Was 2022 the year of the lock forward? We have elite number 13s now in a quantity that it's hard to remember seeing before.
There are so many different types of locks these days. We have arguably the best ever metre-eating number 13 and two of the best ballplaying middle forwards in history, plying their trade right now.
Truthfully, the ten here were really hard to rank. Numbers five, six and seven could very well have ended up in the top five. The top three all have credentials to finish top of the list.
Spoiler alert! Brandon Smith did not make the list. Despite his incredible talents, he only started on six occasions in the number 13 in 2022.
Below are the top ten locks from 2022. Again, this only takes into account performances in 2022. For a player to qualify, they must have played more games at lock than any other position.
10. Adam Elliott
As far as single year recruitment decisions go, Adam Elliott's move to Canberra was a big success for the club. It arguably rejuvenated his career also.
Elliott was asked to play multiple roles in 2022, and played them all extremely well, but was best when playing in the 13.
24 appearances saw him cross for two tries, assist three, produce 21 offloads, run for over 100 metres per game, and tackle at over 93%.
Newcastle fans can be confident that the Adam Elliott they've recruited for 2023 and beyond is back to his very best. What a 2022.
