Which players led the league in the 2017 season?

The 2017 regular season is done and dusted and the finals are just around the corner. We have taken a look at the leading stat-getters in the key categories for the season with a few surprises popping up along the way. Top Point Scorer PLAYER TOT AVG Nathan Cleary (Panthers) 216 9.0 Gareth Widdop (Dragons) 191 9.1 Jarrod Croker (Raiders) 190 8.6 Jordan Kahu (Broncos) 176 8.0 Cameron Smith (Storm) 164 8.2 Michael Gordon (Roosters) 160 8.0 James Maloney (Sharks) 155 8.2 Adam Reynolds (Souths) 144 6.9 C. Gutherson (Eels) 142 7.9 Mitchell Moses (Eels) 127 5.3 Penrith Panthers youngster Nathan Cleary outscored all other players in the league for 2017. The halfback kicked 86 goals while also adding 11 tries to crack the 200 point mark. https://twitter.com/PenrithPanthers/status/904257221009195008 Top Goal Kicker [caption id="attachment_23981" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JULY 30: Nathan Cleary of the Panthers looks on during the round 21 NRL match between the New Zealand Warriors and the Penrith Panthers at Mt Smart Stadium on July 30, 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)[/caption] PLAYER TOT AVG Nathan Cleary (Panthers) 86 3.6 Cameron Smith (Storm) 78 3.9 Jarrod Croker (Raiders) 77 3.5 Gareth Widdop (Dragons) 75 3.6 Jordan Kahu (Broncos) 69 3.1 James Maloney (Sharks) 68 3.6 Adam Reynolds (Souths) 67 3.2 Michael Gordon (Roosters) 66 3.3 Mitchell Moses (Eels) 55 2.3 C. Gutherson (Eels) 49 2.7 Nathan Cleary sits atop the goal kicking leaderboard with a whopping 86 goals to his name. The Melbourne Storm's big season is highlighted though with Cameron Smith nearly averaging four goals per game. Top Try Scorer [caption id="attachment_29019" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 02: Suliasi Vunivalu of the Storm scores a try during the round 13 NRL match between the Melbourne Storm and the Newcastle Knights at AAMI Park on June 2, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)[/caption] PLAYER TOT AVG S. Vunivalu (Storm) 23 1.0 Alex Johnston (Souths) 22 1.0 Jordan Rapana (Raiders) 21 0.9 Semi Radradra (Eels) 20 0.8 Josh Addo-Carr (Storm) 19 0.8 J. Nightingale (Dragons) 16 0.7 James Roberts (Broncos) 16 0.7 Nick Cotric (Raiders) 16 0.7 Akuila Uate (Manly) 14 0.6 Corey Oates (Broncos) 13 0.7 Melbourne Storm Fijian sensation Suliasi Vunivalu finished the regular season as the leading try scorer, just pipping Alex Johnston by a single try. Both players averaged a try per game for the season. Top Try Assists [caption id="attachment_26186" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 31: Daly Cherry-Evans of the Sea Eagles runs with the ball during the round five NRL match between the Sydney Roosters and the Manly Sea Eagles at Allianz Stadium on March 31, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)[/caption] PLAYER TOT AVG D. Cherry-Evans (Manly) 19 0.8 Ashley Taylor (Titans) 19 0.8 Michael Morgan (Cowboys) 18 0.8 Cody Walker (Souths) 18 0.8 Tom Trbojevic (Manly) 18 0.8 Gareth Widdop (Dragons) 18 0.9 Shaun Johnson (Warriors) 17 0.9 Billy Slater (Storm) 16 0.9 Luke Keary (Roosters) 15 0.6 Anthony Milford (Broncos) 15 0.8 Daly Cherry-Evans and Ashley Taylor split the honours for most try assists, with the pair both registering 19 for the season. The Manly Sea Eagles also have young fullback Tom Trbojevic featuring in the top ten, just one behind his halfback and captain. Top Runs [caption id="attachment_25682" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 