The role of the five-eighth is fun!
They play a hybrid attacking game of a fullback mixed with the halfback. Throw in the movement of a centre and often the defensive work of a second rower.
2025 produced some magnificent efforts in the number six. We are here today to try and rank those.
This was the most difficult position to rank. Fletcher Sharpe was on track until his injury. Huge Savala was dropped more than once. Luke Brooks had some great heights and some horror lows.
Again, this is a list of the best ten performers for 2025 only. This isn't a list of the top five-eighths outright.
With that said, below are the top 10 five-eighths for the 2025 season:
7. Ben Hunt
Ben Hunt is hard to place here because of the way he was used by the Broncos throughout 2025.
That said, he played five-eighth more often than halfback/hooker and was named in the six in the Grand Final and thus he lands here.
Across 21 games, 12 of which came in the six, he scored two tries, had nine try assists, 10 line-break assists, forced 10 dropouts and tackled at 87%.
Hunt is an elite half and hooker, so his time is going to be split. Again, this was difficult to place but he was absolutely in the top ten somewhere.
I share your uncertainty as to how to classify Ben Hunt. To me, he’s simply the ultimate utility player. If his team needs him to play 6, he’ll play 6 – or 7 or 9, and he probably has the skill to play 1 if he ever ended up at club that needed a replacement full-back for the weekend.
Trindall at 3 ? Hmmm. No. I see him as a 7 rather than a 6 but whilst Nicho is on the big money and is the face of the club, Nicho gets to wear the 7 if that’s what he wants, even though I think 6 is his natural spot.