BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 03: Dylan Edwards of the Panthers runs the ball during the 2021 NRL Grand Final match between the Penrith Panthers and the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Suncorp Stadium on October 03, 2021, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
The top eight sides of the NRL are bursting with headline-dominating talents. Players like Nathan Cleary, Nicho Hynes, Valentine Holmes, and Mitchell Moses.
But surrounding these stars is a group of players who enable them to do what they do. So here’s the best player from each club in the top 8 who doesn’t get enough praise.
Penrith Panthers – Dylan Edwards
Dylan Edwards has everything Cleary and Jarome Luai need to shine. For him, consistency is king. He doesn’t pile on the stats; he’s just always there, putting in 100 per cent and refusing to let his team down.
Yes, he can have a few errors in his game now and then, making 21 for the season, including two games where he made three, but he picks himself up and gets ready for the next play.
Without him, Penrith are a different side, and why would they want anything other than what they’ve got?
Cronulla Sharks – William Kennedy
Cronulla has had some great fullbacks over the years, and they just may well have struck gold with their latest custodian.
Will Kennedy possesses incredible timing and pace that makes the Cronulla backline sing when he gets involved.
The 25-year-old’s stats are down a ways from his breakthrough 2021 season, but that’s mainly due to injury and suspension, as well as the arrival of Nicho Hynes to share the load.
Despite that, he still managed to lead the league in line break assists with 13 at one stage. Most exciting is the fact that he’s rejoining the side this week, ready and raring to go.
North Queensland Cowboys – Scott Drinkwater
The Cowboys’ fullback has been a revelation under Todd Payten this season, showing massive improvement upon his previous seasons in the NRL.
Where before the 25-year-old struggled to get a hold of games, he now has the freedom to do things his way, largely thanks to his star halves, Tom Dearden and Chad Townsend. 17 linebreak assists, 15 try assists and 11 tries are great numbers for any fullback to be putting up, and it illustrates how vital he’s been to his side.
All eyes will be on Holmes and Dearden this week, but Cronulla will want to watch out for Drinkwater as well when defending their line.
Melbourne Storm – Kenneath Bromwich
I know this one is a little tenuous; I mean, he’s Kenny Bromwich – two-time premiership winner with 200 games for the Storm under his belt, he’s a legend.
But let me say that he’s a legend who’s often stood in the shadows of the myriad of stars that arrive in Melbourne.
In amongst Slater, Smith, Munster, Cronk and even his brother Jesse, Kenny has been there as a leader and as a player who leaves it all on the park.
Others qualify for this spot, Josh King, to name one, but with Kenny there as long as he has been, he deserves it and when he leaves Melbourne in 2023, he’ll be near impossible to replace.
Parramatta Eels – Will Penisini
Early this season, the Eels faced a massive outside back injury crisis, forcing them to dig deep to find players to fill the holes.
Only one player never dropped out – Will Penisini.
The young centre played every regular season game, scoring eight tries with four assists. The numbers aren’t massive but his consistency is so impressive; he’s always been there when they need him, and just like many of his teammates, he looks set to fire coming into the finals after a massive performance against Melbourne last week.
Sydney Roosters – Sam Walker
The Roosters are the same as Melbourne regarding the sheer multitude of recent stars in their colours.
From young to old, it seems anyone who comes into this team grabs a puff of stardust along the way.
So, their unsung hero is 20-year-old Sam Walker, a star but not quite in the way that James Tedesco or Luke Keary is.
Another ever-present player, Walker has been instrumental in getting the Roosters back into form this season. With 7 tries and 15 assists, he’s been the perfect foil to Keary as they head into the finals having won their last eight games.
South Sydney Rabbitohs – Keaon Koloamatangi
Koloamatangi has been near unstoppable in recent weeks as last year’s runners-up march home.
He too has played every game this season, and his form has steadily built its way up to career best.
With seven tries from the back row and only 17 errors to his name, he’s a massive asset to South Sydney.
When the time comes for Latrell Mitchell to fire against the Roosters this week, I don’t doubt that it will be Koloamatangi who gets him into a position to do so.
Canberra Raiders – Sebastian Kris
In eighth place, anyone can be called an unsung hero, in this case, bar Jack Wighton.
But the one that stands out to me is 23-year-old Sebastian Kris.
One of the great joys of this season has been watching this upcoming star charge over the line 14 times from the Canberra centres.
He has exploded onto the scene in 2022 after making his debut in 2019 and looks like a different player from back then.
He’s been a massive part of their miraculous push into the finals and could cause the Storm all kinds of trouble this weekend if they give him a chance.
Source:: ZeroTackle
