SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 12: Nathan Cleary of the Panthers scores a try during the round 23 NRL match between the Penrith Panthers and the North Queensland Cowboys at Pepper Stadium on August 12, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.