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.
While he hasn't caught fire like he did last year, let's not forget what Jason Saab did in his first full year of NRL after originally moving to Manly from the St George Illawarra Dragons alongside teammate Reuben Garrick.
Scoring an insane 26 tries in 27 games last year, if Saab got an inch of space his blistering pace turned it into a try. Teams are more aware of what he can do now, taking away the space this season he got in 2021.
Nevertheless, Saab is only 21 years old and with a few years and a few more kilograms under and on his belt, I have no doubt he will continue to develop into the player we saw he can be last year.
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.
The Penrith Panthers haven't skipped a beat since losing the best winger in the game in Brian To'o, and Taylan May is the biggest reason for it.
Playing four games in 2022, May has scored seven tries, broken 18 tackles and has 5 line breaks, all while averaging nearly 200m a game. Scoring a try in every game he has played, May has quickly climbed the winger ranks.
Brian To'o is going to come right back into his wing spot as soon as he's healthy, but I wouldn't be surprised if May steals the spot of the man ranked just below him.
Playing for the Penrith Panthers is practically like making the NSW Blues side, and any team in the competition would be happy to have Staines' acrobatics on their wing.
Only 22 and having played 45 games already, Mulitalo is one of the best finishers the game has. With only the slightest space, Mulitalo will find a way to get the ball on the ground, whatever gymnastics it requires.
With ten line breaks, 21 tackle breaks and four tries while averaging 154m in five games this year, Mulitalo is cementing himself as one of the game's best wingers.
Outside the likes of Jesse Ramien and Nicho Hynes, expect plenty more tries this year.
It's almost unbelievable that Xavier Coates is only 21.
With 37 games under his belt, having just started his fourth NRL season, Coates has been one of the best wingers in the competition for the last two years.
Having missed a lot of time due to some injuries, Coates will be hoping to have his first full season with his first season at the Storm.
Looking improved at the Storm already, making smarter decisions and working harder on kick chases than he did at the Broncos, Melbourne could turn Coates from a top ten winger into the best winger, with a four-try haul on ANZAC Day against the New Zealand Warriors kickstarting things in the right direction.