Itโs undoubtedly true that every successful NRL side has a strong spine - the spine players inject creativity, guidance and structure, and touch the ball more than any other player on the field.
The fullback, halfback, five-eighth and hooker control all of the action, direct traffic and are normally the best players on the park, receiving much of the credit when things go right, but equally much of the backlash when things go wrong.
In recent years, the NRL has been blessed with some of the greatest ever spine talent, with Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Billy Slater, Johnathan Thurston, Jake Friend (to name a few) as well as current megastars Nathan Cleary, James Tedesco and Daly Cherry-Evans.
With 2022 set to be as fast, physical and competitive as ever, the sides with the best spines will continue to blow bottom sides out of the water.
Remembering that this is a ranking of spines rather than a ladder prediction, here is how we view each of the club's best spine options for 2022.
3. (14) North Queensland Cowboys
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Scott Drinkwater, Chad Townsend, Reece Robson
Is 2022 hammer time? Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, fresh off his Queensland debut in 2021, has the speed to succeed.
However, the Cowboys will enter the 2022 season with a lot of question marks over their spine. Is million-dollar man Valentine Holmes best used at centre rather than fullback?
They bought Chad Townsend and Tom Dearden to be the sideโs long-term halves combination, but neither set the world on fire last season.
Scott Drinkwater is simply too good to be left out. Give Drinkwater, Hammer and Robson two years to develop in the top grade, and 2024 looks scary for the Cowboys.
So much talent. That said, I donโt think the Cowboys play finals this year.
