It is very, very difficult to win a competition without a truly elite five-eighth. We certainly saw the cream rise to the top comes the finals.

That seems like an obvious statement, but getting the spine right in modern Rugby League is paramount.

In 2022, we saw a series of world-class five-eight performances. While I believe there is a clear number one in the position, grading the next nine was very, very difficult.

Here are the Top ten five-eighths from 2022. Again, this doesn't necessarily mean they are the best in the position, with performances in 2022 the only factor.

For a player to qualify, he must have played more games in the six than in any other position this season.

9. Jack Wighton

Wighton, much like the Raiders as a whole, had a rough start to the season but came good at the pointy end of the season.

His 2022 stats: four tries, 10 try assists, 15 line break assists, 15 forced drop outs, 15 offloads and 100 metres run per game, are probably a little down on what you'd expect.

That said, Wighton was so very good and largely spearheaded the Raiders late charge to the Finals.

Wighton's form was so good come Final's time that a fair few people, myself included, saw him taking his side deep into the series.