The prop forwards. Not a position that draws the attention of the halfback role, or even the modern-day fullback, but just as important.
They say that Origin is won in the forwards. It's hard to name a brilliant halfback who stars with any sort of consistency whilst playing behind a beaten forward pack.
In 2022 we are spoilt when it comes to middle forwards. The shortlist here was 18, without even deep diving for names that didn't come to mind right away.
Some super-performing props are going to miss out here, but here are the 10 props I believe performed best in 2022.
Only 2022 is taken into account. To qualify a player must have played more games in the front row than elsewhere. There may be some crossover with the lock position, but we'll cross that if and when we come to it.
9. Nelson Asofa-Solomona
Big NAS graduated in 2022 to become the Storm's pack leader. He'd always been an enforcer but his 2022 saw him become so much more.
Ok, let's address the elephant in the room quickly: NAS has a brain snap in him, and his discipline is an issue. Ok, now the positive.
The Kiwi Giant scored four tries in 2022, ran for 121 metres per game, produced 37 offloads and broke a ridiculous 91 tackles.
He also made 450 tackles at 93%. This stat proves he has evolved into an all-round forward. Given the "outs" for Melbourne, NAS is the main man in that pack moving forward. Judging by his 2022 output, he's ready for that role.
Personally, I would have dropped David Klemmer for Jordan McLean, but I can’t really grumble about that list.