The 2025 NRL season is in the books, and after a wide open season which finally crowned a new premier for the first time in half a decade, it's little surprise to see a major shake up to the Top 50 players in the game.
Of this year's Top 50, more than half did not feature on last year's list for a range of reasons, whether it be they had a breakout season, or missed too much of last year through injury.
Today, we kick off with Part 1 - players 50 through to 41 - where all but three players were not included last year.
50. Clint Gutherson (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Last year: 47
Clint Gutherson made the surprise move from the Parramatta Eels to the St George Illawarra Dragons at the start of the 2025 season and was certainly among the best players for the joint-venture.
The Dragons finished at the wrong end of the ladder, but without a horror injury toll at the end of the year, the position may not have been as bad as it wound up.
While questions were asked around Gutherson's defensive positioning at the back at times, he still managed to play all 24 games, finishing with 7 tries and 16 assists, as well as 152 metres per game.
49. Matt Burton (Canterbury Bulldogs)
Last year: 46
The Burton bomb might be one of the most dangerous kicks in the game, but it's impossible to suggest Burton's position has improved all that much over the last 12 months despite Canterbury's - for the first half of the 2025 season at least - ongoing improvement.
Burton really seemed to struggle compared to his usual standards once he lost Toby Sexton as his halves partner. Granted, that's still good enough to make this list and hardly anything to be sneezed at.
He will continue to look to improve his game in 2026, with a potential club switch on the horizon. The fact his name has been linked to an early release, no matter how much the Bulldogs' brass attempt to shut it down, proves plenty.
48. Leka Halasima (New Zealand Warriors)
Last year: no rank
What an unbelievable rookie season it was for second-row star Leka Halasima at the Warriors.
While the Warriors faded at the back-end of the season once halfback Luke Metcalf went down with injury, Halasima continued to be a shining light with his running game among the competition's most dangerous.
At just 20 years of age, he played 25 games, scored 13 tries and ran for almost 100 metres per game. He has a way to go defensively, but if he avoids second-year syndrome, expect major improvement on this list in 12 months time.
47. Tolutau Koula (Manly Sea Eagles)
Last year: no rank
Koula is fast becoming one of the most damaging players in the game at Manly, and it's little wonder clubs - both in rugby league and rugby union - are sniffing around his services beyond the end of next season where only a player option ties him to the Northern Beaches.
The Sea Eagles will be desperate to retain the barnstorming centre who could well transition into the fullback role at another club. His running game makes him one of the toughest players pound for pound to tackle in the NRL.
He finished 2025 with 17 tries in 22 games.
46. Isaiah Iongi (Parramatta Eels)
Last year: no rank
Iongi was the replacement for Clint Gutherson at the Eels in 2025 after making the move from the Penrith Panthers, and it's hard to argue 12 months in that the blue and gold haven't made the right decision.
Named the Eels' fan player of the year, Iongi played 21 games and added 20 try involvements, but it was his running game which set the scene, with 84 tackle busts and 172 metres per game.
The sky is the limit for the rising star.
45. Nicho Hynes (Cronulla Sharks)
Last year: no rank
Nicho Hynes won the Dally M Medal in 2022, but, the million dollar man hasn't been the same player since.
That's not to say he has been playing poor rugby league, but he certainly hasn't been at the level one might expect.
He missed this list entirely last year and wasn't Cronulla's best half this year, but an uptick in form where he wound up with 21 try assists is enough to see him back into the Top 50.
44. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (New Zealand Warriors)
Last year: no rank
A move to the wing from the centres worked wonders for the 32-year-old Roger Tuivasa-Sheck throughout the 2025 campaign.
He finished the year with a staggering 216 metres per game, and at times, particularly when Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was missing, completely took over the Warriors carries out of trouble.
Defensively sound, he finished with 12 tries in 19 games.
43. Wayde Egan (New Zealand Warriors)
Last year: no rank
Another Warrior straight after Tuivasa-Sheck, with dummy half Wayde Egan also making an appearance as part of the NRL's top 50 for the first time.
There were plenty of calls around Origin time for him to take Reece Robson's jersey, and while it is now likely both will be overlooked for Blayke Brailey next year, that doesn't take anything away from Egan's season.
He provides excellent, quick service, has a strong running game and is among the best defensive players in the NRL.
42. Jacob Kiraz (Canterbury Bulldogs)
Last year: 27
Kiraz suffers a little bit of a fade down this list in 2025, but that speaks more to players in the game who have improved, rather than the vice versa.
Kiraz only playing 19 games didn't help his cause either, but he still managed 11 tries and ran for 178 metres per game.
That is 11 metres per contest less than last year, but some of that can be put down to the blue and white's average finish for 2025.
41. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui (Gold Coast Titans)
Last year: no rank
Fa'asuamaleaui will be one of the most talked about players in the coming weeks and months as he determines where his NRL future lies.
On-field, he is still one of the best middles in the game.
A walk-up starter for Queensland and Australia, there is little wonder why clubs are ready to break the bank to get him in their colours from the start of 2027.
