Top ten halfbacks from 2023

With the off-season comes the usual troupes. Talk of expansion, the divisions talk, player movements and of course post-season rankings. Today we're here to focus on the rankings. More specifically, the NRL halfback rankings from 2023. Please keep in mind that these rankings are based only on 2023. Both NRL and Origin performances will be taken into account. Not specifically who is the best halfback outright. Before we start, I'm going to take a moment to answer some of the usual questions to appear in the comments to any sort of rankings. Do I even watch football? Yes, every game. Are my eyes painted on? No. That would be funny though. Who am I? Just a fan. With that said, below are the top 10 NRL halfbacks based purely and totally on 2023: Jamal Fogarty Much like the Raiders, Fogarty produced some brilliance in 2023 but can hardly be accused of consistency. He was the dominant half, and truthfully out performed his bigger name halves partner in Jack Wighton. This is a good side for Canberra who are now on the rebuild. Across 24 games this year he scored two tries, set up 15, forced 23 drop outs, kicked for almost 400 metres per game and tackled at almost 90%. Fogarty can be pretty content with his 2023 efforts but will need an improved '24 if Canberra are going to make another Finals series. Ben Hunt You won't catch me crying too many tears for our mates at the Dragons, but I legit feel bad for Ben Hunt. This guy has aged ten years in the past 24 months. To say he carries the Red V is probably putting it extremely lightly. In 2023 he produced eight tries, 19 try assists, 17 line break assists, 13 forced drop outs, just under 400 kicking metres per game, and 86 running metres per game. [caption id="attachment_123870" align="alignnone" width="2040"] SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 28: Ben Hunt of the Dragons runs with the ball during the round 24 NRL match between the Wests Tigers and the St George Illawarra Dragons at CommBank Stadium, on August 28, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)[/caption] I have to admit I didn't love the public plea to move to the Broncos but who can blame him? He was, again, worth every cent of his monster contract. Jackson Hastings Jackson Hastings didn't run up the massive stat numbers of some others on here but he played his role at the Knights to absolute perfection. Prior to a horror injury, Hastings ran out 22 times for four tries, seven try assists, seven line break assists, 10 forced drop outs, 293 kicking metres per game and tackled at just under 92%. [caption id="attachment_143279" align="alignnone" width="2560"] GOSFORD, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 17: Jackson Hastings of the Knights passes during the NRL Trial Match between the Newcastle Knights and the Parramatta Eels at Central Coast Stadium on February 17, 2023 in Gosford, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)[/caption] Hastings role is different to the likes of Hynes, DCE and co. Ponga is the main creative player while Hastings guides his side round and tackles his backside off. He and Tyson Gable combined to form a no frills halves partnership. One that worked extremely well and one that lead to a Finals appearance. Great season. Mitchell Moses I'm going to state this right now. Mitch Moses is the most under-appreciated halfback in the competition! He has been so good for so long now for the Eels. He probably wasn't at his breathtaking best for most of 2023 but he was more than solid. Seven tries, 15 try assists, 11 line break assists, 13 forced drop outs, just under 100 metres run per game and over 430 kicking metres per game illustrate his importance to the Parra cause. It's hard to pinpoint what went wrong at the Eels in 2023. I get the feeling though if Moses and Brown play 20+ games together next year, they return to Finals. Jahrome Hughes Another season, another Melbourne top four finish, another stellar Jahrome Hughes season. The master number seven ran out 22 times for seven tries, 21 try assists, 25 line break assists, 10 forced drops outs, over 105 running meters per game and over 270 kicking metres per game. Unfortunately he couldn't replicate his very best form come Finals time, but you cannot convince me he was at 100% at the back end of the season. [caption id="attachment_152198" align="alignnone" width="2560"] MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 11: Jahrome Hughes of the Storm looks to pass the ball during the round 11 NRL match between Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos at AAMI Park on May 11, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)[/caption] It's