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It’s the final countdown! With the 2023 season just around the corner, it means The Roar’s annual countdown of the Top 50 players in the NRL is back underway.
A quick recap on how it works: four of our NRL experts here at The Roar have put our heads together and listed our top 50 players each. Then, points were awarded based on how high they ranked on each expert’s list.
Said points were then tallied to give you our definitive top 50 for season 2023.
We have already listed players 50-41, players 40-31, players 30-21 and players 20-11. Now we have reached the top ten – the best of the best.
Who makes the cut… and who misses the list? Let’s find out. Who’s high, and who’s too low? Let us know in the comments below.
Easily the best all-round hooker in the game, and you can see why Wests Tigers fans did not want to give him back to Melbourne while he was on loan in 2020.
The 24-year-old is everything you want and more in your hooker. Whether it be for the Storm, Maroons or Australia, Grant is always causing havoc out of dummy half, quick to put someone through a gap or burrow through for a try himself.
In just five short seasons in the top grade, Grant is already well on his way to becoming a legend of the game.
No matter who you cheer for, all league fans missed this guy in 2022.
Turbo was close to untouchable in 2021, taking home the Dally M Player of the Year, Fullback of the Year, the Brad Fittler Medal as well as the Wally Lewis Medal.
He scored 28 tries – five were bundled into hat-tricks – along with 28 try assists. He averaged 208 running metres and 33 line breaks, and if it wasn’t for a season shoulder injury in Round 11 last season, who knows what could have been.
He has been a joy to watch at state and national level, and as long as he can stay healthy, will remain one of the premier fullbacks of this era.
(Photo by Getty Images)
One of the toughest men on the field, Hunt is a workhorse who just never gives up.
After nine seasons with the Broncos, the 32 year old veteran is heading into his 6th with the Dragons. Constantly being referred to as the player who carriers the team, the Red V captain is one of the most reliable and hardworking players in the NRL.
Hunt has made 14 appearances for Queensland, and was one of their best in 2022, breaking the hearts of all Blues fans when he locked up the series for the Maroons with his last-minute try. He played in every game for the Kangaroos during the recent World Cup and will be gearing up for another big year for the Dragons.
No one has made an impact for their new club the way that Hynes did.
After three seasons with the Storm, the 26-yeard old moved to the Shire, put the number even on his back…..and the rest is history.
In 2022He had a hand in a whopping 26 try assists, second only to Mitch Moses for the year, and scored six of his own. He kicked the most field goals of the year with four and made the most tackles out of any halfback with 483. He made 320 kicks in play averaging 374 metres, as well as 34 offloads and 59 tackle busts and finished the year with 84 conversions.
But it wasn’t just about stats – he won the Dally M Player of the Year award with a record-breaking 38 points, and also took home Halfback of the Year.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
The Penrith co-captain has been rising up the ranks over the last few years, with a close-to-faultless 2022.
His ability to create second-phase plays for his backs is unmatched, and his defensive efforts are never-ending.
He cemented his spot as a crucial member of the NSW Origin side and earned himself a Kangaroos jersey at the World Cup.
Yeo thoroughly deserved his Dally M Lock of the Year award the past three years running, along with his back-to-back premierships.
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His sixth season at Redfern saw him honoured with the role of captain, and he just took it all in his stride and never skipped a beat.
Murray has built up a reputation as being one of the game’s most defensive and damaging ball-playing backs, and just seems to get better each year.
Head knocks were a concern for the 24-year-old in 2022 season, and he ended up playing fewer minutes than in the past few years. But the 2019 Dally M Lock of the Year still finished with 860 tackles, 44 tackle busts and 35 offloads, and will be raring to go in 2023.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
This guy will go down as one of the greats. Superb vision, and even better kicking game, with backed up with solid defence.
Munster led the way for the number sixes in 2022, with 90 tackle breaks, 35 offloads as well 9 forced dropouts and averaged 127 running metres. He scored 11 tries with 16 assists, caused havoc with his kicking game, and drew players in like no one else.
He has played 15 games for Queenslanders, with one of his best performance in Game One last year and was massive once again for the Kangaroos.
Heading into his 10th season at the Storm, there aren’t too many like Munster.
Love him or hate it, there is a lot of talent coming out of the Bunnies number one, and there is a reason the club did everything they could to lock him down until the end of 2027.
Able to create something out of nothing, he can inspire his teammates on a whim.
After four seasons with the Roosters, the man they call Trell-Mitt has spent the past three out at Redfern. His infulence on the side so great, there were question marks regarding whether Souths would even make the finals in 2022 while Mitchell was sidelined with injury. They looked like a different side once he returned and ended up one game shy of back-to-back grand finals.
Known for making headlines for the wrong reasons, many want to see him control his attitude. But Bunnies fans think he is perfect and wouldn’t have him any other way.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
After six seasons at the Tigers, Teddy has cemented his spot as one of the greats since his move to Bondi in 2014.
Still one of the top players in any position, sometimes you would swear there were three of him out on the field. The Dally M Fullback of the Year just continues to be everywhere, in everything, and lead from the front while killing it out the back, in both attack and defence.
An Origin veteran. A Kangaroo champion. A premiership winner. Captain of club, state and county. Not much room left on the resume.
And here ladies and gentleman, is your number one.
Heading into his eighth season in the NRL, Cleary has three grand final appearances along with two premierships under his belt, took home Dally M Halfback of the Year in 2020 and 2021, and was also the Clive Churchill Medal winner in 2021
Tough, always three steps ahead of everyone, and has one of the most lethal pinpoint kicking games in the league.
The NSW and Australian half back jerseys also both belong to him.
Not bad at all.