The outside backs have grown more and more important in recent years at both ends of the park.
Gone are the days where wingers in the NRL were simply there to finish plays, and long gone are the days when centres were seen as expendable.
SEE ALSO: Every NRL club's spine ranked for 2026
Instead, wingers are required to run the ball, get sets off to a good start, break tackles and be able to pass while having incredible finishing ability.
RELATED: Every NRL forward pack ranked for 2026
Centres are also more important than ever, particularly in defence.
Here is every club's centres and wingers ranked.
7. Canberra Raiders
Wingers: Savelio Tamale and Xavier Savage
Centres: Matthew Timoko and Sebastian Kris
Other options: Michael Asomua, Sione Finau, Simi Sasagi, Chevy Stewart, Jed Stuart
What the Raiders have is depth - and plenty of it. There are five players who won't start in the centres and wing positions who couldn't.
But it's not just the depth for the Raiders.
They have an elite starting group. Savelio Tamale came on in leaps and bounds during 2025, and his absence was felt enormously when out injured.
Xavier Savage is a star in the making, and while he came into the game a fullback, he may well have found his best position on the wing in 2025.
Sebastian Kris and Matthew Timoko both do just about everything right and are among the NRL's most underrated players.
” there are issues that need to be addressed though, with Dallin Watene-Zelezniak – not a star by any means, but important to the Warriors – to line up on the other side of the park ”
I’d quibble with your assessment of DWZ as “not a star”. I’d rate him better than plenty of the wingers in clubs that you’ve got higher on the table.