A throwaway line on social media by one of our own here at Zero Tackle kick-started a heated debate prior to the kick-off for Round 6.
The debate? Over the best forward pack in the NRL.
Some good arguments were made, for multiple engine rooms. This makes absolute sense as there are currently some magnificient packs in the game.
Most arguments seemed to zero in on which pack makes the NRL's top five. There seemed to be a few agreements but a severe lack of a definitive top three, or even five.
I'll go on record in naming the packs I believe are currently the NRL's best.
For the purpose of this, we'll be dealing with each club's (perceived) full-strength 8-13 and bench forwards. Of course, these rankings are completely objective and here to be debated.
Let us know who you believe are the top five packs in the game:
Honourable Mentions:
- North Queensland Cowboys: Jason Taumalolo, Jeremiah Nanai, Reuben Cotter and Reece Robson are all elite-level players. They just don't have the quality off the bench to make the list.
- Wests Tigers: On paper a top five pack but have not played up to their potential. Pre-season they probably make the cut.
- South Sydney Rabbitohs: The sixth best pack in the game. Missed out by the slimmest of margins. Would be happy to concede they probably should have made the list.
2. Parramatta Eels
Pack: 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Bryce Cartwright 13. Ryan Matterson 14. J'maine Hopgood 15. Makahesi Makatoa 16. Jack Murchie 17. Brendan Hands
I'm going to go on record and state that the Eels have the best run on pack in the competition. Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Junior Paulo are both Origin props while Ryan Matterson should have a Blues jersey to his name.
Shaun Lane was destructive last season and has been horribly missed through injury. Bryce Cartwright has been fantastic in 2023, although I'd be willing to swap him for Hopgood via a shuffle.
Josh Hodgson has shown signs this season but if Reed Mahoney slots back in then the Eels are in the talk for the number one pack in the game. Papali'i obviously remains a huge out.
The aforementioned J'maine Hopgood has been a revelation since his shift to the Eels. Bloke is a machine and has a bright, bright future ahead.
Makahesi Makatoa has replaced Oregon Kaufusi to perfection. So much so that it's hardly been noticed, if at all. His minutes will rise as his experience does.
Jack Murchie, much like Makatoa, will see his minutes rise. The Eels bench is a product of their big minute starters.
I've named Brendan Hands here due to Hodgson's peaking at around the 55-60 minutes mark. I would be happy if you swapped him to Matt Doorey or Jakob Arthur.
Truthfully the Eels starting pack dominates so many minutes that the bench is really relegated to bit part players. I'd argue this is exactly what you want from your starts, however the bench does hold the Eels back from attaining top spot.
Interesting views, Dan.
Iโm surprised that you give an honourable mention to the Wests pack. I think that the Dolphins โ both on paper and on the field โ are more impressive.
Lovely to see your enthusiasm for Ray Faitala-Mariner. Heโs a great clubman and solid forward, but he is just 10 weeks short of turning 30, and I find it hard to agree that his โpotential is almost unlimitedโ :=)