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.
2. Sam Walker - 19
One of the Sydney Roosters' biggest reasons for making the top-eight last season, Walker is already in the top half of halfbacks in the competition.
It's rare for a halfback to enter the NRL at any age and look comfortable, but Walker did.
While he has faced the usual troubles of a young half, the positives have far outweighed the negatives.
With someone like Nathan Cleary dominating the competition, it is hard to keep perspective about what is normal.
Being 24 with a grand final win and multiple State of Origin wins under your belt isn't normal. Neither is what Sam Walker is doing at the Roosters at his age.
