Mark ‘Spudd’ Carroll: Nick Meaney, Victor Radley, Luke Brooks and Jack De Belin among NRL’s unsung heroes

Marquee men can’t win premierships on their own.

Sure, Nathan Cleary was the best player on the field when Penrith snatched victory from Brisbane in last year’s grand final.

But remember who started the comeback that night?

Big Panthers prop Moses Leota, who scored that incredible try from about 30 metres out.

That is why today I am naming my ‘No-Headline Heroes’ – the players who don’t get all the publicity, but are key to their team’s chances of winning the competition.

NICK MEANEY (STORM CENTRE)

Meaney is another Craig Bellamy success story.

He came to the Storm after so-so stints at the Knights and Bulldogs and now he’s their most dependable player.

Scores plenty of tries and is a great goalkicker – the complete package.

MOSES LEOTA (PANTHERS PROP)

The guy gets nowhere near the raps as front row partner James Fisher-Harris, but he’s every bit as important.

Is aggressive, hits with a smile on his face, and has good pace for a big bloke – see last year’s grand final try.

VICTOR RADLEY (ROOSTERS LOCK)

If Radley can get back to his old form, the Roosters will go really close to winning the whole thing.

Don’t get me wrong – he’s playing great. But I reckon there’s another gear there.

He seems to be playing a bit safe, probably because he’s worried about being suspended again.

TOBY RUDOLF (SHARKS PROP)

He’s starting to look like the Toby Rudolf of old – the one that pushed off the back fence and is full of aggression.

On his day he can be so damaging up front and that’s what the Sharks need.

If Rudolf can lay a platform, then halfback Nicho Hynes will be pulling the strings in a dinner suit when he comes back injury.

JOSH CURRAN (BULLDOGS BACKROWER)

Gus Gould should be commended for signing this guy.

I love the way he plays, full of energy and fearless. The way he hits in defence and runs the ball, it’s like the old in-your-face Bulldogs sides of the past.

It’s no surprise the Warriors have gone backwards since he left.

LUKE BROOKS (SEA EAGLES FIVE-EIGHTH)

I’m so happy that Brooks is about to play in his first finals series – 10 years after his NRL debut.

He’s really developed this season under Anthony Seibold and is about to play a crucial role for the Sea Eagles.

His running game takes a lot of the pressure off Tom Trbojevic and Daly Cherry-Evans, who are thriving in attack.

KYLE FELDT (COWBOYS WINGER)

This bloke is 32 years old but is playing like it’s 2015 again when he helped the Cowboys win the competition.

Feldt is second on this season’s try-scorers list with 18 and always has a knack for coming up with a special play when his team needs it most.

He’s a big-game player and I reckon he’s got a couple of trick shots up his sleeve for the finals.

JACK DE BELIN (DRAGONS PROP)

I’ve been really impressed with De Belin – it’s one of his best seasons in the Red V.

He runs and tackles hard and has great stamina. I reckon he’s benefited from Shane Flanagan coming in as coach and whipping everyone into shape.

The rest

I haven’t bothered nominating any players from other teams because I believe the top eight is done and dusted.

The Dolphins have a tough run home and will fall just short in their second season. The Broncos, Knights and Raiders can mathematically make it, but they’ve left themselves too much to do.

Obviously, the marquee players will also have a huge say on who wins this year’s premiership.

If the Panthers can get Cleary back from his shoulder injury in time for the finals, then they’re in great shape to win four comps in a row.

If he needs painkillers to get through, that’s just part of the deal.

Most players are like pincushions at this stage of the season.

AND DON’T GET ME STARTED

What the hell was happening at Allianz Stadium the other night? A passing storm turned the playing surface into a wetland.

I was half-expecting to see water buffalo emerge.

For a stadium barely two years old, which cost 200-million bucks to build, it was a disgrace.

Mind you I can’t bag the ground staff too much because I had a similar experience once.

I was staying at the swank Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, when I was acting as a minder for Russell Crowe.

After a tough day I ran a nice hot bath, but I just couldn’t get this fancy plug to fit.

I’d given up all hope, when the phone rings. It’s Russell and we chat for a bit.

After a while I feel a wet sensation seeping through my slippers.

The bloody plug worked after all, and I flooded my entire room!

Russell had to pay for the damage, and we never spoke of it again.