02: Sharks captain Paul Gallen leads his team onto the field during the round one NRL match between the Cronulla Sharks and the Brisbane Broncos at Southern Cross Group Stadium on March 2, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)[/caption] PLAYER TOT AVG Paul Gallen (Sharks) 465 19.4 R. Tuivasa-Sheck (Warriors) 445 19.3 David Nofoaluma (Tigers) 435 18.1 Tom Trbojevic (Manly) 419 19.0 Jason Taumalolo (Cowboys) 412 18.7 Nathan Brown (Eels) 396 17.2 Ken Maumalo (Warriors) 387 16.8 Jack Wighton (Raiders) 385 16.7 Jack de Belin (Dragons) 381 16.6 Aaron Woods (Tigers) 381 17.3 Paul Gallen had more runs than any other player in 2017, which is a pretty solid effort considering he's also the oldest player in the league at 36 years old. Top Run Metres [caption id="attachment_25868" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 10: Jason Taumalolo of the Cowboys takes on the defence during the round two NRL match between the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium on March 10, 2017 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)[/caption] PLAYER TOT AVG Jason Taumalolo (Cowboys) 4,469 203.1 Paul Gallen (Sharks) 4,387 182.8 R. Tuivasa-Sheck (Warriors) 4,170 181.3 Tom Trbojevic (Manly) 4,157 189.0 David Nofoaluma (Tigers) 4,127 172.0 Jack Wighton (Raiders) 3,755 163.3 James Tedesco (Tigers) 3,659 174.2 Ken Maumalo (Warriors) 3,580 155.7 Aaron Woods (Tigers) 3,572 162.4 Semi Radradra (Eels) 3,566 148.6 Last year's joint Dally M Medal winner Jason Taumalolo has got even better if that's possible, averaging a staggering 203.1 metres per game. Top Linebreaks [caption id="attachment_27583" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 21: Jordan Rapana of the Raiders celebrates scoring a try during the round eight NRL match between the Canberra Raiders and the Manly Sea Eagles at GIO Stadium on April 21, 2017 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)[/caption] PLAYER TOT AVG Jordan Rapana (Raiders) 24 1.0 Semi Radradra (Eels) 23 1.0 Josh Addo-Carr (Storm) 22 0.9 Tom Trbojevic (Manly) 22 1.0 S. Vunivalu (Storm) 20 0.9 Alex Johnston (Souths) 18 0.8 J. Nightingale (Dragons) 18 0.8 Nick Cotric (Raiders) 17 0.7 L. Mitchell (Roosters) 17 0.8 R. Tuivasa-Sheck (Warriors) 16 0.7 The top linebreaks leaderboard has much the same lineup as the top try scorers leaderboard. Rapana, Radradra, Addo-Carr, Vunivalu, Johnston, Nightingale and Cotric just a few of the names that feature in both lists. Top Linebreak Assists [caption id="attachment_25075" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 19: Cameron Munster of the Storm poses during a Melbourne Storm NRL Media Opportunity at AAMI Park on September 19, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)[/caption] PLAYER TOT AVG Cameron Munster (Storm) 20 1.1 Luke Keary (Roosters) 20 0.8 Cody Walker (Souths) 20 0.8 Tim Lafai (Dragons) 18 0.8 Mitchell Pearce (Roosters) 18 0.9 D. Cherry-Evans (Manly) 17 0.7 Tom Trbojevic (Manly) 17 0.8 Anthony Milford (Broncos) 16 0.8 Gareth Widdop (Dragons) 16 0.8 Cooper Cronk (Storm) 15 0.8 A three-way tie sees Cameron Munster, Luke Keary and Cody Walker share the spoils for most linebreak assists in 2017. Top Offloads [caption id="attachment_24975" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - APRIL 09: Martin Taupau of the Sea Eagles talks with Jorge Taufua of the Sea Eagles during the round six NRL match between the New Zealand Warriors and the Manly Sea Eagles at Mt Smart Stadium on April 9, 