easily shut down opposition attackers on his own. The man mountain basically just doesn’t lose a physical confrontation.

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It is debatable whether the Tigers might have picked up the wooden spoon without Taupau and James Tedesco, who features a little bit later in this article. With four tries, 102 metres per game, 87 tackle breaks and 28 offloads plus eight line-breaks it shows you just how phenomenal he has been.

Taupau is also highly efficient in defence and has given away the least amount of penalties out of the Tigers forwards this season.

14. Jake Granville (North Queensland Cowboys)
Granville has been an absolute live wire for the Cowboys this year after moving to Townsville from the Brisbane Broncos during the off-season. The amount of times he has danced straight over tiring defence lines is incredible, while his creativity close to the goal-line has given the Cowboys another option in attack.

However, it is his hand in long-range efforts which count. Quality service to the likes of Thurston, Michael Morgan and Lachlan Coote has been beneficial to the Cowboys, however his ability to make a break from inside his own half and set up a try on the next play is outstanding.

With seven line-breaks, 11 line-break assists and six offloads throughout the season, plus plenty of work in defence, you begin to get a picture of the impact Granville has had on the Cowboys this year.

13. Ben Matulino (New Zealand Warriors)
What a machine Matulino has been this season for the New Zealand Warriors. Never prepared to say die on any carry, he more often than not makes big metres or creates opportunities for others with his offloading skills.

The combination between himself and Shaun Johnson, who is fantastic in broken field play, was really something to watch and was a big reason why the Warriors were in the top four with just two months of the regular season to play.

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Matulino has topped the Warriors for average metres per game with 138 at over 10 per run, while 53 offloads for the season leaves him second in the competition behind Bryce Cartwright. He also made 24 tackles per game with a 94 per cent efficiency.

12: Kieran Foran (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles)
Foran has undoubtedly been stronger throughout the second half of the season than the first half for the Manly Sea Eagles, however it has been an all-round solid season. Despite off-field contract dramas he has managed to make a lasting impression and continued his good form and standing as one of the game’s premier players.

While he has certainly gone backwards from last season, it hasn’t been poor by any stretch of the imagination. Sixteen try assists, almost 70 metres per game and a hand in countless other tries with the combination of himself Daly Cherry-Evans and Brett Stewart proving lethal.

11: James Tedesco (Wests Tigers)
Tedesco has continued his evolution as a first class player in the NRL this season, being the only reason Wests Tigers have been in some games and won others. Most of their wins he played some sort of role in.

Tedesco’s ball running has been exceptional, as has his positional play in defence. Maybe the biggest element of his game though has been his combinations with outside backs. While execution has been lacking at times, the intent and creativity certainly hasn’t.

Scoring 17 tries for himself and assisting a further 17 is the headline act. However making 139 metres per game, 157 tackle breaks, 18 line-breaks and 24 offloads are really quite incredible stats.

That wraps up the fourth instalment of this NRL top 50 player countdown series. Tomorrow, we return with the final part and the top 10. Who is going to make it? Be sure to check back on The Roar to find out.

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For now though, Roarers, the floor is yours once more. Critique away.

Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde

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