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The List: The 50 Fifty Best Players of the
2008 Season
Rugby league season is over.
The depression has set in. We still have a World Cup, which
will be grand. It isn’t
the same, however, and now is the time to start considering
strange adventures to dull the pain. Like a trip along the
Amazon where there is every chance you will be kidnapped
for your kidneys just for sport and some dinner money by
strange moustachioed gentlemen with a taste for cocaine and
a severe disdain for personal hygiene.
Before I head for the hills, however, some analysis is required.
For personal sanity and nostalgia, if nothing else.
Below are the fifty best players of the 2008 NRL season.
They are ranked in order of impact, value and performance
this year from opening night all those months ago to the
last play of the Grand Final when Manly players raised their
arms in triumph and bathed themselves in the glory of victory.
Top Ten
1. Kurt Gidley: Gidley was simply outstanding this year.
Most impressive was his ability to fill numerous roles. Gidley
is a safe and aggressive fullback whose kick returns are
top notch. In attack, Gidley would then step into the halves
to become the primary or secondary playmaker while also having
a stint at hooker to get the Knights on the front foot. He
fulfilled all his roles with great enthusiasm and energy
that lifted Newcastle to victory on more than one occasion.
Throw in goal-kicking and his on-field leadership and you
have the complete package. With his licence to rove, Gidley
led the NRL in average metres this season with a mind-boggling
178.2 metres per match. Gidley will be a fixture in representative
teams for years to come with his utility value and lithe
skill making him the most valuable player in the game.
2. Anthony Laffranchi: Laffranchi rose to become the number
one backrower in the game with an amazing season that saw
him compliment his immense workrate with an attacking presence
rarely seen from backrow forwards. Laffranchi’s numbers
speak for themselves: 121.6 metres and 34.8 tackles per
game, 12 tries in 20 games, 40-plus offloads and tackle
breaks,
11 line breaks and only 6 errors. He is a tireless player
who is constantly threatening with his clever and forceful
ball running and his bruising defence. An Australian jersey
is well deserved.
3. Billy Slater: Slater had an outstanding 2008, usurping
Brett Stewart and Karmichael Hunt to become the number one
custodian in the sport. He was electric in attack with his
kick return the most dangerous in the game and his ball handling
top rate. He scored 14 tries and set up another 14 in what
was a spectacular output for a fullback. His safety under
the high ball and positional play at the back were also faultless,
for the most part. Actually polled the most Dally M votes
but missed out on the medal due to a one-week suspension.
4. Cameron Smith: Smith is, without doubt, the most multi-dimensional
player in the game. He is a tremendous defender who averaged
over 37 tackles per game this season. He is a quality playmaker
who recorded 10 try assists and 60 tackle breaks. He is
a goalkicker who landed 77 two-pointers. He is a fine leader
and a quality teammate. Smith is a match-winner and 2008
only further confirmed Smith’s standing as the number
one hooker in the competition. His absence in the Grand
Final allowed Manly to wrestle the ascendancy early and
maintain
it for the rest of the match.
5. Matt Orford: Orford was more important to Manly’s
success this season than any other individual. Orford got
the Manly backline firing consistently while shedding the
tag of being a big game failure with exceptional performances
against the Warriors and Melbourne in the final two weeks
of the season. He finished second in the league in try
assists while allowing the Manly forwards to choke opponents
out
of contests with an astute kicking game. Won the Dally
M Medal in what has been his finest and most consistent
season
in first grade.
6. Paul Gallen: Despite his grubby nature, Gallen led a fairly
run-of-the-mill Sharks team to a preliminary final. Gallen
became the master of second phase play with a league leading
64 offloads as well as 155.6 metres per match, the leading
number for a forward in the NRL this year. His discipline
remains a problem but there is no questioning his work ethic
or his skill as a ballplayer.
7. Scott Prince: Prince was simply magnificent for the Gold
Coast this season showing tremendous skill and inspiring
courage to lead the Titans to the precipice of their first
finals campaign. Prince finished with 21 try assists and
5 tries in 16 matches and led from the front with a brilliant
kicking game. His value to the Titans was highlighted by
how poorly the team performed when he was out hurt. His commitment
in coming back nearly a month before expected from a broken
arm shows how much courage the former Churchill Medal winner
has. Had Prince not broken his arm, he would have been a
very real chance of claiming the Dally M Medal.