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)[/caption] PLAYER TOT AVG Martin Taupau (Manly) 71 3.4 Tim Lafai (Dragons) 64 2.7 David Nofoaluma (Tigers) 54 2.3 Andrew Fifita (Sharks) 53 2.4 Paul Gallen (Sharks) 50 2.1 Aaron Woods (Tigers) 45 2.0 Nathan Brown (Eels) 43 1.9 Adam Blair (Broncos) 42 1.8 Jack de Belin (Dragons) 42 1.8 Anthony Milford (Broncos) 39 2.0 This category has been dominated by Manly's big forward Martin Taupau. With more than three offloads per game, no doubt plenty of the other Manly players on the leaderboards have Taupau to thank for helping setup tries and linebreaks. Top Tackles [caption id="attachment_28875" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - JULY 14: Cameron McInnes of the Dragons in action during the round 19 NRL match between the Canberra Raiders and the St George Illawarra Dragons at GIO Stadium on July 14, 2017 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)[/caption] PLAYER TOT AVG Cameron McInnes (Dragons) 1,155 48.1 Jake Friend (Roosters) 989 49.5 Simon Mannering (Warriors) 986 44.8 Aiden Tolman (Bulldogs) 908 37.8 Apisai Koroisau (Manly) 902 39.2 Elijah Taylor (Tigers) 891 42.4 A. McCullough (Broncos) 874 48.6 Jake Trbojevic (Manly) 852 37.0 Josh Hodgson (Raiders) 818 35.6 Ryan James (Titans) 812 36.9 Only one player cracked the 1,000 tackles mark for 2017 and that is Dragons recruit Cameron McInnes. Brisbane Broncos hooker Andrew McCullough was on track to also crack the milestone until he missed the last five games of the season due to injury. Top Missed Tackles [caption id="attachment_29071" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 25: James Maloney of the Sharks is tackled by Api Koroisau of the Sea Eagles during the round 16 NRL match between the Cronulla Sharks and the Manly Sea Eagles at Southern Cross Group Stadium on June 25, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)[/caption] PLAYER TOT AVG Apisai Koroisau (Manly) 116 5.0 James Maloney (Sharks) 114 6.0 Mitchell Moses (Eels) 104 4.3 Ethan Lowe (Cowboys) 88 3.7 Dylan Walker (Manly) 88 3.7 R. Campbell-Gillard (Panthers) 83 3.5 Matt Gillett (Broncos) 80 3.6 Aidan Sezer (Raiders) 79 3.3 E. Whitehead (Raiders) 77 3.3 Dane Gagai (Knights) 77 3.3 One of the few categories that players don't want to see their name on. Manly Sea Eagles hooker Apisai Koroisau sits atop the list after missing five tackles per game in 2017. Despite having the second best defense in the league, Cronulla Sharks five-eighth James Maloney missed a whopping six tackles per game. Top Tackle Breaks [caption id="attachment_27448" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 12: James Tedesco of the Tigers runs the ball during the round two NRL match between the Wests Tigers and the Penrith Panthers at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on March 12, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)[/caption] PLAYER TOT AVG James Tedesco (Tigers) 172 8.2 Jordan Rapana (Raiders) 161 7.0 Dane Gagai (Knights) 143 6.2 Nick Cotric (Raiders) 135 5.6 David Nofoaluma (Tigers) 131 5.5 Angus Crichton (Souths) 117 5.3 Jason Taumalolo (Cowboys) 114 5.2 R. Tuivasa-Sheck (Warriors) 106 4.6 Joey Leilua (Raiders) 104 4.3 Josh Dugan (Dragons) 98 5.8 Sydney Roosters fans will be licking their lips with anticipation knowing that James Tedesco will be lining up in the No. 1 jersey for their club in 2018. Top Kick Metres [caption id="attachment_29068" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 31: Mitchell Pearce of the Roosters kicks