The halves positions are the most impactful positions to a team's success.
Forwards have to make metres to allow the halves to succeed and centres and wingers have to finish opportunities created by the halves, but everything comes back to the halves.
A team's success and failure sits on the shoulders of the two halves. This is why young halves require time to find their way in the NRL (looking at you, Canterbury Bulldogs) and usually don't succeed until at least their mid-twenties.
This is why the names below are so highly regarded and worthy of mention. These are the five best five-eighths and halfbacks in the NRL aged 22 and under.
3. Matt Burton - 22
Centre of the year last year at the Penrith Panthers, Matt Burton has the potential to be anything.
With one of the biggest boots in the competition, combined with lighting speed and being able to step off both feet, Burton is built to play five-eighth.
Burton has struggled to acclimate to a more dominant role at the Bulldogs and the lack of continuity in his halves partner hasn't helped. Whether it is tapped into at the Bulldogs or not is questionable, but there is no doubt about Burton's potential.
