The winger used to be the worst and least important player on the team. The player that wasn't quite good enough to be a half or fullback and wasn't strong enough to play centre.
There's a reason there are a million footy jokes about wingers. That age is well and truly over.
While it might still technically be the least important, wingers are crucial to a team's success. These days, they take all the hard runs off the line when their team is in trouble and score most of the tries. Metre-making and try-scoring.
Both are pretty important aspects of rugby league.
With players seemingly getting younger and younger, and their talent getting higher and higher, there is a huge pool of players who are scoring tries on the wing only a few years into their career.
Here are the five best wingers aged 22 and under.
4. Charlie Staines - 21
Unfortunately for Staines, the Penrith Panthers have a deep well of talent and the player who is next on this list (spoiler!) happens to be replacing the injured Brian To'o.
If I was the Panthers, it would be Staines dropping out upon the return of To'o.
Whether or not Staines is dropped, it isn't a reflection of his talent. Penrith fans are so used to the 200 or 300 metres that Brian To'o and Dylan Edwards make, that Staines gets blamed when he makes only 100.
