NRL Editorial and Opinion

Every NRL team’s best try for 2022

Some crossed the line more than others, but which club did it best?

Published by
Euan Kennedy

Across 16 teams and 201 games of football in the 2022 NRL season, each club combined to score a total of 1524 tries.

The question is who scored the best one?

This list features the best try from each club in 2022.

Brisbane Broncos

The sheer explosive power of a fit and firing Kotoni Staggs makes him a regular feature on the highlight reels.

His 2020 try against the Dragons went viral when he sat down Euan Aiken and sold the dummy to fullback Matt Dufty to score a try-of-the-year contender.

Once again, it's the big 'don't argue' that has earned Staggs a spot amongst the nominees.

In Round 5, it was Paul Momirovski who ended up as Staggs' victim when the Broncos back threw his Roosters counterpart to the turf, bust the tackle of Sam Walker and crocodile rolled over the line to score another scintillating 4-pointer.

Canterbury Bulldogs

It's been a season of peaks and valleys at Belmore, however, the Bulldogs' upset win over Parramatta in Round 14 would definitely qualify as a high point for the club.

Their 34 - 4 victory saw Josh Addo-Carr claim a hattrick as well as a memorable try-double for Jake Averillo in his maiden appearance at fullback.

His second try came in the 72nd minute, as a late offload opened up room for Zach Dockar-Clay to push towards a retreating Parramatta line.

A couple of quick offloads saw the ball pass through Kyle Flanagan to Matt Burton who summed the situation up immediately.

Recognising fullback Clint Gutherson was running in to meet him from the backfield, he sent the ball along the carpet for Averillo to chase.

The ball sat up nicely for the Bulldogs and Averillo planted it down before the dead ball line.

Canberra Raiders

Something about playing the Storm at AAMI Park seems to bring the best out of the Green Machine.

I was torn between two options for this one, the first being Matthew Timoko's try in the elimination final where he boxed Cameron Munster away to score.

Instead, I've elected for a James Schiller thriller from the Raiders' Round 18 clash with Melbourne.

Trailing by two the Raiders push wide towards Schiller, who grubbers the ball past Nick Meaney, runs out of the field of play, captures the ball before it roles dead and scores à la Ben Barba in 2011 with a cartwheel putdown.

Cronulla Sharks

On a night where Siosifa Talakai could do no wrong, Cronulla fronted Manly at a soggy Shark Park in Round 7.

After scoring two tries himself, Talakai resumed his reign of terror over Manly's Morgan Harper, discarding him with a casual fend and busting into the backfield.

He looks outside towards speedster Ronaldo Mulitalo but opts to kick up centre field instead.

B-ling towards the bouncing ball is an eager William Kennedy who lays the ball down and takes the slip-slide over the dead ball line.

Gold Coast Titans

Everyone loves a good team try and that's exactly what the Titans gave us in Round 23 when they turned what was seemingly a dog's breakfast into a five-star cuisine.

15 metres out from the Dragons' try line and down to their final tackle, Jayden Campbell sends up a cross-field bomb.

It bounces in no man's land, gets batted back by the Titans thrown carelessly over the head of Campbell and bounces backwards until David Fifita returns it from the 30-metre line.

Busting tackles, Fifita manages to link with Campbell and AJ Brimson who puts on the second kick.

Somehow, Greg Marzhew keeps the ball alive in a three-man tackle and pops it out to Beau Fermor who happily collects the pill and scoots over for an elaborate Titans try.

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles

While 2022 did not reach the peaks of the previous season for Manly fans due to the absence of Tom Trbojevic, his replacement at fullback showcased some fine touch in his stead.

Honestly, there are a couple of Rueben Garrick tries in 2022 that could claim this spot but I have elected for his runaway effort against the Cowboys in Round 15.

Inside their own 10-metre zone, Morgan Harper runs from dummy half and escapes a lazy tackle to find open country.

He jogs up to Scott Drinkwater searching for a support runner and finds one in Garrick.

The job is still far from done though as Garrick still has half a pitch to run and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Valentine Holmes in pursuit.

He out-maneuvers both and showcases a hot set of wheels to claim the try.

A bit of showmanship in the face of Holmes to celebrate also adds to the fun of this one.

Melbourne Storm

There are a lot of words that describe Melbourne man mountain Nelson Asofa-Solomona but 'deft' is rarely one you would use.

However, it is an apt description in the case of the Storm's ANZAC Day thrashing of the Warriors when 'Big Nasty' sent up an unexpected cross-field kick for Ryan Papenhuyzen.

Perhaps it's fitting in the heartland of Aussie rules football that Papenhuyzen marked the ball beautifully and planted it down to score.

Look, this one may be pure novelty, but how often do you get to see a perfectly executed cross-field bomb from the likes of a big prop forward like Asofa-Solomona, I am still in shock at the skills on display in this one.

