Halfback is the most important position in the NRL. I don't think anyone can dispute that statement.
We saw how drastically the Sharks' performances improved with the arrival of a class halfback. Meanwhile, those sides struggling to find a star number seven very rarely play finals footy.
Luckily for fans, there seems to be a plethora of talented number sevens in the game right now. Ranking them was very, very difficult and I'm sure will be met with nothing but positivity in the comments.
As with other lists, this is based purely on 2022. It's not necessarily the best players in this position overall.
To qualify a player must have played halfback more often than not. There will be one technical exception as we saw with the five-eights.
10. Lachlan Ilias
Young Ilias entered 2022 as one of the most under-pressure players, through no fault of his own. To say he stood up to be counted is an understatement.
He started slow but his performances ensured that the stories questioning his club's decision to allow Adam Reynolds to leave slowly faded away.
In his 26 performances he produced five tries, 12 try assists, 12 line break assists, 16 forced dropouts, an average of 245 kicking metres and 65 run metres per game. Those averages are skewed by a one-minute stint against Newcastle prior to injury.
From being hooked and blamed for his club's woes to helping lead his side to a preliminary Final... what a turnaround. In his rookie season no less.
