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:
3. Blayke Brailey
I fully admit to being critical of Brailey in 2023, but his 2024 was nothing less than absolutely stellar!
Most of the Sharks stars had a noticeable form dip at some point during the season but Brailey probably bucked that trend, being consistently impressive all year.
His 27 games netted three tries, eight try assists, five line-break assists, 45 metres run per game and a tackle percentage of 94%. Considering his big minutes, that last stat is super impressive.
Perhaps most importantly Brailey emerged as a real leader in the Sharks outfit this season. He is super important as they look to go a game better in 2025.
