With so much going on in the NRL at the moment we are absolutely spoiled with the quality of play from teams as well as amazing individual efforts on a daily or nightly basis.
Though for every pin-up halfback or media darling fullback there are a number of Unsung Heroes in the ranks of the NRL that do their job week in, week out without so much of a headline to their name.
We have picked out those Unsung Heroes and present to you a list, in no particular order of the top 5 so far this season in the 2024 NRL Premiership.
Ryan Papenhuyzen's determination
You would not bat an eyelid if you had read that Ryan Papenhuyzen had decided to retire on medical grounds. The Storm fullback has had a horrid run of injuries over the past few years that would put anyone in the pits of depression let alone a person who relies on their body to pay the bills.
Papenhuyzen suffered a heavy concussion in 2021 before a hamstring injury kept him out of a large chunk of 2022. In that same year he smashed his kneecap in an unfortunate collision on the field which kept him off the grass for more than a year. He returned late in 2023 and after only a small handful of games left the field in a finals game with a broken ankle.
The star fullback worked hard rehabbing over the 23-24 off season and returned in stellar form to start this year's campaign before he was again struck with an ankle fracture in Round 9 forcing him to miss the middle part of this year.
Such determination to overcome not only the physical aspects of those injuries but the mental is an absolutely amazing achievement.
Canterbury's defence has the dog in it
As of the end of round 15 the Canterbury Bulldogs are surprisingly in sixth place on the ladder after many Australian betting sites tipped them to be in the bottom-third of the table and even competing to avoid the wooden spoon again.
The drastic turnaround has been due solely to a new attitude in defence that has them as one of the best defensive teams in the NRL. Canterbury have conceded an average of just 16.2 points per game, which is due to the desperation on their line, but also doing the groundwork to perfection and starving their opponents of metres, ranked best in the NRL with just 1292.9 opposition run metres and also allowing just 3.6 linebreaks per game, the least in the league.
If Canterbury keep the dog in them in defence for the rest of the season they could very well make an unexpected return to the NRL Finals.
Women's Origin Becoming a Spectacle
With the Women's State of Origin being expanded to a 3-game series this year nobody could have predicted the momentum it would bring in the development of the Women's game.
According to Channel 9, Game 1 reached almost 2 million people on the broadcast with an average of 941,000 viewers across the game. The numbers smashed the mens AFL out of the park that night.
Game 2 played in Newcastle recently smashed records for attendance with McDonald Jones stadium being sold out and 30,000 fans crammed into the stands on one of the wettest nights of the year.
Channel 9 has now committed to showing each and every NRLW game on free-to-air television in a massive show of support to the game.
Jeremy Marshall-King leading the dolphins
The Dolphins hooker has been quietly going about his business up on the South East Queensland coast and has now become an integral part to the expansion team's success.
Jeremy Marshall-King is having a career year across most of the statistical measures with 40 Tackles per game together with 6 Try Assists, 7 Linebreak Assists and 2 tries in his 13 games played so far this year.
The stability of having an experienced and consistent dummy-half has proven over many years of rugby league to lead to winning and successful organisations. Marshall-King provides that to the Dolphins and is a major factor in why they currently are in the top 4.
Mitch Kenny cementing his spot
The Penrith Panthers are chugging along as they do, sitting second on the ladder after 15 rounds of footy being played. This season has been a tricky one to handle for the three-time Premiers, with a couple of players on the exit in 2025 and many beginning to believe the dynasty is coming to an end.
To make matters worse star halfback Nathan Cleary has played just 5 games this season meaning others in the group have needed to step up. Mitch Kenny is one of those men that has taken it upon himself to lift, especially defensively.
The hooker role has been shared over the last few seasons in Penrith but the local Windsor junior has taken it upon himself to nail down the spot by giving service to his halves and making an average of 40 tackles per game, which is the second-most of any player in the NRL.
Kenny has now become a popular identity for the club and was rewarded for his efforts early in the season by signing a three-year extension with the club.
