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 second rower 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 second rower outright.
Anyone looking for Tohu Harris or Cam Murray, they are ineligible here and will be discussed when the top ten lock forwards are released.
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.
This was extremely difficult. The original shortlist was 18. So if your favourite missed out, I am indeed the worst person ever.
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 second-rowers based purely and totally on 2023:
Honourable mentions:Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Hudson Young, Eliesa Katoa, Connelly Lemuelu
The Bulldogs youngster was dead on to win 2023's Rookie of the Year honours prior to his late suspension.
The fact he won the club's Player of the Year award in his first season says everything about both his talents and the performances around him.
Across his 20 games in 2023 he crossed for six tries, made 10 line breaks, ran for 95 metres per game and tackled at over 95%.
Preston enjoyed a marvellous year one what promises to be a glittering career. He was the shining light in an otherwise dire season for the blue and whites.
The Blues and Tongan rep continued to defy father time in 2023 by putting in a monster shift.
He ran out 22 times for his beloved Knights, crossing for four tries, making six line breaks, offloading 17 times, running for 110 metres per game and making 96% of his tackles.
Kalyn Ponga and Dom Young dominated the headlines but Newcastle wouldn't have enjoyed the run they went on without their veteran back rower.
Frizell continues to be the heart and soul of the Knights and was rewarded with a contract extension prior to the Finals.
Jackson Ford flew under the radar in the off-season after his move from the Dragons. He emerged as one of the signings of the season.
Ford very quickly established himself as a vital part of the Warriors machine via his tremendous efforts in the second row.
Across 24 appearances Ford scored four tries, made nine line breaks, ran for over 100 metres per game and tackled at over 90%.
Those stats would have been more impressive if they weren't skewed due to Ford being forced from the field after just two minutes in his second game of the season.
To say Jordan Riki had a breakout season in 2023 is putting it mildly.
The 23 year-old has been more than solid for the club across two and a bit seasons but kicked it up into another gear as his side went all the way to the Grand Final.
22 appearances netted him seven tries, four line breaks, 80 run metres per game and a tackling percentage of almost 92%.
Riki's efforts go well beyond the stats though. He became a hit man in defence and a real key to the Broncs attack. Higher honours are in his near future.
For mine, Scott Sorensen was the second row "shock" of the season. I could have predicted the upcoming five but Sorensen played well beyond expectations.
That's not to say he hasn't been brilliant across his career to date but more-so speaks to just how well the 30 year-old played this season.
In his 23 caps for the Panthers in 2023 he crossed for four tries, made nine line breaks, had nine line break assists, 31 offloads, ran for over 105 metres per game and tackled above 92%.
Those are elite numbers from a genuinely elite edge back rower.
If the South Sydney monster didn't suffer an injury in Round seven, he could very well be standing here as a member of the Dally M team of the year.
Koloamatangi was a massive bright spark in a horror season for the famous red and green of South Sydney.
Across his 18 games he crossed for five tries, made six line breaks, had 15 offloads, ran for over 125 metres per game and tackled at over 92%.
He made his Origin debut in Game Three and was flawless. He has a massive future ahead for both the Bunnies and the Blues.
This entry will divide fans big time as some saw Martin as the best in the business in 2023, others thought he was simply fine.
I fall somewhere in the middle. Mr reliable I believe they call him!? But he falls just short of the big three here.
That said, he was still massive in 2023. His 18 games saw him net six tries, make seven line-breaks, pop 16 offloads, run for spot on 100 metres per game and tackle at over 90%.
There really is no criticism of Martin, at all! If you want him in your top three, that's completely justifiable. I just ask, who do you relegate?
Briton Nikora became a true ace for the Sharks in 2023. He and Nicho Hynes formed one of the most lethal edges in the competition.
Across his 25 appearances Nikora scored eight tries, made a ridiculous 18 line-breaks, had 22 offloads, ran for 102 metres per game and tackled at over 92%.
Nikora runs arguably the best line in the competition on that right side. He would have been one of the first players picked for the Kiwis.
Nikora outpointed bigger name second rowers in every single stat this season. He misses second spot by the very literal smallest of margins.
Call it recency bias, but the back end of the season for Olakau'atu was too dominant to ignore. That is probably the reason why I have him over Nikora here.
In a dire season for his club, the Tongan wrecking ball stared in every sense of the word!
Across 24 games he scored 10 tries, made 11 line breaks, had nine line break assists, 13 offloads, ran for over 125 metres per game and tackled at just under 91%.
There may be only one more fearsome second rower in the competition, at most! He and DCE carried Manly in 2023.
The clear standout in the second row, for mine, was the Titans marquee man himself, David Fifita!
In an otherwise pretty ordinary side, a fellow middle aside of course, Fifita monstered each and every opponent in front of him. With far more regularity.
22 games saw him net eight tries, make nine line-breaks, assist a further 11, produce a near impossible to believe 41 offloads, run for 145 metres per game and belt opponents at over 90% efficiency.
The negative on Fifita was that he seemed disinterested at times. This year he found whatever he needed and was fearsome with alarming regularity.