I know I say this about every position, but the lock forward role may be my favourite in rugby league.
These blokes are required to do the defensive work of a front rower, while often being asked to play bigger minutes.
The instructions for our 13s are simple: Make your 40 tackles a game, oh and we need some try assists too. Easy, right?
Truthfully, this may have been the most difficult position to rank.
There were some genuine standout performances that were hard to split, while filling the final two spots was a bit of a chore.
As always, the below list is compiled using only 2025 performances and it not a flat chat top ten locks in the game.
Below are the top ten locks from the 2025 season:
9. Reuben Cotter
The Cowboys may have endured a horror 2025 season but their number 13 was as consistent as always.
His numbers weren't huge but without him, I hate to think what may have become of the Cowboys this year.
Eighteen games saw him break 20 tackles, record over 666 post-contact metres, run for 92 metres per game and tackle at over 92%.
Only once this season was Cotter asked to make less than 30 tackles, showing how hard he works for his side. His efforts deserve recognition.