8. Petero Civoniceva: Big Petero maintained his standing
as the number one prop forward in the game in his first season
at Penrith. Civoniceva led all props in average metres with
142.6 while also racking up 23 tackles a match. His leadership
at a difficult club has also been exemplarily while his discipline
has again been first class, giving away only 6 penalties
all season.
9. Glenn Stewart: Stewart went from a serviceable backrower
to an elite player in a brilliant year that saw him average
over 100 metres and 29 tackles per game. The most pleasing
aspect of Stewart’s game was his play in attack that
saw him loom as a constant threat on the edge, resulting
in Stewart being the leading forward in try assists.
10. Feleti Mateo: Mateo was a revelation this season with
his ability to bulldoze defenders and offload in traffic
and was clearly one of the few highlights in an ordinary
Parramatta season. Mateo led the league in offloads, made
117.4 metres and 20.4 tackles per game, racked up 17 try
assists and 7 tries and had the second most line break assists
for the season. 2008 was a breakout year for a player who
looks a genuine star.
Eleven through Twenty
11. Terry Campese: No player had a better backend of the
season than Campese. The bulky five-eighth took complete
ownership of the Raiders when Todd Carney was sacked and
did a spectacular job. He led the league in line break assists,
finished fourth in try assists, scored 10 tries and kicked
40 goals all while bringing to the Raiders a flair and brilliance
enjoyed by all fans. In the last seven games of the regular
season Campese had 15 try assists and 6 tries. His Australian
jersey is well deserved.
12. Cooper Cronk: Cronk again proved his standing as one
of the game’s elite halfbacks with a season that
saw him lead the NRL in try assists with an amazing 37
in 28
games. He has a tremendous passing game, a wonderful kicking
game and is a smart ball runner that always keeps defensive
lines on their heels. His leadership of the Storm is also
worthy of note as he plays a key role in maintaining the
winning culture at the club.
13. Nathan Hindmarsh: Shabbily treated by representative
selectors this year and offered little support by his Eels
teammates, Hindmarsh again turned in a typically honest performance
that saw him finish second in average tackles with 39.5 per
match as well as showing some deft skills to score 6 tries.
He was again an eighty minute player who left nothing on
the pitch and still ranks among the best forwards in the
game.
14. Chris Heighington: On a terrible team, Heighington was
a shining light. He was the only player in the NRL to average
over 130 metres and 30 tackles per game, highlighting how
hard the bullocking backrower works. He coupled that strong
work ethic with 93 tackle breaks and 6 tries proving Heighington
to not only be a hard worker but a penetrating attacking
force. Should be an Origin certainty in 2009.
15. Israel Folau: Folau confirmed his standing as the number
one three-quarter in the game with another outstanding season.
Folau scored 15 tries, led the NRL in tackle breaks with
146, finished tied for fourth in line breaks with 17 and
made 115.4 metres per game. While his contemporaries like
Hayne and Inu suffered significant drop-offs, Folau enhanced
his reputation as a fast and strong outside back with no
equal in the air.
16. Dallas Johnson: A workhorse of the highest order, Johnson
does the grunt work for the team that has been the benchmark
for the last three seasons. He again put in the hard yards
in 2008 without fuss or fanfare in his typically courageous
style. Desperately unlucky to miss selection in Australia’s
World Cup squad.
17. Brett Stewart: Many viewed 2008 as a downturn in
Stewart’s
exceptional career despite the fact Stewart played in all
three Origin matches and still topped the tryscoring list
for the first time in his career with 22 tries from 24 games.
His ability as a playmaker also improved out of sight with
Stewart laying on a further 14 tries as well as recording
14 line-break assists. It was only the form of Slater that
bought Stewart’s form into question as the Manly
fullback again had an exceptional year.
18. Anthony Watmough: Atoned for an ordinary finish to the
2007 season with a barnstorming 2008 season that saw him
lead all forwards in tackle breaks and finish eighth in offloads.
His ability to score tries as well as hit hard in defence
saw Watmough mature into a multi-dimensional player whose
physicality was a major asset for Manly. Discipline and so-so
hands were his major weaknesses.
19. Craig Fitzgibbon: Fitzgibbon was reborn as a champion
player this season after a number of quiet years, returning
to representative football on the back of some exceptional
and selfless work with the Roosters. He clearly led the Roosters
in average tackles while ranking second in average metres.
