Earlier this week I was discussing with a group of friends the current crop of match-winning centres in the NRL.
We've seen some world-class number threes and fours in the past but never has the role been as important as it is in modern day league.
Centres are now required to defend and run like forwards, ball play like halves and score tries like wingers.
In 2022, we saw some special performances. Narrowing down a top ten was much easier when it came to fullbacks and wingers than it was here.
Some monster performers will miss out below, such was the talent on show in the position in 2022.
Here though are the top ten centres from 2022. As with the previous lists, a player can only qualify if he played more games at centre then other positions. Again, this isn't necessarily the top 10 centres in the game but the ten best performers in 2022.
1. Joseph Manu
I think it's fair to suggest that Joey Manu enjoyed a pretty handy 2022 season. Probably one of those rare moments in league where an opinion won't lead to scorn.
23 appearances for 11 tries, 12 try assists, a ridiculous 145 tackle breaks, 13 line-breaks, 140 metres run per game and a tackle efficiency of 84%.
Manu has all the talents to be a top-class fullback but seems happy with settling for being the game's elite centre. A mantle that is now undisputedly holds.
There's still that off game where Manu is kept quiet, but they are very few and far between. More often than not he was borderline unstoppable in a near flawless 2022.
