With the NRL heading into the final five rounds of the regular season and the top eight battle heating up, we thought we would take a look at the top 5 players who have made a resurgence this season following an injury-riddled or just plain average previous season.
2. Ethan Lowe
Having cemented himself as a player of promise during his five-year 109 game stint at the North Queensland Cowboys, Ethan Lowe had a stunning fall from grace over the back half of the 2018 season and ensuing off-season.
Previously one of the first names on Paul Green's team list when fit, Lowe was relegated to the Queensland Cup after a slow start to the year in 2018. The former Junior Kangaroos representative would go onto feature 15 times for the Cowboys, the least amount of appearances since his breakthrough season in 2014.f
Clearly out of favour in Townsville, a messy exit ensued. With one-year remaining on his contract, the Cowboys would release Lowe to the Rabbitohs, with former coach Paul Green suggesting that a player revolt had been fuelled by an ex-player now in Sydney, with Lowe the only man fitting that description.
Signed to a bargain-basement one-year deal, Lowe's resurrection has been remarkable. Having impressed over the first few rounds of the season in his short cameos off the Rabbitohs bench, Lowe was handed his State of Origin debut for Queensland in Origin III.
The former Cowboy would go onto perform admirably, making 52 tackles, running for 91 metres as well as nailing all four of his kicks off the tee.
Following his impressive performance in the Origin arena as well as proving to be a valuable utility for the Rabbitohs, Lowe was rewarded with a two-year contract extension in Redfern. Completing his transformation from Cowboys outcast to Origin player and Souths mainstay within two months.
