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
6. Keaon Koloamatangi
Keaon Koloamatangi was a very good second rower. He has become an elite middle forward. A rare standout in a horror season for the Rabbitohs.
Perhaps there was an injury at play but Koloamatangi is another who should have played Origin this season. He played 80 minutes a few days prior to the Origin decider so ...
His 20 games, 11 of which came at prop, saw him cross for four tries, break 54 tackles, produce 17 offloads, run for almost 1200 post-contact metres, average 153 metres per game and tackle at almost 95%.
He earned his Kangaroos jersey for the Ashes tour and was very good. He is set for a monster 2026.
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.