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Opinion
The NRL’s biggest stars will be honoured at the Dally M Awards next week and then after the Grand Final, representative jerseys will be handed out for the end-of-season Tests.
But before they get their due recognition, it’s time to honour the Non-Star All-Stars, the players who have shone brightly in 2023 but for whatever reason, are yet to get proper credit for their efforts.
To qualify for this highly prestigious/contrived honour, a player must have not been selected for a rep team for at least two years but they consistently go above and beyond what’s required of a quality first-grader.
As Rodney Dangerfield would say, they can’t get no respect. For those too young to get that reference, the education system has let you down so jump on the YouTube machine and learn yourself good and proper.
1. Dylan Edwards: The Penrith fullback has arguably become the best player in NRL history who has not played rep footy on the back of his superb efforts over the past few years. He was a worthy Clive Churchill Medal winner in last year’s Grand Final and has again been a standout for the Panthers who will be one of the main rivals to Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson for the Dally M.
James Tedesco has kept him out of the rep arena with NSW and Australia but with the likes of Latrell Mitchell, Tom Trbojevic, Jack Wighton and Campbell Graham unavailable, don’t be surprised if Kangaroos selectors make Edwards the latest elite fullback to fill in at centre at rep level in the Pacific Championships.
2. Jamayne Isaako: After he was let go by the Broncos and not making much of an impact during a stopover at the Titans, expectations were low when Isaako joined the Dolphins but he became the first player since Immortal centre Mal Meninga in 1990 to top the try-scoring and point-scoring tally in the same season.
Hasn’t represented NZ since 2019 but a return should not be far off.
3. Matt Timoko: After establishing himself last season, the young Raider had a breakout year in 2023 and will be a likely selection for the Kiwis next month.
He topped the list for running metres among centres in the NRL this season and was second in tackle breaks to Knights veteran Dane Gagai. With Jarrod Croker retired, the 23-year-old can be a long-term building block out wide for Canberra.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
4. Jake Averillo: Can anyone explain why Canterbury have let one of their few NRL-quality local juniors walk to the Dolphins? He came up with 14 line breaks in a badly underperforming Bulldogs outfit to be among the top three specialist centres, was their leading try-scorer with 12 and didn’t drop his bottom lip even when Hayze Perham was picked ahead of him for much of the season at his preferred position of fullback.
5. Greg Marzhew: The Newcastle powerhouse edges out Manly’s Reuben Garrick for the other wing spot although Marzhew’s eligibility as a Non-Star is likely to be over very soon with New Zealand or Samoa set to select him for the upcoming Tests.
It took him a while to find his feet at NRL level but the 26-year-old led all wingers for tackle busts at 158 (which was 34 more than his nearest rival), was top five in line breaks with 28 and third for tries with 22.
6. Ezra Mam: The halves have been a problem area for several seasons in Brisbane – the signing of Adam Reynolds solved half the battle but after cycling through Tom Dearden, Brodie Croft, Tyson Gamble and Albert Kelly, the Broncos now have their ideal secondary playmaker in the 20-year-old livewire.
Mam’s 14 tries was five more than the next-best five-eighth while he was only shaded 12-11 by Cameron Munster for line breaks. Once he gets physically stronger and less of a liability in defence, the sky’s the limit.
7. Jamal Fogarty: If he had been given more of a chance at halfback while Sam Walker was out with his knee injury, Drew Hutchison could have been a candidate here but for season-long consistency, Fogarty has exceeded his low profile among elite playmakers.
The Green Machine have racked up a 23-16 record with Fogarty on the field but won just five of the 12 matches he’s missed since he switched from the Titans at the start of last year.
With Jack Wighton gone, they need to find a game-breaking five-eighth to complement Fogarty’s organisational skills next year.
8. Fletcher Baker: It didn’t get much attention on the transfer market, but the Broncos have scored a coup by roping in this hard-working Rooster.
He gave the team reliable go-forward off the bench this year and will be ideally suited to that role at Brisbane or even as Payne Haas’ starting partner in the front row with Tom Flegler heading to the Dolphins.
9. Wayde Egan: On pure numbers, Cronulla’s Blayke Brailey mounts a strong case with the most tackles by anyone this year at 1004 but for impact at dummy-half, Egan has been essential to the Warriors’ revival.
They have won 15 of the 21 matches when he’s been shoring up the middle in attack and defence but they have gone 2-3 when he’s been sidelined.
10. Taniela Paseka: Tevita Tatola would have been given this spot but he played for Tonga at last year’s World Cup.
Among the five props this year who averaged 23 tackles per game and more than 120 running metres, Paseka is the only one who doesn’t have a rep jersey. The Manly behemoth has been a sturdy performer for six seasons and although his season ended early in Round 18 with a knee injury, he wouldn’t look out of place in a Tongan jersey next month.
11. Trent Loiero: The Storm lost plenty of experience and impact when Felise Kaufusi and Kenny Bromwich left in the off-season for Redcliffe but Loiero’s emergence has solidified their second-row stocks.
The 22-year-old Queenslander was sixth overall among regular edge forwards for running metres and third for tackles which shows he’s an asset on both sides of the ball.
12. Nat Butcher: His selection in the Kangaroos train-on squad raised a few eyebrows in some quarters but anyone who has kept a close eye on his efforts for the Roosters in recent years was not surprised.
An absolute workhorse, he averaged a whopping 40 tackles across his 23 appearances this season and can switch between his customary right edge spot and a middle forward role with ease.
13. J’maine Hopgood: One of the buys of the year, the former Panther made an instant impact at Parramatta and went close to scoring a maiden Maroons jersey.
He’s another player who can get through a mountain of defensive work to the tune of 38 tackles per game but also averaged 12 runs per match for 102 metres and led the league in offloads with 54 in his 21 matches. At 24, he will be coming into his prime years over the next few seasons now that he’s got his first full season of NRL under his belt.
14. Will Kennedy: Likely to suffer from Dylan Edwards Syndrome and not get much of a look-in at rep level due to the stacked field of fullbacks.
But he was arguably Cronulla’s most important player for a second year running after Nicho Hynes and injury-enforced absence late in the season hurt the Sharks’ chances of doing any damage in the finals.
15. Blayke Brailey: He probably needs to get a bit more impact in his attacking prowess but he’s probably showing the greatest disparity between choirboy looks and a hunger for doing the dirty work since Geoff Toovey’s early days at Manly.
(Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
16. Josh King: One of the many virtually anonymous tradesmen who have transformed under Craig Bellamy’s guidance at the Storm. King played 78 matches over six seasons at the Knights before finding his niche over the past two years in Melbourne, following in the footsteps of Dale Finucane, Dallas Johnson and Ryan Hinchcliffe as no-nonsense locks who set a standard of total commitment to the team’s cause.
17. David Klemmer: As per the fine print of the official Non-Star All-Stars rules, it makes allowances for players who have not played rep footy for at least two years and this veteran Tiger has not received such honours since the pre-pandemic days of 2019. But he’s still producing a high output with 125 running metres and 21 tackles per game putting him in the top 10 for regular props this season.
Honourable mentions to Ryan Papenhuyzen, who still is yet to play rep footy but only due to his frequent injuries in recent years, Beau Fermor who is also on the cusp of Origin selection but was also barely sighted this year and Nick Meaney, who has performed superbly in Papenhuyzen’s absence at fullback for Melbourne.