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
8. Mitch Kenny
If Verrills isn't the most underrated member of this list, it's certainly the Panthers number nine.
Kenny isn't flashy. It's not his role. His role is tackle hard and get the ball to his halves as quickly as possible. He plays this role to perfection.
His 22 games saw him assist three tries, run for 25 metres per game and tackle at 92%.
There is a genuine thought that if you're going to persist with Nathan Cleary at halfback for NSW, you almost have to pick the bloke who enables him so well at club level.
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.