Ranking every NRL team's spine

Out of the 17 players that make an NRL team, none are more important that then the fullback, five-eighth, halfback and hooker – the one, six, seven and nine, also known as the spine. 

These are the players that initiate offence, steer the team around the park, create opportunities for outside backs. Like a human being, without a spine we can’t move and or function. The same goes with a team.

Like a chiropractor, I will rate and assess each squad’s spine.

16. North Queensland Cowboys – Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Tom Dearden, Chad Townsend, Reece Robson 
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, or the ‘Hammer’, is extremely quick, young and has lots of potential but is unproven in that position. 

Tom Dearden was a surprising starter and did impress in the trials but like the Hammer, he is not proven and failed to cement spot at the Broncos, which is worrying. 

Townsend brings experience and can lead a team but he is a more of a Robin than a Batman. Robson is a highly touted junior but hasn’t really brought that form to first grade.

(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

15. Gold Coast Titans – Jayden Campbell, AJ Brimson, Toby Sexton, Erin Clarke 
Jayden Campbell, the son of Preston, is an excitement machine and could be easily one of the best fullbacks in the future but still has errors in him. 

Brimson is an excellent fullback but at five-eighth, he is a bit of an unknown. I am not confident he can transition to that position. 

Sexton is another young player who is highly touted but yet to become a starting calibre halfback. 

Clark has mostly been a utility off the bench for the majority of his career. Again, like most of the Titans’ spine, he is not proven to be a starting hooker and may be dropped later in the year.

14. Brisbane Broncos – Tesi Niu, Albert Kelly, Adam Reynolds, Jake Turpin 
Tesi Niu has great potential but hasn’t been able to become a full-time starter in the NRL. 

Kelly is a journeyman who has a running game but I have no faith in him being a permanent starter due the Broncos’ inclination to change the halves. 

Reynolds is the star recruit with a top-tier kicking game and leadership. He is one of the best halfbacks in the NRL. He has kept Brisbane off the bottom of the spine rankings. 

Turpin is a nice player but still nothing special. I won’t be shocked if he loses his spot to Cory Paix.

13. Canterbury Bulldogs – Matt Dufty, Matt Burton, Jake Averillo, Jeremy Marshall-King 
Dufty is great attacking weapon with pace and can break the line. Burton is a star and potential superstar who has looked great at five-eighth. 

Averillo has looked good wherever he has played but I am not sure he’s a halfback. Marshall-King is a solid hooker but the Bulldogs did spend big money on a hooker for next year for a reason.

(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

12. Newcastle Knights – Kalyn Ponga, Jake Clifford, Adam Clune, Chris Randall 
Ponga is a superstar who can be a game winner when he is on and he is the team’s best player. 

Clifford will be a nice five-eighth with a better halfback but with touch footy star Clune, who mostly a reserve-grade player, they form an unconvincing halves pairing. 

Both couldn’t make it in their previous teams and both landed in Newcastle for an opportunity. Randall is filling in for the injured Jayden Brailey. He is raw and a mystery.

11. Wests Tigers – Daine Laurie, Adam Doueihi, Luke Brooks, Jacob Liddle
Laurie was revelation last year. He is a threat retuning the ball and gives the Tigers an element in attack they haven’t had in a while. 

Doueihi was their best player last year and looks like a star. Brooks may lose his spot to Jackson Hastings but he is inconsistent and hasn’t taken the step we thought he would have after his debut. He may need a change of scenery.

Liddle is actually a really nice player who doesn’t get many wraps. He is a poor man’s Robbie Farah. He just can’t stay healthy, which is a shame.

10. St George Illawarra Dragons – Tyrell Sloan, Junior Amone, Ben Hunt, Andrew McCullough
Sloan and Amone are two uber talented youngsters who looked good in limited action. If they fulfil their potential, the Dragons will be up there and will make the finals. 

Hunt is very good halfback who – when he is on – is as good as any halfback in the NRL, while McCullough may lack in attack be makes up for it with leadership. He is stout in defence and he gives reliable service from dummy half. He is good without being great.

(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

9. Cronulla Sharks – William Kennedy, Braydon Trindall, Nicholas Hynes, Brayden Brailey
Kennedy was the best player last year in Cronulla and reminds me of a David Peachey. Trindall has flashed at times but I am still not convinced he is a starting five-eighth in the league. 

Hynes shone at fullback. He moves to halfback. He didn’t look like he missed a beat in the All Stars game and trials but that is still not enough to prove himself to be an out an out halfback. 

Brailey has shown some promise. I am still waiting for him to really stamp his mark. This could be a breakout year for him. He has a good pack to play behind.

8. New Zealand Warriors – Reece Walsh, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Shaun Johnson, Wayde Egan 
Walsh is a no doubt a superstar in the making. He is an exciting prospect who stood out in only a few games. 

Harris-Tavita is a player that can really be one of the better players in his position. He is a good defender but is yet to do that. He could lose his spot to Kodi Nikorima.

Johnson coming off some serious injuries but he is a playmaking wizard who creates something out of nothing. Egan isn’t a dynamic rake but gets the job done. The Warriors could be a finals team if they had a better hooker.

7. Canberra Raiders – Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Jack Wighton, Jamal Fogarty, Josh Hodgson
Nicoll-Klokstad is a tireless worker who is a great metre eater and support player. He may not be the most skilful but makes up for that in toughness. 

