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.
9. Peta Hiku
I'll admit it: I didn't totally understand Hiku's signing. Just like with other Cowboys signings I doubted, he seemed to take that personally.
Hiku was magnificent in 2022 and played a huge role in the Cowboys dream season. He was so good he kept the Hammer out of the side.
Five tries, seven assists, four line-breaks and an 82% tackle efficiency are all very acceptable stats but his 157 running metres per game is a stat worth its weight in gold.
In the Finals Hiku ran for 314 metres and 191 metres. That just shows his worth, as an experienced player, in a big game. What a season.
