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.
3. Izack Tago
Penrith fans could be forgiven for being a little worried about the centre position after losing Matt Burton and Paul Momorovski. Young Tago made sure they needn't have worried.
13 tries, nine try assists, 15 line-breaks, 70 tackle breaks and 139 metres per game provided so many highlights. In defence he made 89% of his tackles also.
Tago's early season form was electric, especially considering he entered 2022 with only six games to his name. His try scoring slowed but his performances never dipped.
It's hard to be a standout in that all-time great Panthers side but Tago routinely stood out. What a incredible season for the relative rookie.
