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.
9. Joe Ofahengaue
Despite a horrible season for his club, Joe Ofahengaue can be very proud of his individual effort in 2022. He was arguably the Tiger's best.
The monster middle forward ran for over 112 metres per game, broke 57 tackles, produced 33 offloads, recorded 1170.8 post contact metres and tackled at almost 93%.
The Tigers were often battered through the middle but that was through no fault of the former Origin rep. He wouldn't have looked out of place in Maroon this year either.
He is one player you can slot into a spot and not have to worry about. There are reports he was told to focus on running and forget the ball playing. This plays to his undoubted strength so look for an even better 2023.
