TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 11: Sam Walker of the Roosters looks on during the NRL Elimination Final match between Sydney Roosters and Gold Coast Titans at QCB Stadium, on September 11, 2021, in Townsville, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
The halves positions are the most impactful positions to a team's success.
Forwards have to make metres to allow the halves to succeed and centres and wingers have to finish opportunities created by the halves, but everything comes back to the halves.
A team's success and failure sits on the shoulders of the two halves. This is why young halves require time to find their way in the NRL (looking at you, Canterbury Bulldogs) and usually don't succeed until at least their mid-twenties.
This is why the names below are so highly regarded and worthy of mention. These are the five best five-eighths and halfbacks in the NRL aged 22 and under.
As mentioned before, it isn't easy for a young halfback to begin his career in the NRL, especially when he comes into a team lacking structure.
The Gold Coast Titans don't know who they are, and a 21-year-old halfback isn't the one that's going to change that.
Despite this, it is obvious to anyone who watches the game what Sexton can do. With a crisp passing game and great talent with his boot, he has all the skills.
The change has now been made to remove AJ Brimson out of the halves, with the ever calm Will Smith as his replacement. It'll be intriguing to see if Sexton can continue improving and get back to the level he displayed in a handful of games last year.
Struggling to hold his spot at the Brisbane Broncos and regularly seeing his name in the media as the team floundered, it wasn't an easy start for Tom Dearden.
With the way people spoke about him, you would think he was 25.
Next to veteran Chad Townsend at the North Queensland Cowboys, Dearden looks to have found a home and himself.
While his ceiling may not be as high as some players, his floor is higher than most. The very worst Dearden could be is an NRL-level halfback and that isn't as common as you might think.
As he develops his game-management skills next to Townsend over the coming years, it would be no surprise if we look up in a couple of years and Dearden is one of the best halfbacks in the game.
Centre of the year last year at the Penrith Panthers, Matt Burton has the potential to be anything.
With one of the biggest boots in the competition, combined with lighting speed and being able to step off both feet, Burton is built to play five-eighth.
Burton has struggled to acclimate to a more dominant role at the Bulldogs and the lack of continuity in his halves partner hasn't helped. Whether it is tapped into at the Bulldogs or not is questionable, but there is no doubt about Burton's potential.
One of the Sydney Roosters' biggest reasons for making the top-eight last season, Walker is already in the top half of halfbacks in the competition.
It's rare for a halfback to enter the NRL at any age and look comfortable, but Walker did.
While he has faced the usual troubles of a young half, the positives have far outweighed the negatives.
With someone like Nathan Cleary dominating the competition, it is hard to keep perspective about what is normal.
Being 24 with a grand final win and multiple State of Origin wins under your belt isn't normal. Neither is what Sam Walker is doing at the Roosters at his age.
After an incredible start to his career, Brown was a victim of second-year syndrome. While his struggles were blown out of proportion with media screaming about his lack of try assists, there is no doubt he wasn't at his best in 2021.
So far in 2022, it has been a far different story.
In seven games this year, Brown has tallied up three tries, seven try assists, four line break assists and 122 run metres a game while being one of the best defenders in the competition.
One of the best five-eighths in the competition and at only 21, Brown is a special talent.