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
7. Max King
Max King was absolutely headed toward a top-five placing here. Unfortunately, the second half of the season saw a slight drop out due to ill health.
Even still, King became the new pack leader in Dogs colours and earned his Origin jumpers. How Daley used him was deplorable.
23 games saw him cross for two tries, break 32 tackles, produce 16 offloads, record 1183 post contact metres, average 133 metres per game and tackle at 96%.
We all know what happened to the Bulldogs season but Max King provided a platform all season long. A career-best season.
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.