Class number nines can make such a huge different to a team's fortunes.
Cameron Smith, for over a decade, pulled the strings for the Storm. Despite Melbourne losing millions of dollars of talent, they never really dipped thanks mainly to Smith's genius.
2024 saw a host of class hookers emerge. It did make ranking them very tough.
Please remember that these rankings are compiled using 2024's form only. This isn't necessarily a list of the best hookers, per se.
Below are the top 10 hookers from 2024:
5. Wayde Egan
Although the Warriors fell a long way from repeating their 2023 heroics, Wayde Egan was one who stood up in a big way.
His stats were skewed by a host of early exits and some missed games, but his 2024 return was significant.
20 games saw him score a try, assist six, lay on nine line-break assists, run for almost 50 metres per game and tackle at almost 93%.
The ultimate no frills number nine, Egan is a monster in the middle. We see so many hookers targeted in defence. You're wasting your time if your tactic is targeting Egan.