Wighton was the Dally M player of the year two years ago. He is a damaging ball runner. He had a down year in 2021 but I am confident he can return to form, which makes him elite. 

Fogarty is unfortunately hurt. He was the type of player needed to make Wighton play his game, which will improve the team dramatically. 

Hodgson has struggled with injury as of late but can be the best hooker in the NRL if he returns to the earlier form. He needs to go back to his best for Canberra to have a comeback season. If not, he may be replaced by Tom Starling.

(Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

6. South Sydney Rabbitohs – Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker, Lachlan Ilias, Damien Cook 
Mitchell is a superstar who has the ability to be given the ball and run over someone to set up or score a try. He needs to control his aggression but there is no doubt he is one of the best players in NRL. 

Walker has the best footy instincts. He is the definition of heads-up footy. He will have a myriad of try assists. I am unsure if he can flourish without Adam Reynolds. 

Ilias is a rookie pretty much and I am yet to see if he can steady the ship to allow Mitchell and Walker to do what they do best. 

Cook’s spark from dummy half provides a constant threat to tired forwards. He hasn’t excelled like I thought with the introduction of the new rules.

5. Manly Sea Eagles – Tom Trbojevic, Kieran Foran, Daly Cherry-Evans, Lachlan Croker 
What more needs to said about Trbojevic. He is the reigning Dally M Medal winner. From tackle busts, try assists and line breaks, he is a true game breaker and he is the best player in the NRL. Manly are pretty average without him. 

Foran is well past his best, maybe due to his list of horrid injuries. He still does a serviceable job. I would love to see him run the ball more. 

Cherry-Evans is the Australian halfback. He has great awareness, he has a great kicking game and he knows how to lead a side around the park. He provides a great foil for Trbojevic. 

Croker has done okay as a makeshift hooker but doesn’t offer much. If Manase Fainu can return, they would be a much more dangerous team.

(Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

4. Sydney Roosters – James Tedesco, Sam Walker, Luke Keary, Sam Verrills 
Tedesco is a superstar fullback who has been elite for number of seasons. He runs like a pinball, bouncing off defenders. He added a pass. He is truly one of the league’s best. 

Walker started his career on fire and fizzled at the end. He is still young and has high a ceiling. I am interested to see how he goes with Keary. He added some much needed size so he won’t be a liability in defence.

Keary is a genuine star half who was sorely missed last year. He kicks well and he has a smart footy brain. He knows how to create an overlap. He will add so much to his team. 

Verrills has been okay without being good but doesn’t have to be – just give good service to Tedesco and Verrills will do his job.

3. Penrith Panthers – Dylan Edwards, Jarome Luai, Nathan Cleary, Apisai Koroisau 
Edwards is a safe and reilabe fullback who isn’t fast, doesn’t have good ball skills and doesn’t really create anything. He doesn’t have a wow factor like the majority of fullbacks in NRL but will give you a decent game consistently. Imagine how good the Panthers would be if they kept Daine Laurie. 

Luai provides a potent one-two punch with Cleary. He has a great dummy and run. He is a dynamic runner. He does look lost without Cleary. 

Speaking of Cleary, he is the best halfback in the league. He is the total package. He has a running game. He is a strong defender. He has a kicking game and high IQ. 

Koroisau is a savvy operator who can sniff a lazy defender and exploit them. When he is on, the Panthers are difficult to beat.

(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

2. Parramatta Eels – Clinton Gutherson, Dylan Brown, Mitchell Moses, Reed Mahoney 
Gutherson may not be a quick or imposing force but makes up for it with high energy and smart ball playing. He just manages to create chances. He is super fit so he is always making crucial plays late in games. 

Brown had a down year last year attack-wise but I have seen how special he is. He can manipulate a line with silky moves to create space out wide. He is also by the best defensive half in the NRL. He had a defensive rating of 96. No other half is in the 90s. If he can get more ball, coupled with his defence, he can be an elite five-eighth. 

Moses is the fastest halfback. He also has the best long kicking game. He has really matured lately and is one of the best halfbacks in the NRL. 

Mahoney’s service from dummy half is incredible. He is a stout defender and a handy kicker, plus he has added running from dummy half. I can’t believe the Eels let someone as good and young as him go for next year.

1. Melbourne Storm – Ryan Papenhuyzen, Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes, Harry Grant 
Papenhuyzen is an electrifying fullback who is always lurking for a try. His speed is such a threat up the the middle. Munster had a disappointing year by his standards but looks fit and this year he is a powerful ball runner and a big game player. 

He can be the best five-eighth when he is on. He looks like a different man. It is an ominous sign for the other 15 clubs. 

Hughes maybe doesn’t have the best kicking game but he is an incredible ability to make line breaks for himself or others. His ball playing is special. He was their best last season. Imagine if he goes to another level with a rejuvenated Munster. 

It’s unfair the best hooker last year is not best hooker on his team. As Grant is a one-of-a-kind type of player, he has a rare ability to spot little openings and make a half chance a try.

He is really crafty and passes well from dummy half. Add in Brandon Smith – the Dally M hooker of the year, who surges from dummy half and puts defences on the back foot – and it is a scary combo to have.