Nathan Cleary, Reece Walsh and Kalyn Ponga top the list of NRL players to watch in 2024
1 NATHAN CLEARY (PENRITH)
There really is nothing the Prince of Penrith can’t do. When the kingdom looked lost against a Broncos second-half rampage in the grand final he produced one of the greatest 20 minutes of rugby league in the code’s history to snatch victory from the gaping jaws of defeat. The three-time champion has a deadly boot with which he terrorises defences and racked up 8934 kicking metres in 2023.
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This brash youngster is an entertainment machine and showed why he is the best fullback in the game at both State of Origin and NRL finals levels. He made 17 line-breaks and an astonishing 105 tackle breaks in 2023 but there is sure to be more in store in 2024 as Walsh sharpens his game in an electric Broncos backline.
3 KALYN PONGA (NEWCASTLE)
Newcastle had a season of two halves and the Dally M winner was a crucial cog in their incredible second-stanza surge into the semi-finals. He also had to overcome a tonne of adversity to get himself and the Knights there after a failed five-eighth experiment and recurrent concussion issues saw him fail to secure a spot in the Queensland team.
4 PAYNA HAAS (BRISBANE)
There are man-mountains and there is Payne Haas. Brisbane’s best for half a decade his ferocious ball-running and huge motor for a player his size (370 runs in 2023) make him the premier prop and forward of the NRL.
5 CAMERON MUNSTER (MELBOURNE)
When a big game is on the line you want a goose-stepping Cameron Munster with the ball in his hands - just take his slick moves against former Storm team-mate Nicho Hynes to put Queensland in front in the first State of Origin game. He didn’t set the world on fire in 2023 but the Storm as always featured heavily in the finals, thanks to similar Munster moments of brilliance.
6 STEPHEN CRICHTON (CANTERBURY)
The rangy centre famous for grand final intercepts and solid edge defence was again pivotal in a season decider for the Panthers in 2023. This time he stepped up with a powerhouse try and fifth tackle kick in a 10-minute period to help Cleary vanquish the fading Broncos.
7 EZRA MAM (BRISBANE)
Mam’s name was virtually being etched into the 2023 Clive Churchill Medal before Cleary stole the grand final show. Mam’s blistering hat-trick of tries in 10-minutes had Broncos fans in raptures before they had their heads in their hands in shocked disbelief at fulltime.
8 TINO FA’ASUAMALEAUI (GOLD COAST)
The towering Titans skipper has stepped up his efforts on the Gold Coast. Racking up 1217 post-contact metres and 52 tackle breaks, the 197cm prop-lock also signed a 10-year contract to stay on the coast.
9 BRIAN TO’O (PENRITH)
While To’o doesn’t possess the height or aerial abilities attributed to wingers in the modern game, the nuggety wrecking ball more than makes up for it with his destructive play one and two runs, usually credited for setting a rock-solid platform for the powerful Panthers pack to further bash their opponents from.
10 PAT CARRIGAN (BRISBANE)
A recent boozed-fuelled dust-up with his skipper shows the emerging star does not take a backward step. The versatile lock forward made 54 line breaks in 2023 and is a key part of Brisbane’s defence and makes a formidable combination with Haas up front.
11 SHAUN JOHNSON (NEW ZEALAND)
Painfully unlucky not to win the Dally M, Johnson showed age is no barrier to success with a stellar 2023 campaign that made the Warriors one of the competition’s hottest teams as they stormed into the preliminary finals. He turned back the clock, racking up 176 points and led the league in try assists (27).
12 HARRY GRANT (MELBOURNE)
2023 was not the year of the hooker but Harry Grant still proved he is the number one rake in the NRL. The Australian representative steers the Storm around the park confidently and keeps defences honest with his quick darts from dummy-half. He also gets through a mountain of work in defence making 949 tackles in 2023.
13 LIAM MARTIN (PENRITH)
Just three years ago Liam Martin was considered the third-string second rower for the Panthers. Now he’s one of the world’s most formidable edge forwards with the kind of line-speed and aggression doled out by Blues predecessors Boyd Cordner and Anthony Watmough.
14 HAMISO TABUAI-FIDOW (DOLPHINS)
The Dolphins custodian known as the Hammer celebrated a breakout 2023 season at Redcliffe, where the NRL’s fastest man blazed across the field for 15 tries and emerged as Queensland’s best player in the State of Origin. The wildest thing: he never seemed to hit top gear while doing it.
15 DYLAN EDWARDS (PENRITH)
Another vital member of Penrith’s metre-eating back three, Edwards has built a reputation on his tenacious counter-attacking runs from the back and his desperate defensive efforts. He made the most metres in 2023 (4726), well ahead of the Panthers forwards. The three-peat club made his worth to them known by locking him down with a $3.4m four-year extension.
16 ADAM REYNOLDS (BRISBANE)
The Reynolds renaissance was a work of art in 2023 with the veteran halfback proving his shift to Brisbane was a genius move by the Broncos. A master tactician and pinpoint kicker, Reynolds was the fourth highest-point scorer (182) in 2023 as he almost led his young charges to the promised land.
17 CAMERON MURRAY (SOUTHS)
A backrow ace with punishing defence and silky footwork, Murray was forced to shift between the edge and his preferred 13 role due to a lack of depth in the Rabbitohs pack. Even during Souths’ late slump, the Australian rep still tore into opposition packs, racking up 38 tackle breaks and 578 post-contact metres for the year.
18 DALY CHERRY-EVANS (MANLY)
Led Queensland to yet another Origin series they were all but guaranteed not to win and often kept a patchy Manly side alive during 2023 with his elite kicking game. The presence of Luke Brooks at Manly should free him up to show more creative flair on the edges.
19 JAMES FISHER-HARRIS (PENRITH)
While Nathan Cleary is the mastermind of the Penrith side, there’s no doubt who leads the formidable pack in black from the front. Possessing unmatched power and aggression up front, JFH’s brutal 2023 form was rewarded with his captaincy of a New Zealand side that bashed its way to its biggest winning margin over Australia yet.
20 CODY WALKER (SOUTHS)
Cody should be able to copyright the cliche ending with the words “like a fine wine” - even in a Souths side that failed to match its red-hot start last year. Often in the shadow of teammate Latrell Mitchell, late-blooming Rabbitohs pivot Walker came up with the league’s fourth-highest try assist tally and ran riot in the Blues’ Game 3 win over Queensland.