during the round five NRL match between the Sydney Roosters and the Manly Sea Eagles at Allianz Stadium on March 31, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)[/caption] PLAYER TOT AVG Mitchell Pearce (Roosters) 7,375 351.2 Nathan Cleary (Panthers) 7,355 306.5 Shaun Johnson (Warriors) 7,306 405.9 Adam Reynolds (Souths) 6,247 297.5 Chad Townsend (Sharks) 5,716 238.2 Mitchell Moses (Eels) 5,599 233.3 Cooper Cronk (Storm) 5,245 276.1 Ashley Taylor (Titans) 5,229 217.9 Corey Norman (Eels) 5,199 260.0 D. Cherry-Evans (Manly) 5,190 216.3 The Sydney Roosters finished the season in second place and that is in no small part to the excellent kicking game of Mitchell Pearce. Pearce, along with Nathan Cleary and Shaun Johnson averaged over 300 kick metres per game. Top 40/20 Kicks [caption id="attachment_28691" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 06: Blake Green of the Sea Eagles celebrates with team mates after a try by Daly Cherry-Evans of the Sea Eagles during the round 22 NRL match between the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the Sydney Roosters at Lottoland on August 6, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)[/caption] PLAYER TOT AVG Blake Green (Manly) 5 0.2 Cameron Smith (Storm) 4 0.2 D. Cherry-Evans (Manly) 3 0.1 Michael Morgan (Cowboys) 2 0.1 Aidan Sezer (Raiders) 2 0.1 Ashley Taylor (Titans) 2 0.1 Corey Norman (Eels) 2 0.1 Cameron King (Eels) 1 0.1 James Maloney (Sharks) 1 0.1 Cooper Cronk (Storm) 1 0.1 The numbers might be low in this category but each 40/20 kick can be a game changer. Manly Sea Eagles halves duo Blake Green and Daly Cherry-Evans combined for eight 40/20 kicks in 2017. Top Penalties [caption id="attachment_27714" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 09: James Maloney of the Sharks argues with Dale Finucane of the Melbourne Storm and Storm players during the round six NRL match between the Melbourne Storm and the Cronulla Sharks at AAMI Park on April 9, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)[/caption] PLAYER TOT AVG James Maloney (Sharks) 35 1.8 J. Waerea-Hargreaves (Roosters) 29 1.2 Jarrod Wallace (Titans) 28 1.3 M. Barnett (Knights) 22 1.0 Ryan James (Titans) 21 1.0 Luke Lewis (Sharks) 21 1.0 Josh Hodgson (Raiders) 21 0.9 Sam Burgess (Souths) 20 1.0 Joey Leilua (Raiders) 20 0.8 Will Chambers (Storm) 19 1.0 Another infamous category and James Maloney is the clear "winner" for 2017. The feisty Cronulla five-eighth averaged a whopping 1.8 penalties per game but as noted with his missed tackle count, this doesn't seem to have affected the Sharks ability to defend their try line. Top Errors [caption id="attachment_26246" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 08: Jordan Rapana of the Raiders during the round six NRL match between the Gold Coast Titans and the Canberra Raiders at Cbus Super Stadium on April 8, 2017 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Jason O'Brien/Getty Images)[/caption] PLAYER TOT AVG Jordan Rapana (Raiders) 35 1.5 Jack Wighton (Raiders) 35 1.5 Semi Radradra (Eels) 35 1.5 Tom Trbojevic (Manly) 34 1.5 Josh Addo-Carr (Storm) 33 1.4 Tim Lafai (Dragons) 32 1.3 Nene Macdonald (Dragons) 31 1.3 Kyle Feldt (Cowboys) 31 1.3 L. Mitchell (Roosters) 30 1.4 James Tedesco (Tigers) 28 1.3 You've got to break a few eggs to make a cake and it seems a few errors go hand in hand with scoring tries. Jordan Rapana, Semi Radradra and Josh Addo-Carr all featured in the above category, while also featuring in the top try scorers list.