The best and most important players in the NRL are often spine players.
All of the top teams have a number of excellent players in the spine, and the Dally M Medal count was dominated by spine players in 2021.
While fullback Tom Trbojevic won it, the top five was made up of halves Nathan Cleary, Cody Walker and Daly Cherry-Evans, while another fullback rounded it out with James Tedesco finishing fifth.
All of those players are at the peak of their powers, and their teams made up those going deep into the finals.
There could be a change a foot for 2022 though, with a few bottom-eight teams from 2021 appearing in the top eight of this list.
Yesterday, we ran through the bottom eight spines in the competition, and now, it's time for the top eight.
Here is the list.
5. Parramatta Eels
Clint Gutherson, Dylan Brown, Mitchell Moses, Reed Mahoney
2022 is Parramatta's realistic last bite at the cherry.
Losing Marata Niukore, Reed Mahoney and Isaiah Papali'i, as well as potentially Ryan Matterson and Tom Opacic due to a salary cap squeeze, Brad Arthur needs to find a way to keep his side firing for an entire season.
Having started brilliantly in recent seasons, the Eels have had a habit of fading in the post State of Origin period.
With all the experience of capped Origin players Mitchell Moses and Clint Gutherson as well as Mahoney (who was selected but didnโt play for Queensland last season), the Eels should be more than equipped to handle the rigours of a full season.
Perhaps with the most settled spine in the NRL for the last three seasons, the Eelsโ mental challenges seem to be the only thing stopping them from succeeding, with Dylan Brown and Mitchell Moses combining down short-sides, and Mahoney feeding Junior Paulo and Reagan Campbell-Gillard through the middle.
Is 2022 the year in which the Eels finally put it all together and go deep into September? We shall seeโฆ
