Ahh, the life of an NRL number nine.
Make your 50 tackles. Better not miss any. Tired marker? You better be running the ball!
Today we round out the end-of-year positional rankings by looking at the numbers nines.
As always, this is a list of based purely on 2025 performances and isn't just a blanket top ten list in the position.
Below are the top 10 hookers from the 2025 season:
Honourable Mention: Reece Robson
1. Harry Grant
Every time the NRL world was about to crown Blayke Brailey the best number in the game, Harry Grant kicked into a gear that saw him gap the field yet again.
I swear, Grant was just waiting to be challenged at times. The way he won games on his own back for the Storm at the back end of the season was a thing of beauty.
His 19 games for the Storm this year saw him cross for five tries, lay on 10 try assists, run for 60 metres per game and tackle at 92%.
He was brilliant for QLD and the Kangaroos on top of his club duties. We've come to expect nothing less.
I’d drop Starling below Api and Walters; in fact I think I’d have Api at #3 in the rankings. It’s hard to look good in a team that isn’t going well, but he managed it.
Nah, I think Starling has been better than Walters.