A sensational year for the Roosters stalwart.
20. Mark Minichiello: Without doubt the superior footballer
of the Minichiello boys these days after Anthony has spent
much of the last three seasons sidelined or hampered by injury.
Mark formed a wonderful backrow partnership with Laffranchi,
suiting the team style with his dangerous ball-carrying and
hard defence. Injury cruelled what could have been an Australian
berth.
Twenty-one through Fifty
21. Greg Inglis: There are still doubts over whether Inglis
is a genuine number six or whether he would be better suited
in the centres. Regardless, he is still one of the most electric
runners in the game and can turn a match with his own brilliance.
2008 was an inconsistent year for Inglis but he was still
a match-winner and one of the best attacking players in the
NRL.
22. Brent Kite: Missing Origin was the best thing that
happened to Brent Kite. He knuckled down and played the
back end of
the season like a man possessed. His go forward was critical
in Manly’s premiership success and he now ranks as
one of the game’s elite props. He was a deserving
Clive Churchill Medal winner and has earned his Australian
World
Cup position.
23. Ray Cashmere: Cashmere was a lonely figure at the Cowboys
as he was their only forward to run hard and run often.
He bent defensive lines often with his 116.1 metres per
match
and did not shirk the task on the other side of the ball
with nearly 30 tackles a match. He was the one shining
light in North Queensland’s dismal season. He was
rewarded with a City Origin jersey.
24. Robbie Farah: Farah was one of the two Tigers players
to perform this season. His effectiveness was hampered
by being thrown into the halves by Tim Sheens but there
is no
questioning his work ethic in defence, his zip out of dummy
half and his importance in the Tigers high octane attack.
Injuries, however, saw Farah’s performance dip somewhat
this season.
25. Jamie Lyon: Lyon seems to have settled into the five-eighth
role after some initial teething problems and has proved
a fine compliment to Matt Orford. Lyon played a key role
in Manly’s premiership win with some fine second-receiver
play and the most solid defence of any legitimate half.
26. Steve Price: The value of Price was no better exemplified
than the performance of the Warriors when Price was missing.
They languished at the bottom of the ladder with another
season seemingly wasted. Price returns and the team made
a great finals run that included an upset of the Storm in
Melbourne. He is an outstanding leader and remains one of
the premier props in the game despite his age.
27. Jeff Lima: Lima laid the platform for the Melbourne backs
with an outstanding year that saw him average 128.7 metres
(third in the NRL for props) and 21.5 tackles per game. His
hands were also much better this year. The Storm would not
have won the minor premiership without Lima.
28. Ben Hannant: Hannant stepped up to be a leader of the
young Broncos pack and did an outstanding job with courageous
running and back-breaking defence. He was rightfully rewarded
with an Origin jersey.
29. John Sutton: Sutton was the Bunnies best this year with
the powerful backrower dangerous in attack when hitting the
fringes hard. He can offload, kick or run straight over the
top of defenders and that multi-pronged threat saw him lead
the team in try assists. He finished fourth in the league
in offloads while recording 74 tackle breaks.
30. Johnathan Thurston: Thurston had a tough task behind
a pack that had only one player doing anything while battling
injuries after missing much of the pre-season. His defence
was again a concern but there is no doubting his ability
with the ball and his deft kicking game. 2008, however,
won’t
be a year he will wish to remember.
31. Darren Lockyer: When Lockyer was on the field, he was
a match winner. Brisbane was just much better when he was
on the park. There are no better examples than his game winning
kick against Parramatta and his skilful play to down the
Titans in golden point. Had he of remained fit all season,
he would have been ranked much higher.
32. Nathan Friend: A tackling machine who averaged 42.2 tackles
per game (number one in the NRL); Friend has proven his worth
as an eighty minute player in 2008. His work ethic is immense
and he adds plenty out of dummy-half. 2008 was a super year
for the Titans rake.
33. Alan Tongue: The ever-consistent Tongue was again a
vestibule of courage and will this season in leading the
Raiders to
the finals series. Tongue’s defence was again tireless
despite playing much of the season injured. He was also
vital to the Raiders as a fill-in at hooker and halfback
throughout
the year.