New Zealand Warriors

Today's wingers seem capable of pulling off the impossible on a regular base when it comes to getting the ball down.

But even amongst numerous aerial efforts Dallin Watene-Zelezniak's Round 14 try against the Sharks is one to remember.

The Warriors winger showed a remarkable verticality when he launched himself towards the corner of Morton Daily Stadium flying over the likes of Ronaldo Mulitalo.

The added cherry on top is the fact he was carrying the ball one-handed when he sent himself spacewards and planted the ball down.

Newcastle Knights

In a season of lows for the Novocastrians, the unearthing of the now-English international Dominic Young has been a highlight.

Both he and Edrick Lee were in supreme finishing form back in Round 16 when Newcastle hosted the Titans.

Between them, they snagged eight tries with Lee bagging five and Young crossing for a hattrick.

His first of which takes the cake, catching a cut-out ball from Anthony Milford and diving for the corner post somehow managing to keep himself in the air and the ball in play while being muscled into touch by Brian Kelly.

North Queensland Cowboys

The stage is Suncorp Stadium in Round 10, Magic Round, where the Cowboys play the West Tigers and the headlining act is 'Murray the Magician' pulling a rabbit out of the hat.

Well, maybe not a rabbit but perhaps something equally amazing.

North Queensland shift left until Murray Taulagi runs out of room and is tackled into touch by Jackson Hastings.

Somehow, he is able to keep his body from contacting the turf and lobs the ball back into play where Scott Drinkwater lies in waiting.

Words really don't quite do this one justice.

Parramatta Eels

It was a play that involved 12 passes, 3 offloads, both wingers, centres, edge forwards and halves and spanned from one touchline to the other.

Maika Sivo's try in Round 15 try against the Roosters was a true illustration of the silky skills of Brad Arthur's Eels unit.

To go through it play-by-play would probably take me some time so I'll run through the bullet points.

The ball was played outside 40 in the Roosters' half, they shift towards the right touchline and find some meters upfield.

The ball is kept alive, first through Bailey Simonsson and then by Isaiah Papali'i and Ryan Matterson.

Then, with the Roosters short on the left they hock the ball back along the line like a live grenade before finding the overlap for Sivo to score.

Penrith Panthers

As the competition's leading point scorers, you really are spoiled for choice when it comes to great Panthers' tries in 2022.

However, Taylan May's Round 6 try against the Broncos, while not quite as spectacular, it brought back memories of David Mead's famous four-pointer back in 2011.

With players in the sin bin for both sides, Nathan Cleary identifies a lack of staff on the far side of the ground and sends a cross-field punt across toward May.

May channeling his inner David Mead, takes the ball on the bounce at speed and with one hand to score a freakish try.

Both the Cleary kick and the pickup are truly the stuff of rugby league poetry.

South Sydney Rabbitohs

Upon his return from a hamstring injury, Rabbitohs fans were treated to one of the greatest sights in the league today, an in-form and fully fit Latrell Mitchell.

And his Round 18 try against the Bulldogs was just vintage Latrell.

Running onto the football after an offload, Mitchell gallops out of the tackle of Matt Burton.

He then swerves away from Jake Averillo and simultaneously fends Josh Addo-Carr before striding over the try line all the while staring down the barrel of the Fox League cameras.

St George Illawarra Dragons

Round 15 saw the Dragons claim a massive scalp when they upset the Rabbitohs in hooker Andrew McCullough's 300th NRL game.

The first half was almost a try-a-minute stuff for the joint venture, notching up a 32-nil lead before halftime.

One of these tries was the product of equal parts skill and strength when Zac Lomax helped produce a magnificent try for Fijian winger Mikaele Ravalawa.

Running off a cut-out ball Lomax drew in the South Sydney centre and winger before throwing his patented no-look flick out towards Ravalawa.

With work still to do, Ravalawa was confronted by Alex Johnston one on one but managed to push away from the tackle and plunge his way over the white stripe.

Sydney Roosters

Joseph Suaalii was one of the most hotly sought-after signatures coming into grade and 2022 has shown us why.

His incredible athletism was on show against Parramatta during Magic Round when he scored an Israel Folau-esque try to ultimately seal the match for the tri-colours.

The kick came from Luke Keary towards the wing of Parramatta's Hayze Perham, who proved nothing more than a launching pad for Suaalii as he sprang above him and caught the ball to score this freakish try.

West Tigers

They might have scored the least of any team this season, but this list is about quality rather than quantity.

And Luke Garner's runaway effort against Manly in Round 9 was nothing but quality.

Running on the outside of Asu Kepaoa the Tigers found an overlap and sent Garner down the sideline at speed, burning Keiran Foran with a superior pace.

Not even Tom Trbojevic got there in time to stop Garner from crossing the line and scoring the Tigers' opening try.

Published by
Euan Kennedy