Straight off the bat, I'm going to admit that ranking the second rowers in 2022 was the most difficult of all lists.
There were so many good performers this season which made narrowing it down to just the ten very difficult.
Ranking them was even more difficult. I very much look forward to the comments, which again I expect only to be complimentary.
Here are the top 10 NRL backrowers from 2022. Only performances this year are taken into account and only players who were named in the back row more often than they were in other positions are eligible.
For the record Liam Martin, Briton Nikora and Jai Arrow were all shortlisted but missed the final cut.
7. Keaon Koloamatangi
Keaon Koloamatangi is frightening! The ease in which he handled the Sharks forwards in that Final will be scarred into my brain for many years to come.
Another player who probably should have been wearing sky blue earlier this year, Koloamatangi was as deadly in defence as he was in attack, with a 94% tackle efficiency.
In attack he scored seven tries, broke 56 tackles, ran for 134 metres per game and produced 37 offloads. He became a focal point of the Souths attack this year.
Only twice this season did he play for less than 80 minutes. A set and forget in every game for many years to come. What a weapon!
Koloamatangi for me, for consistency.
I was surprised you gave Briton Nikora a place in the shortlist. I don’t rate him as highly as Cronulla compatriots Williams and Wilton (but you’re probably a better judge of Sharks personnel than I am).