a shame we didn't get to enjoy a Hughes/Johnson halves pairing in the Pacific Championship. That would have been rugby league magic! Adam Reynolds Any worries that Broncos fans had about signing Reynolds past his prime have been well and truly done away with. The superstar veteran put in a tremendous shift in 2023 and came within a matter of minutes of another Premiership tattoo. [caption id="attachment_152187" align="alignnone" width="2560"] BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 28: Adam Reynolds of the Broncos during the warm up before the round nine NRL match between Brisbane Broncos and South Sydney Rabbitohs at Suncorp Stadium on April 28, 2023 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)[/caption] In 2023 he produced 23 games for five tries, 94 goals, 19 try assists, 16 line break assists, almost 420 kicking metres per game, 12 forced drop outs and made almost 90% of his tackles. Reynolds shows no signs of slowing down. His presence is worth its weight in gold in an otherwise very young Broncos spine. What a season! Nicho Hynes Nicho Hynes is the most instrumental player in the game. Without him, the Sharks don't play Finals footy in the past two years. They probably finish 10th. Hynes has been unfairly been given this "not a big game player" wrap despite carrying a less than stellar supporting cast to heights they didn't otherwise deserve. [caption id="attachment_159308" align="alignnone" width="2560"] SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 06: Nicholas Hynes of the Sharks runs the ball during the round 19 NRL match between Wests Tigers and Cronulla Sharks at CommBank Stadium on July 06, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)[/caption] Remembering he doesn't have an Ezra Mam, Reece Walsh, Jarome Luai, Cam Munster or Dylan Brown, feast your eyes on these numbers. 21 games, five tries, 28 try assists, 33 line break assists, almost 400 kicking metres per game, almost 150 run metres per game, 28 off-loads, 10 forced drop outs and a tackle percentage of 91.3%. In any other year he walks into the top three! Nathan Cleary Let me preface this by saying Nathan Cleary had the greatest 20 minute individual spell in a big game I've ever seen in the Grand Final. He is probably the best halfback in the game right now and is on track to top some of the very best ever. Potentially even the best. [caption id="attachment_163202" align="alignnone" width="2560"] SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 01: Nathan Cleary of the Panthers celebrates scoring a try during the 2023 NRL Grand Final match between Penrith Panthers and Brisbane Broncos at Accor Stadium on October 01, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)[/caption] I just think there were two better numbers sevens, all things considered, in 2023. I'll see you in the comments. His 2023, for Penrith saw - 22 games for eight tries, 20 try assists, 18 line break assists, 22 forced drop outs, over 480 kicking metres per game, 125 run metres per game and a tackle completion of almost 88%. Not bad! Daly Cherry-Evans I fully understand that Manly pay DCE a pretty penny. Given how he absolutely carried the club in 2023, it still isn't enough. Across his 22 games he crossed for nine tries, assisted 18, set up 19 line breaks, forced 16 drop outs, kicked for over 465 metres per game, ran for just under 90 and tackled at 92.2%. Despite those being some ridiculous numbers, it probably doesn't even accurately show what Cherry-Evans did for the Sea Eagles this season. Cherry-Evans may have beaten Nathan Cleary out for the Kangaroos jumper purely on merit. As a Kangaroos fan, I wouldn't have been upset if he did. Shaun Johnson Shaun Johnson was not only the superior halfback in 2023 but in my opinion was the best player in the competition this season. He was absolutely instrumental in the Warriors rapid rise and should have been rewarded with the Dally M medal. [caption id="attachment_160493" align="alignnone" width="2560"] BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 06: Shaun Johnson of the Warriors passes the ball during the round 10 NRL match between the New Zealand Warriors and Penrith Panthers at Suncorp Stadium on May 06, 2023 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)[/caption] Check this out. Across his 25 games he had eight tries, 29 try assists, 26 line break assists, 24 forced drop outs, over 520 kicking metres per game and tackled at over 90%. It's hard to call it a career best season, given the absolute magic Johnson has provided previously, but to put 2023 in that conversation shows just how amazing he was.