A successful recruitment drive can transform a side in a season. It can be the difference between a top-eight finish and a second bite of the cherry.
On the flip side, losing an important player can hinder a side and see them regress, sometimes quickly.
Heading into the 2022 season we saw the Bulldogs undertake one of the most aggressive recruitment drives in recent memory.
Across Sydney you had the Sharks shaking the ranks both on and off the field.
Brisbane landed the biggest fish of all, at least in terms of stature and contract value, when they announced the signing of Adam Reynolds.
Some big names flourished while others floundered. A number of recruits saw their careers take off and their sides benefit as a result. Others took up big chunks of the salary cap whilst offering little.
Below are the top five recruits based on their 2022 seasons. This doesn't only take into account pure results. For instance, some teams were building and despite not playing finals footy are now in better positions than this time last year due to a recruit's effort.
3. Adam Reynolds
Two months ago, Adam Reynolds sits arguably number one here. The Broncos capitulation left a sour taste in the mouth of fans and largely took away from a brilliant opening run.
Adam Reynolds completely changed the Broncos outlook in one off-season.
He provided an experienced head the Broncos have lacked for years. He oversaw their return to relevancy and if not for one of the all time chokes would have overseen the Broncs return to Finals.
His 2022 saw a return of six tries, 19 try assists, nine line-break assists, almost 450 kicking metres per game and 15 forced drop outs.
Those numbers came despite him having a fulltime, regular halves partner or fullback.
Don't let the Broncos deplorable end-of-year form fool you, Adam Reynolds was magnificent in 2022. He lifted the Broncos from the doldrums to within a game of Final's footy.
The Broncos' signing of Reece Walsh will help Adam Reynolds in a big way in 2023 and beyond. We'll see even better from the Premiership winner moving forward given he was forced to play a lone hand far too often in '22.
