Best hooker of NRL era - Smith the king but tough to separate Buderus, Luke, Cook, Farah, Koroisau, Hodgson

The 25th season of the NRL is done and dusted so to commemorate the first quarter-century of this instalment of the premiership, The Roar is looking back at the 25 best players and moments in 25 categories.

We are in the home stretch with only three to go. We have already gone through the best  fullbacks, wingers, centres, five-eighths, locks, second-rowers, players to never make Origin, coaches, captains, halfbacks, front-rowers, goal-kickers, recruits, heaviest hitters, rookies, Kiwis, Kangaroos, British imports, fights, Origin reps and Grand Final moments of the era.

Now it’s time to have a look at the best players who have been the dummy-half dynamos for their respective teams – the hookers.

And you won’t be insulted, dear reader, with any attempt to build up suspense on who the top dog is going to be – when you have someone with a resume like Cameron Smith’s historic efforts for Melbourne, Queensland and Australia, it’s pretty hard to compete with that long list.

But after that is where it gets interesting. There have been so many top-quality operators in the No.9 jersey over the past 25 years.

Each player has been judged on their collective efforts from 1998 onwards, not including their efforts prior to that season, or if they’re an active player, up until 2022, without speculating on how their career might play out over next season and beyond.

CLICK HERE for a seven-day free trial for your favourite sport on KAYO

The Top 10 – the best of the best

1 Cameron Smith
2 Danny Buderus
3 Damien Cook
4 Robbie Farah
5 Issac Luke
6 Josh Hodgson
7 Craig Wing
8 Api Koroisau
9 Brandon Smith
10 Luke Priddis

“Surprise”. That Smith fella who has played the most games and scored the most points in premiership history gets the nod as best hooker of the past 25 years. A player who defied the supposed requirements of NRL stars to be physical specimens, he was arguably one of the smartest on-field operators of all time throughout his unprecedented 430-game career which included three premiership wins at the Storm.

If not for Smith coming along later in his career, Buderus would have claimed many more Australian jerseys but his efforts for the Knights and NSW over a lengthy career earned him not only plenty of plaudits and a premiership ring but the respect of his teammates as a selfless competitor.

(Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)

This is where it gets tricky assessing the hookers but Cook, a late bloomer, has been the best of the rest in the full-time professional era. He surprisingly bounced around the Dragons and Dogs without cementing a spot but his efforts for Souths since his 2016 breakout season have been consistently top shelf.

Farah enjoyed team success early in his career at the Wests Tigers in the 2005 title before eventually making his mark at Origin level for NSW. Fittingly he finished his career back at the Tigers after his messy exit led to a stint at Souths where he showed he was still an elite dummy-half operator.

Luke is probably the hardest hitter in this group and he was crucial to South Sydney’s rise to the 2014 premiership even if a ban cost the Kiwi a Grand Final berth. A handy goal-kicker and fiery competitor, he was just what every team needs from their hooker.

Hodgson has been one of the few hookers in the past decade who gave rivaled Smith for skill and his ability to manage a match from dummy-half. Injuries have slowed the Englishman down in recent years but he could prove an astute purchase for Parramatta this year.

Wing didn’t seem like a hooker early in his career as he mixed it up in the backs and halves but once he settled into the role, his pace off the mark and under-rated defensive prowess made him an important member of the Roosters’ 2002 success and the NSW and Australian teams in the first few years after the turn of the century.

Koroisau is rising fast with his superb form in the latter stages of his career, helping guide Penrith to back-to-back titles and unseating Damien Cook as NSW take. He could change the Wests Tigers’ fortunes in 2023.

(Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

The Storm’s other Smith is hard to judge. He’s been a strong performer for five seasons but not always at hooker, often in a roaming middle forward role. Another player on the move, the outspoken Kiwi’s switch to the Roosters will be one of this year’s main storylines.

Priddis played one of the best individual games in a Grand Final when Penrith upset the Roosters in 2003 and over the course of 315 games at Canberra, Brisbane, Penrith and the Dragons, he carved out a name for himself as one of the best hookers in the competition.

Best of the rest – elite performers

11 Harry Grant
12 Jake Friend
13 Geoff Toovey
14 Michael Ennis
15 Andrew McCullough
16 Nathan Peats
17 Nathan Fien
18 Jason Hetherington
19 Matt Ballin
20 Dean Young

Grant will be in the top 10 within a year or two. The Maroons rake who graduated to Australian honours at the 2022 World Cup, made the most of the unusual loan situation in 2020 to fast-track his development at the Tigers before returning to Melbourne in a seamless succession plan after the Cameron Smith era.

Friend was a non-stop defender who was highly valued at the Roosters for his tenacious attitude and leadership as they racked up three premierships from 2013-19.

Toovey did his best work as a halfback for the majority of his career but ended up playing his final three seasons mainly at dummy-half where he combined his playmaking skills with one of the best up-and-under tackling styles in rugby league history.

Ennis has a reputation for his niggling tactics but it’s selling him short to say that was his main asset. A clever passer, crafty kicker and strong defender, he read the game brilliantly which has transferred into his post-game career as a media analyst since retiring with a premiership ring at Cronulla in 2016.

(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

McCullough recently hung up his boots after becoming just the fourth full-time hooker to join the NRL’s 300 Club from his lengthy time at Brisbane and stops at the Knights and Dragons at the end of his career.

Peats was a solid competitor at Souths, Parramatta and the Gold Coast and more than held his own when he was elevated to Origin level with NSW.

Fien is a tricky one because he spent plenty of time in the halves but ended up having a greater impact as a player at hooker, particularly in St George Illawarra’s title run 13 years ago.

Hetherington would be rated higher but for the fact he only played the first three seasons of the NRL. A workhorse in defence, he could also fire a pass both ways by virtue of being a former five-eighth and he was adored by his Bulldogs and Maroons teammates for being ultra reliable when the going got tough.

Ballin is one of many hookers over the past two decades who would have more rep jerseys if not for Cameron Smith’s omnipresence. The Manly stalwart was a key member of their 2008 and ‘11 GF wins.

Young switched between hooker and the back row throughout his career at the Dragons but whichever role he was in, he never let anyone down and constantly made his teammates look better with his skills in attack and defence.

The final five

21 Simon Woolford
22 Mark Riddell
23 John Morris
24 Jake Granville
25 PJ Marsh

Woolford was an energetic competitor during his 13 seasons at Canberra while Riddell was an enigma who could break tackles like a front-rower during his stints at the Dragons and Eels.

Morris made the transition from the halves mid career and was another team player who deservedly entered the 300 Club in his final game.

Granville has been a mainstay at the Cowboys for more than a decade while Marsh was a dependable rake whose career was hampered by a serious neck injury.

 (Photo by Joosep Martinson/Getty Images)

Just missed the cut

There are a lot of hookers who you could make an argument for due to their selfless ability to mesh in with their team, letting others get the accolades.Nathan Brown was one such player for the Dragons before a neck injury cut short his career after the 2000 season while Jayden and Blayne Brailey and Reed Mahoney are on a similar trajectory.

Cameron McInnes, Monty Betham, Jazz Tevaga, Nathan Friend, Isaac de Gois and James Segeyaro have all enjoyed terrific careers also in the No.9 jersey.

And there are a few guys who rarely filled the hooking role at club level but have excelled in rep footy like Craig Gower and Ben Hunt.