Zero Tackle's Top 50 NRL player countdown from the 2024 season is moving to the business end, with the final 20 elite players left to be unveiled.
Today, we look at players ranked 20 to 11 in the season just gone, with five of them playing in the grand final and all but one seeing their side in the finals.
» Part 1 (50-41)
» Part 2 (40-31)
» Part 3 (30-21)
20. Ryan Papenhuyzen (Melbourne Storm)
There isn't much Ryan Papenhuyzen can't do. One of the game's best fullbacks, it became clear how much the Storm missed the star when he was out injured for much of the last two years when he did get onto the field more consistently throughout 2024.
The 26-year-old managed 20 games, scoring 13 tries and assisting another 11, adding 76 tackle busts, and in a clear sign he is over his injuries, he had no issues running the ball with 120 metres per game.
19. Jarome Luai (Penrith Panthers)
What a season it was for Jarome Luai - his last as a Panther.
In what will bring a smile to Tigers fans, the five-eighth was also forced to play a sizeable chunk of the season at halfback with Nathan Cleary out injured, and while it must be noted it was within the Penrith system, he was excellent for the most part.
Whether he can carry that across to the Tigers' system in 2025 remains to be seen.
18. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (The Dolphins)
Tabuai-Fidow is the only player in the Top 20 who didn't play finals football, with the Dolphins missing out on the final day of the season after losing in Newcastle to the Knights.
Despite that, the fullback and outside back was superb for the Dolphins all season long and, once again, carried that form into the Queensland Origin camp.
He will need to be at his best again in 2025 as Kristian Woolf takes over from Wayne Bennett in charge of the club.
17. Reece Robson (North Queensland Cowboys)
Robson has fast become one of the best hookers in the competition. A tenacious defender who plays big minutes, it's his attack that began to set him apart this year.
He runs the ball out of dummy half as much as anyone, but it's running that passes the eye test as well. His decision-making is outstanding, and he will be hard to displace from the number nine jumper for the New South Wales Blues in the years to come.
16. James Fisher-Harris (Penrith Panthers)
Fisher-Harris will be one of the biggest departures anywhere in the competition heading into 2026.
An undoubted star of the game in the middle third, he has it all and is the complete package when it comes to playing as an elite prop forward.
Finished 2024 with 128 metres per game with 37 tackle busts and 14 offloads while also tackling at almost 96 per cent.
15. Tom Trbojevic (Manly Sea Eagles)
Trbojevic managed 20 games this season - more than in any season after 2018.
It showed, too, with Manly qualifying for the finals before being dispatched in the second week.
In those 20 games, Trbojevic wound up with a staggering 34 try involvements - 17 tries and 17 try assists - to go with 82 tackle busts, 16 line breaks and 190 metres per game.
The impact he has on this Manly side may be more than any player anywhere else in the competition.
14. Brian To'o (Penrith Panthers)
If you wanted a winger playing for your life, there is likely no one you'd prefer than Brian To'o.
The star winger may not be the NRL's leading try-scorer, but boy, oh boy, is he the NRL's best ball-runner. 196 metres per game, 154 tackle busts, 20 line breaks. It simply doesn't get any better or more dominant than that.
13. Kalyn Ponga (Newcastle Knights)
It's, unfortunately, something of a long-running joke that Newcastle's main attacking strategy is to throw the ball at Ponga and hope he can create something.
Unfortunately, it's at times really not all that far from the truth, and it seemed to get worse during Round 27 and again during their Week 1 finals elimination.
But Ponga is one of the best fullbacks in the game, so maybe it's not so hard to understand why. Another outstanding season for Ponga, who will again have fitness as his biggest question when 2025 gets underway.
12. Cameron Munster (Melbourne Storm)
Some will question whether Munster really deserves to be this far up the list based on their 2024 form and given his injuries, but he has such an impact on the Storm every time he gets onto the field.
The five-eighth did manage 17 games, putting up 12 try assists and scoring 5 in that time, but it was his running game that again set him apart from other five-eighths, a permanent danger with the ball where he wound up with 123 metres per game.
11. Scott Drinkwater (North Queensland Cowboys)
Drinkwater has been a picture of consistency at the Cowboys in recent years and was again in the Top portion of the Dally M Medal count, as well as here in Zero Tackle's NRL MVP.
Playing 26 games, he managed a staggering 26 try assists, also adding 10 of his own. He came up with 115 tackle busts, 15 line breaks and 161 metres per game.
50. Terrell May (Sydney Roosters)
49. Alofiana Khan-Pereira (Gold Coast Titans)
48. Luke Keary (Sydney Roosters)
47. Clint Gutherson (Parramatta Eels)
46. Matt Burton (Canterbury Bulldogs)
45. Tyran Wishart (Melbourne Storm)
44. Jesse Ramien (Cronulla Sharks)
43. Daniel Tupou (Sydney Roosters)
42. Jaydn Su'A (St George Illawarra Dragons)
41. Patrick Carrigan (Brisbane Broncos)
40. Moses Leota (Penrith Panthers)
39. Braydon Trindall (Cronulla Sharks)
38. Connor Watson (Sydney Roosters)
37. Cameron Murray (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
36. Liam Martin (Penrith Panthers)
35. Herbie Farnworth (The Dolphins)
34. Keaon Koloamatangi (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
33. Haumole Olakau'atu (Manly Sea Eagles)
32. Lachlan Galvin (Wests Tigers)
31. Joseph Tapine (Canberra Raiders)
30. Briton Nikora (Cronulla Sharks)
29. Mitchell Barnett (New Zealand Warriors)
28. Reuben Cotter (North Queensland Cowboys)
27. Jacob Kiraz (Canterbury Bulldogs)
26. Ben Hunt (St George Illawarra Dragons)
25. Viliame Kikau (Canterbury Bulldogs)
24. Eliesa Katoa (Melbourne Storm)
23. Addin Fonua-Blake (New Zealand Warriors)
22. Zac Lomax (St George Illawarra Dragons)
21. Daly Cherry-Evans (Manly Sea Eagles)
20. Ryan Papenhuyzen (Melbourne Storm)
19. Jarome Luai (Penrith Panthers)
18. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (The Dolphins)
17. Reece Robson (North Queensland Cowboys)
16. James Fisher-Harris (Penrith Panthers)
15. Tom Trbojevic (Manly Sea Eagles)
14. Brian To'o (Penrith Panthers)
13. Kalyn Ponga (Newcastle Knights)
12. Cameron Munster (Melbourne Storm)
11. Scott Drinkwater (North Queensland Cowboys)
The top ten will be unveiled at 11 am (AEDT) on Friday.