Straight off the bat, I'm going to admit that ranking the second rowers in 2022 was the most difficult of all lists.
There were so many good performers this season which made narrowing it down to just the ten very difficult.
Ranking them was even more difficult. I very much look forward to the comments, which again I expect only to be complimentary.
Here are the top 10 NRL backrowers from 2022. Only performances this year are taken into account and only players who were named in the back row more often than they were in other positions are eligible.
For the record Liam Martin, Briton Nikora and Jai Arrow were all shortlisted but missed the final cut.
1. Jeremiah Nanai
Jeremiah Nanai had one of the all time great seasons for a second rower. Considering he entered 2022 with only four games under his belt, that is almost unfathomable.
23 appearances for the Cowboys saw him net a lazy 17 tries, eight line breaks, 99 metres run per game and just under 90% of his tackles made.
Nanai became the game's best weapon in the air. Again, he is a second-rower. Those chip kicks lead so many tries that other clubs just do not score.
Nanai earned his Origin call up and performed extremely well. He was a no-brainer to debut for the Kangaroos. Add those jerseys to his Dally M TOTY medal and Rookie of the year honour. 10/10 stuff from the young superstar.
Koloamatangi for me, for consistency.
I was surprised you gave Briton Nikora a place in the shortlist. I don’t rate him as highly as Cronulla compatriots Williams and Wilton (but you’re probably a better judge of Sharks personnel than I am).