How often do we hear it? Halves can't play behind beaten forward packs!
NRL middles are perhaps the most under appreciated sportspeople on the planet.
They do all the hard work. They take that first hit up in the big games. They get smashed. They make a mountain of tackles.
Today we are here to talk about the best of the big men.
If you're looking for Pat Carrigan, he will be in the locks. Played 13 games at lock, 12 at prop. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui also played more at lock than at prop.
Mitch Barnett, unfortunately, won't feature due to only playing 11 games, but he was well on track to place very highly.
As always, this list is purely based on 2025 performance rather than being a flat Top Ten list.
With that said, below are the Top Ten props from the 2025 season:
Honourable Mentions: James Fisher-Harris and Fonua Pole
8. Josh Papalii
It's hard to call this a "comeback" from the Raiders legend, but I don't think anyone truly predicted the season Josh Papalii would produce.
Papalii was reportedly set for a Super League stint in 2026 after Canberra said it was time to move on. He made it impossible for that to happen.
24 games this season for the Raiders saw two tries, 32 tackle breaks, nine offloads, 1011 post contact metres, 103 run metres per game and 96% of his tackles completed.
His performances were so massive that not only did Canberra re-sign him, but he made his return to the QLD Origin arena and was massive for Samoa in the Pacific Championships.
There are no bums in that crowd, Dan.
For me, Lindsay Smith is the “Mr. Unappreciated” of the NRL.
He has stepped up as the replacement for James Fisher-Harris (who had a quiet season at the Warriors – maybe weighed down by all that coin in his pockets).
The fact that the Panthers middle didn’t seem to miss JFH says a lot about the effectiveness of Smith, last season.