34. Roy Asotasi: Asotasi was heavily maligned this season
but despite his drop-off from the high standards he has set
previously, he continued to perform as a quality front rower.
His hands let him down a little this season and he was apt
to go missing in early season games but there is no doubting
that when he hit form at the halfway mark of the year he
was very good.
35. Karmichael Hunt: Despite having his worst season in first
grade, Hunt was still very good at the back for Brisbane.
His return game was less effective than in previous seasons
but his ballplaying improved markedly. His courage was again
top class and his safety under the high ball makes him the
most secure fullback in the NRL.
36. Braith Anasta: Anasta started off the season as the top
playmaker in the game but his season fizzled after missing
Origin selection. He finished the season third in try assists
but the nature of most of those-kicks for the corner-made
the Roosters predictable.
37. Jarrod Mullen: Despite having played Origin in ’07,
Mullen continues to be an underrated player. The talented
Newcastle half finished the season seventh in try assists
with 20 while his long kicking game was one of the best
in the league.
38. Michael Ennis: Ennis stepped up in fine style this
year with some dummy-half work that will see him challenge
for
an Origin jersey next season. With Wallace hot and cold
at halfback and Lockyer spending time on the sidelines
injured,
Ennis played a critical role in Brisbane’s attack
and came up trumps.
39. Colin Best: Colin Best had his finest ever season which
netted 14 tries, 8 try assists and 130.2 metres per game.
He was a threat from anywhere on the field and played a key
role in the Raiders attack that propelled the Green Machine
into the finals. Few outside backs had the impact Best did
this season.
40. Danny Buderus: Even in his final year, Buderus played
in the class of elite hookers. He was again a lynchpin for
the Knights when fit with his solid defence and his creativity
and dash from dummy-half. His game no doubt slipped from
his halcyon days but he still had a very good year.
41. Sam Thaiday: Thaiday at his best is a brutal ball-carrier
who could rumble through defensive lines with his thrashing
arms and legs. In some games he was unstoppable. Fitness,
or a lack thereof, hurt him in the back half of the year
but there is little doubting he is one of the most threatening
forwards in the game with the ball in his hands.
42. Luke Douglas: Douglas was the Sharks quiet achiever but
after Gallen there is little doubt he was the Sharks best.
He was tireless in both attack and defence and became renowned
for a sound pair of hands (that unfortunately let him down
in the Sharks final against Melbourne). A fine player with
rep footy awaiting him.
43. Joel Monaghan: Monaghan’s return to Canberra
proved a masterstroke for both parties with Monaghan contributing
significantly to a successful Raiders campaign. Monaghan
was a dangerous ball runner and a considerable aerial threat
this year but it was his improved defence that was most
pleasing
to watch.
44. Michael Crocker: Crocker’s numbers, as always,
weren’t spectacular but there seems to be little
doubt that Melbourne are a stronger and fiercer team with
Crocker
on the park. It is the intangibles that make Crocker so
valuable and the fact he stayed fit for 21 games meant
plenty to the
Storm in 2008.
45. Nathan Cayless: Cayless was one of the few Parramatta
players to play with consistency this season. His go-forward
was classy, his game was mistake-free and his defence was
solid in a team that let in plenty of tries. The big prop
even kicked a field goal that sent the Eels to an overtime
win.
46. Andrew Ryan: The only Bulldog to turn in a decent effort
all season. Ryan’s attack suffered due to the team’s
inept halves but his defence was top notch (ranking eighth
in average tackles in the NRL) and his leadership in a
very tough season exceptional.
47. Ben Creagh: Despite having his season hampered by injury,
Creagh made a habit of bending the line in attack and bending
his back in defence with 25.7 tackles and 111.4 metres per
game. The Dragons struggled when Creagh was missing.
48. Simon Mannering: Mannering was outstanding for the Warriors
all season with an unquenchable work ethic. The hallmark
of his game was his consistency that saw him improve into
one of the most solid all-round backrowers in the game.
49. Zeb Taia: Taia proved himself a dangerous ball runner
and hard working defender this season before a knee injury
cut his year short. His threatening running on the fringes
and ability to offload the ball was a key to the Knights
improvement in 2008.
50. Brett Finch: Finch had one of his better years in 2008
and really stepped up once Tim Smith went walkabout. His
24 try assists placed top five in the NRL while he was fairly
sound defensively for a half. Consistency saw him marked
down.
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